Nine elements of successful CX Ambassador programs

The latest years I have seen many organizations that worked with CX Ambassadors. So many roles, and so many variations of domain of impact. For example, to implement customer improvements, or to be NPS ambassadors from all teams to make sure the metric and the thought behind it stays alive, or to build a culture of customer centric behavior, or to translate the brand values into daily work. As I have seen so many and some were a success and some just died a silent death (yes, that is a risk), I decided to deduct the nine elements of success.

1. Have common goals that link to the strategy of the organization

When people join an ambassador program, they want to understand how they contribute and what is the WHY of the program. It is the role from the CX team to give clarity on this element of belonging and contribution. Especially the strategy element is important, as people will be asked in their teams and their surroundings what their role as an ambassador is. Also make sure they can translate their work into the strategy and the goals of the Ambassador program. As a CX team you have to be able to answer the question: “When is our CX Ambassador program a success and how does it contribute to the success of the organization?” Because if you can’t, your ambassadors most definitely can’t either.

2. Make sure the ambassadors have time to act

It depends whether Ambassadors are chosen by management or whether they can volunteer to join your CX Ambassador program. One of the hurdles I often see, is that of time. People get their ambassador role on top of their daily work. Especially when working in the frontline, with operational roles, you need to be aware that chances are they promise a lot but are more likely to be scheduled to be doing their regular job. I have seen programs where people got 20 percent of their time to work in the ambassador program; make sure this is planned in the WFM and help your ambassadors to own this new role. Enable them to have conversations with their team members and management. But also, you have to have conversations with the leadership, to emphasize the importance of the Ambassador program and the time people need.

3. Choose ambassadors wisely

Who should be the ambassadors? A very interesting question. Should they be picked by management, is that the modus operandi in your organization? Or could you have a kind of an audition program, where employees get to do interviews and really show why they are a good match? I hope you get to have a say in the selection process and have a diverse group of ambassadors. Especially at the start, make sure you get colleagues that have belief in Customer Experience, that have the right energy, that are curious and that are at crucial positions in the company. Later in time, you can choose to also engage the opponents. Especially when you have the first results in, this will convince them, and it gives you the authority that you can engage all. And of course, make the Ambassador team a diverse one, both on background, gender, roles and global footprint (when applicable).

4. Give guidance and build a system of support and clear governance

Ambassadors need support to fulfill their role. Often their roles have an evangelist and activist element which has impact on the organizational status quo. This means they have to work on customer change and different behavior. That isn’t easy, so help your ambassadors with the resistance they will encounter. Create FAQ’s with the most asked questions and answers they might give. Help them with tools and interventions so they can really act on their role. It is also important that you help them telling the story, especially when the evangelist element is fundamental. Practice the change story together. Give them customer stories, video clips, customer verbatims, that they can use in their change roles. I often see communities with a shared platform, where all resources can be found. Make sure you are the activator and stimulator of this platform.

5. Share and reward success

Some ambassadors hit the jackpot and some won’t. It is very important to deep dive the elements that enhance success. What really works is to put the people in the spotlight that are nailing it. That are really creating customer impact, that raise metrics, that change the customer status quo. I have seen Awards for the CX Ambassador of the year, which is kind of formal. But I have also seen stories highlighted on the intranet and Yammer communities where CX heroes were celebrated. Make sure you put the spotlight on their success, but also on the journey towards success. Share the honest truth and give them the praise they deserve. And… if your ambassador program is a true success, give yourself the right platform and go for a CX award yourself or with the team. Whether at the Global Insights Exchange of the CXPA or the International CX Awards. This can give you the internal authority, praise of colleagues and often an internal leadership boost.

