One of the most iconic stories of customer experience marketing comes in the form of a tale about a stuffed animal named Joshie the Giraffe. A family was on vacation, staying at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida. At the end of their stay, they hastily left the resort and left behind their young son’s treasured stuffed giraffe. The father called the resort to let them know he had explained to his son that Joshie was not lost;...
With companies striving to stay one step ahead of their competition, the customer has become more valuable than ever before. Companies are moving towards more customer-centric models while trying to define exactly what the term means. While the concept is nothing new, the phrase “customer-centric” is starting to see a lot more screen time. So what exactly does it mean to be customer-centric, and how can companies improve their customer-focused interactions? Customer-Centricity: What is it, Exactly? The term is...
On this episode of The CX Show, our co-founder and CEO, Dan Michaeli, sits down with Kerri Nelson, co-founder and CEO of CustomersFirst Now, a customer delight company that specializes in customer-centricity and grabbing hold of the customer experience through customer journey mapping. Having been in the shoes of the customer herself and having worked in the customer experience field for many years, she decided to leave corporate America and start her own business nearly 3...
If you were to ask yourself “What’s the key to winning over a customer”, what would you say? In year’s past, answers like “price”, “product” and “speed of service” would have been at the top of the list. And while those answers are certainly still important in making a sale, studies show that by 2020 one key factor will trump them all as the key differentiator in winning over customers: the customer experience (CX). CX is...
Steve Cannon, the CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz USA, has said that “Customer Experience is the new marketing.” Companies and customers alike have embraced this notion, and for this reason, companies are competing on customer experience now more than ever. With so much noise in the digital space, it takes more than slick copy and ads filled with big promises to foster customer loyalty. Loyalty requires an experience that not only keeps customers onboard, but also motivates...
The origin of the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” has been credited from Fred R. Barnard in 1927 in the Printers Inc. magazine back to an ancient Chinese proverb. While the birth of the phrase remains in doubt, almost everyone is familiar with the concept. Those in the world of Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP), have discovered that most people prefer a primary channel of communication. Some people are auditory, meaning they comprehend and...
The recent shutdown of Facebook’s M, a human-assisted AI chatbot, has caused some people to write-off conversational AI. While it’s true that this was a major story and minor strike against AI, we firmly believe reports of AI’s demise are greatly exaggerated. At SaleMove, we’re still very bullish on AI and its role in facilitating meaningful conversations between companies and customers. However, we still believe that in order for AI to be successful, the focus should be...
There’s one simple truth for any company out there providing a product or service: negative feedback stings. The goal for any customer experience is for it to be a pleasant one, so when a customer expresses their dissatisfaction it’s a tough pill to swallow. Negative feedback is rarer than you may think: a typical business only hears from 4% of their dissatisfied customers. The real issue with that number is those that don’t express their complaints...
There are numerous digital communication solutions available to both customers and companies. These solutions provide contact channels that can be accessed quickly, easily, and conveniently. However, when it comes to online customer service, companies are finding that along with all of that convenience, they are also facing new headaches and challenges. In fact, sometimes online customer service can be more complicated than offline customer service. What are those challenges and how can they be handled? Lengthy Resolution Times According...
Companies are starting to realize that just focusing on good customer service is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Companies that want to compete in today’s marketplace must focus on the overall customer experience (CX). This is likely due to the rise of digital and mobile platforms; customers have more touch points along their journey than they ever have before. Even companies who understand the importance of an excellent customer experience weren’t exactly sure if they...