| Over 40 years ago, the singing duo Simon & | | | | customers' experiences and how these translate |
| Garfunkel offered their audiences an insight into | | | | into customer behaviours - such as |
| the mysteries of customer satisfaction in their | | | | recommendation to others and increasing |
| song 'Keep the customer satisfied' - including the | | | | consumption of the organisation's products and |
| lyric: | | | | services - and how these affect the organisation's |
| It's the same old story everywhere I go, | | | | accounts and balance sheet, and |
| I get slandered, libelled, | | | | · Customer contact measures, as provided by |
| I hear words I never heard in the Bible... | | | | the US-based customer experience agency |
| Just trying to keep my customers satisfied, | | | | TARP, and the Total Performance Scorecard |
| satisfied... | | | | (TPS) which is allied to Learn Six Sigma concepts. |
| According to Simon & Garfunkel, keeping your | | | | The usual measures of customer satisfaction |
| customers satisfied can be a thankless - even | | | | involve a survey with a set of statements using a |
| impossible - task. There is no doubt that | | | | Likert Technique or scale. The customer is asked |
| 'customer satisfaction' is highly subjective but, | | | | to evaluate each statement and in term of their |
| according to Simon Rustom of customer | | | | perception and expectation of performance of |
| management specialists Customer Consulting Ltd | | | | the organisation being measured. |
| (CCL), it can be understood as a function of both | | | | "We have developed some spreadsheet business |
| expectations and perceptions. In essence, | | | | models to assess how customers' experiences |
| Rustom's view is encapsulated in the formula that: | | | | and subsequent behaviours affect an |
| Customer Satisfaction equals Perceived Delivery | | | | organisation's financial position," said Rustom. "Our |
| divided by Expectations. | | | | key message to our clients is that there is an |
| Rustom believes that expectations are shaped by | | | | opportunity to take a more proactive view of the |
| customers' needs, their experience with other | | | | role of customer contact and link targeted |
| providers and their previous experience of your | | | | improvements to the impact on the bottom line. |
| service. They are also shaped by marketing | | | | "The key to achieving customer focus is to |
| strategies, including branding and advertising, as | | | | create alignment between the brand, the |
| well as by other communications. | | | | customers and the people in the organisation," he |
| He added that perceptions are the outcome of a | | | | explained. "Ideally, an organisation's brand values |
| customer's whole experience. This includes a | | | | are reflected in the organisational culture and the |
| complex mix of emotional and rational, conscious | | | | service experienced by its customers." |
| and unconscious aspects. This mix can be seen as | | | | When it comes to identifying the elements |
| a function of the delivery of the core service, the | | | | needed in order to be a customer orientated |
| information provided in relation to this and the | | | | organisation delivering continuous customer |
| contact they have with people - both staff and | | | | satisfaction improvement (CSI), Rustom believes |
| other customers - during the experience. | | | | that there are eight levels on which CSI needs to |
| "When there is a failure or disruption of service | | | | take place: |
| delivery, the customer's experience will be shaped | | | | · Corporate strategy - establishing vision and |
| - and either positively mitigated or negatively | | | | direction: a commitment to customers |
| accentuated - by the customer's interaction with | | | | · Customer management and customer service |
| staff," he continued. | | | | strategy - thinking strategically about customers |
| "When staff side with customers and blame their | | | | · Business rationale for investment in customers |
| company in response to a delivery failure, the | | | | - appropriate investment in customers |
| customer may end up with a positive perception | | | | · Customer metrics included in a performance |
| of the staff but a worse perception of the | | | | management system - establishing and managing |
| company - which they will now blame entirely for | | | | customer targets and measures |
| the delivery failure." | | | | · Group/ Division/ Company structure for |
| Rustom and his colleagues at CCL focus on | | | | co-ordinated CSI - co-ordinating the strategy |
| helping organisations - such as Aviva, BUPA, South | | | | across the enterprise so that it becomes more |
| West Trains and Orange - to optimise their return | | | | than the sum of its parts |
| on investment in customer management. As part | | | | · Customer information systems and contact |
| of this, they work with contact centres and | | | | processes - changing customers' perception of |
| customer-orientated information and technology. | | | | performance |
| CCL aims to demonstrate that a best practice | | | | · People initiatives and programmes - aligning |
| approach to customer management delivers | | | | staff's attitudes with the brand, via culture |
| sustainable business growth - and ensuring that | | | | change, skills and attitude training |
| customer satisfaction levels remain high plays a | | | | · Project management and implementation - |
| large part in this. | | | | making the strategy reality through effective |
| Rustom commented: "As a specialist customer | | | | implementation |
| and change management company, we aim to | | | | "An unprecedented shift of power to the |
| deliver a combination of insight, intellect, wisdom | | | | customer in recent years means that, to remain |
| and pragmatism - combined with a real | | | | competitive, organisations need to optimise value |
| understanding of people - to achieve commercial | | | | from a range of interrelated 'customer |
| results that are beyond the norm. Using a joint | | | | management' disciplines: customer insight, value |
| project team approach, CCL offers advice and | | | | propositions, customer service, customer |
| support to help companies develop and implement | | | | experience, relationship management, channel |
| customer strategies that produce results." | | | | integration and so on," said Rustom. "Both |
| When it comes to developing an effective | | | | piecemeal and technology-led approaches have |
| customer contact strategy, CCL stresses the | | | | not delivered value in this area. |
| need to look at: | | | | Strategic, organisational and operational elements - |
| · The different dimensions of customer contact: | | | | involving people, process and technology - need to |
| where it takes place and its roles within different | | | | be aligned within a long term plan if organisations |
| situations from a customer viewpoint, | | | | are to optimise success in keeping their |
| · The impact of customer contact in terms of | | | | customers satisfied. |