6. Get together in real life

This might be difficult in global programs, but it is of true importance that Ambassadors know each other. So they know their peers, so they can have conversations when stuck, or to build on capabilities. I often see Zoom calls, Skype meetings and yes, these are practical. But when you really want success, claim budget for real life get togethers. Enhance learning, networking and a real foundation of CX belief when you see each other. What I have also seen, is that when Ambassadors have to make a real effort to travel, they are even more connected to the program later. When you finish a person to person event, make sure you give the colleagues shiny certificates or other status symbols they can take to their offices. To show off and have a physical reminder of their ambassador status.

7. Involve leaders

Somehow, I have seen most CX Ambassador programs that only have team members from operational roles. Where are the leaders, where is the management? It can’t be that they are too busy… So, when you start and choose the ambassador team, make sure you have the option to also pick leaders. If that is not the case, make sure you engage leaders in a different way. Communicate regularly about the Ambassador program and mention their teams when they deliver results. But also have conversations when the Ambassadors fall short and they indicate they don’t get the time they need. These conversations might be tricky, but this is the only road to go. Especially when you feel some leaders don’t support the program. If I can give you one most important suggestion it is: include the CEO. Make sure he/she expresses the importance, shows up in a real life meetup, or in a Zoom. That he/she asks questions in meetings how the participation of the Ambassador program is going.

8. Have ‘who takes over’ conversations and an on-boarding program

People will leave teams, get new roles, get sick or might even leave the company. To have continuity, you need to think of this at the beginning. Especially when people are selected and start: be honest and ask what will happen when they eventually are not there. For whatever reason. Do they have somebody that can replace them, do they have a next in line idea? It is a good conversation to have, since this also shows your sincerity and serious approach to the Ambassador program. When they stop, give them a fond farewell, a big thank you. Also give the new ambassadors a warm welcome. Make sure you have a welcome/onboarding procedure. That is crystal clear on expectations. That helps you and the ambassador to start of in the best way.

9. When the vibe is down, stop or show stamina and refresh

The good thing at the start of a CX Ambassador program is that everybody is fully energized. Starting new things just has a good vibe. The lights are all green, the program has power, maybe even an own logo. You have somebody who is responsible for the selection, communication and the meetups. And then… after a year the vibe might be down. The participation is less. Other priorities might come up. What to do? This should already have been taken care of in the startup. To raise the ‘what if questions’ and the mitigating actions. But it will happen. This is the moment where you have two choices. Either you stop the program. With a real celebration of the success, a big thank you to all participants. Or this is the moment your endurance comes in. Where you show stamina. Continuity is key and you have to stick to the rhythm of communication. Make time in your agenda to prepare meetings, to tape video’s, to share stories. And when the vibe is really down: refresh. Give the program a boost with a new logo. With a new story line, maybe even a new face of the CX team.

When to start an CX Ambassador program

Ambassador programs are just tha bomb. Yes, I am an enthusiast and I have seen some great examples where the organization was engaged by the success of the program. You don’t start an Ambassador program when you just started the CX team. It is something to start when you have grown a little more mature. When the fundamentals are there: a CX team, a clear CX Strategy and of course the budget.

Your learnings

I am so curious for your learnings. I have two questions:

  1. What are fundamentals that you have encountered in your CX Ambassador program that really created success, that are your success factors?
  2. Please be in contact when you have a great Ambassador story. As I am writing the CX Travel Guide in English, I am looking for international stories and I would love to learn from yours and share your story.

So, please share your insights and comments and of course, feel free to like, love and share this post.

 

** Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz. **

 

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

 

/door

The 3 learnings for YOU from the best CX team of 2019

Look at this photo. Isn’t it a brilliant moment of fame? These are the winners of the International CX Award 2019 for Best Customer Experience Team: the CX team of KCB Bank. This bank is located in Kenya and their CX team nailed it when it comes to CX. What can you learn from them? I will share my insights, as I was one of the judges of this category and the host of the Awards.

1. Name of your CX team

When you are in the profession of Customer Experience Management, you want to differ from other teams within your company. You are responsible for the customer and the change within the company into customer centric behavior. You are there to elevate these KPI’s that matter. It could be NPS or CSAT, but that is what you are there for. So, what is your team name? The CX Team of KCB, named themselves Team Possibilitarians. To propel the customer experience agenda, they have made the KCB Customer Experience Team a fun place to be, as they believed that offering delightful customer experiences can only be natural and seamless in a fun, but yet an official setting. Smart!

2. Business rationale

Customer Experience Management is a business profession. That means – as CX professionals – we are there for a business reason. To deliver business value: to customers and therefore to the company. To create a competitive advantage, to help innovation, to boost a customer centric culture. That is also what CEO’s expect of the CX profession. Within KCB, the team is led by Job Njiru. The banking industry in Kenya, faced homogeneity and a dynamic environment created by Customers. The CX team had to look for clear paths to help remaining the market leader in a very competitive market. Customers demanded personalized and differentiated experiences. They required products initiated by their requests and the products to meet their expectation of reliability, speed, efficiency, low cost and convenience. KCB thought of a plan to ensure that their customer needs are met. In 2018 a Customer Experience Division was created within the bank as an independent division, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, “to eat, think, dream and sleep as the customer”. To align that, they created a business metric that really measures CX support across all staff, named Rate My Support (RMS). The team has grown in score and helped building a customer centric culture across the business, helped meeting customer service level agreements by reducing TAT on complaint resolution from 72 hrs in 2017 to 24 hrs in 2019, improving NPS by 5 points up, making them the market leaders in the Kenyan banking industry. So, the question is: what is your business rationale and how can you show your success?

3. The CX Story for change

How do you engage the organization? Do others understand what you are doing with your team? Do they know what to do and how? What I love about the CX team of KCB Bank, is that for 2019, they decided to focus on the 4E’s of customer experience which for them are Emotion, Expectation, Effort and Execution. This has helped building customer trust, enhancing customer understanding and building a community of believers who advocate KCB globally. What is your acronym? Your list of 4E’s (or other elements) that creates engagement and that are memorable elements?

Congratulations to all members of the CX #TeamPossibilitarians of KCB Bank with your win. It was a fierce competition in this category within the awards, but you so much deserve it. And for all readers of this blog: will you also compete in this year’s International CX Awards? It will help you within your company as an authority and it will give you the praise you deserve.  I certainly hope to meet you and challenge you to compete on the Elite Podium of CX!

 

** Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz. **

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

20 Goede Klantvoornemens voor 2020

Ok, het is eind januari als je deze column leest. Alleen schrijf ik het, nu we nét het jaar zijn begonnen. En traditioneel denken we dan collectief na over onze goede voornemens.

Ik zou geen CX-expert zijn, als ik die voornemens niet aan klanten zou koppelen. Daarom geef ik je een mooi overzicht van 20 Goede Klantvoornemens. Hopelijk zijn ze in jouw organisatie al volkomen normaal. Laten we dat eens checken.

  1. Wij gebruiken geen kleine lettertjes, die we eigenlijk niet goed kunnen uitleggen.
  2. No-reply e-mailadressen doen we niet aan. Want het is toch raar dat wij als organisatie wel tegen een klant mogen praten, maar dat deze niets mag terugzeggen.
  3. Onze enquêtes zijn kort en krachtig en zien er tof uit.
  4. Vult een klant een enquête in, dan doen we er ook iets mee. We verbeteren onze dienstverlening en koppelen terug wat we hebben gedaan.
  5. Wij reageren op reviews die de klant achterlaat.
  6. Wij vinden de klant leuk en dat ervaart deze in al ons klantcontact.
  7. Als we beloven een klant terug te bellen, dan doen we dat ook.
  8. Natuurlijk hoeft de klant zijn of haar verhaal nooit te herhalen, wij gebruiken ons CRM-systeem zodanig dat alle collega’s weten wat er besproken is.
  9. Komt onze klant er digitaal niet uit, dan bieden we een alternatief.
  10. Wij bedanken de klant, omdat deze al jarenlang klant is. Als nieuwe klanten een leuk aanbod krijgen, dan krijgen onze gewaardeerde klanten dat aanbod natuurlijk ook.
  11. Wij verstoppen ons telefoonnummer niet op onze website.
  12. Ons management draait regelmatig mee aan de ‘voorkant’, zodat ook zij van onze klanten mogen genieten.
  13. We sturen onze klanten misschien dit jaar wel een kaartje. Met hun verjaardag, of gewoon omdat we dat leuk vinden.
  14. Bij ons staat een klant nooit lang in de wacht, ook niet als we de Belastingdienst zijn.
  15. Wij gebruiken geen irritante wachtmuziek.
  16. Gaat er iets mis, dan zeggen we welgemeend ‘sorry’ en lossen we het op.
  17. Wij geven nooit een andere organisatie de schuld als iets misgaat, maar nemen zelf de regie.
  18. Onze brieven zijn in begrijpelijke taal geschreven.
  19. Wij vragen nooit om negens en tienen voor onze dienstverlening, maar zijn oprecht nieuwsgierig naar iedere klantervaring.
  20. Natuurlijk is ons contactcenter ook ’s avonds en/of in het weekend open, als onze klant daar behoefte aan heeft.

Staan er punten in deze lijst die je nog niet voor klanten doet? Besluit dan om het vanaf vandaag anders te gaan doen. Aan de slag. Happy 2020!

 

Dit blog werd geschreven voor CustomerFirst en gepubliceerd op 29 januari 2020

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/door

The need of a development plan (and what it has to do with tulips)

Last year around this time, I got to visit two of the greatest names when it comes to Customer Experience. Disney and Zappos. I traveled to California to learn all about CX magic at Disney Institute. In Las Vegas I got a tour at Zappos where I interviewed leaders at their fun property. Many of the learnings I shared in my blogs and I even published an e-zine on my insights at Zappos. But why did I do that? Why did I choose these two companies as my Go-To-Learning-Place for 2019? It’s all about development. Let me share my vision with you in this blog.

Buy my flowers!

But first I want to share with you that tulips are my favorite flowers. Nice to know, right? Or not? But hang on, it has to do with the story ?. The picture you see is taken at the local flower market in Utrecht. Every Saturday you can buy all kinds of flowers and plants on this market. It is a very bright and happy place to visit, even when it rains. The colors, the smells, the people and especially the salesmen and women behind their flower stands make me smile. They get it when it comes to selling their goods. They look at you, recommend their flowers and try to lure you into their domain.

What could happen – and they understand sales really well, so it probably will happen – is that they seduce you to buy some flowers. Not just the flowers you planned to buy. But more and different ones. Which will cost you more money than you had planned to spend and they will take up more room in your house. Colorful, yes! But maybe not what you went out for.

Stick to the plan

The same might happen with development. You go out there, see all kinds of education and inspiration, but what to decide? When you go online you might get lost in a maze of development options. To learn new skills, get inspiration, be a better entrepreneur, learn all CX, be a better you. I know many people that get seduced to follow webinars, free events and buy education as a result. Sometimes for the good. Often maybe not for what they planned to do. Is that bad? No, but think of all the time and money that is wasted. So when I go out to get tulips, I get tulips. And maybe one extra bunch of flowers to give away. But I stick to my plan.

The big picture

That is where my big picture in development comes in. Every year I determine in what area I want to develop myself. Two examples to show you how I do it. In 2018 I wanted to learn more about comedy, about being funny on stage or when delivering my Masterclass. To learn what my trade was, when it came to this art. I went to a standup comedy weekend in Brighton with Jill Edwards, had a day course with Jeremy Nichols and watched tons of comedians. On stage as well as on Netflix. A big learning experience that resulted in finding out that I am more of an improv comedian, than a standup comedian. But it was such a good learning ride.

Personal and business development

2019 was all about learning more on CX. Really deep diving into my own profession and learning from the best. The reason I went to Disney and Zappos. And why I hosted the International CX awards and why I was a judge. Because we were also writing our book about CX, I needed to focus on my profession. An extra touch was that both Disney and Zappos focus on change from a cultural lens. Very handy with regard to our Employee Experience Game and the Masterclass CX Culture I am developing. This investment in me was not only an inspirational one, but also a business smart decision!

The plan for 2020

This year will be all about growing my facilitation and audience interaction skills. I want to find my own interaction games (I already have some fun ones, but I think I can be better). Not only in a small setting like our CX Masterclass with 16 participants, but also with audiences of thousands. I like people in my audience to be really involved. So, I have work to do. I will visit the Global Speaker Summit in Namibia in February to learn from the world’s greatest speakers and I will join the annual PSA Australia event in Adelaide to get some Down Under magic. In April I have booked myself a seat in a two-day Masterclass to be a better Master of Ceremony (dagvoorzitter for the Dutchies). I don’t fancy becoming an all-round MC, but at customer events, I love the role. Because I can add some Nienke Bloem and CX magic to the day.

Your theme for this year

So, what to learn from all this? The big picture. My question to you is, what is your theme for the year? Do you like my way of bringing focus to personal development? Or do you have other ways, that I can learn from? Please share, because there are far more ways when it comes to development, and there is no good or bad. Oh well, actually there is a bad one. That is doing nothing. Staying still. Not investing in yourself. So, when you are at the flower market, I hope you’ll be seduced to buy some flowers. I will get myself some tulips.

 

** Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz. **

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

Klacht of klagen?

Het is 2012 en ik ben net verantwoordelijk geworden voor customer experience bij KPN in de consumentenmarkt. We willen een veranderstrategie schrijven – één die niet alleen functioneel is, maar die vooral aanspreekt en een echte verandering inhoudt.

We beschrijven de verandering vanuit de klant en de medewerker. Voor de collega’s willen we dat ze weer enthousiast én trots op een verjaardagsfeestje vertellen dat ze bij dit telecombedrijf werken. Maar waar te beginnen? Want als je vertelde dat je bij KPN werkte, had je op ieder feestje de garantie dat je direct op een dramaverhaal werd getrakteerd. Die monteur dit, die callcentermedewerker dat, of toen in de winkel zus… Hoe mooi zou het zijn als je het probleem kon oplossen?

Samen met mijn team bedachten we daarom de KPN Ambassador-app. Daarin kon de medewerker direct het probleem melden dat hem of haar ter ore kwam. So far, so good. De app werd gebouwd, de processen erop aangesloten en nu moest het worden getest met klachten uit de praktijk. Als echte ambassadeur maakte ik een LinkedIn-bericht, introduceerde de app en vroeg aan mijn netwerk: welke issues heb jij, die ik voor jou kan oplossen? In no time kwamen de verhalen binnen. Toen en toen was dat en dat gebeurd. Maar liefst veertig klachten vond ik in de reacties.

Ik nam met iedereen contact op en al pratend met deze mensen kwam ik erachter dat er in 39 van de 40 gevallen geen sprake was van een klacht, maar van klagen. Er viel niks meer op te lossen. Er was alleen nooit goed geluisterd, nooit echt aandacht gegeven, nooit een keer oprecht sorry gezegd. Wat een les. Er is een wezenlijk verschil tussen een klacht en klagen. Want die ene case waar ik wel in actie kon komen, dat was met recht een klacht. Die kon ik zo in onze Ambassador-app invoeren en die werd (natuurlijk) goed opgelost.

Wat er ook zo tof aan was, was dat collega’s bij klagende feestgangers hun app tevoorschijn toverden. Ze vroegen door, en alleen al door te luisteren en te laten zien dat ze klachten konden oplossen, verdween het klagen als sneeuw voor de zon. Let er maar eens op deze week. Wij hebben er met zijn allen een handje van om te klagen. Maar neem van mij aan: als je luistert naar een klagende klant en deze oprecht aandacht geeft, kun je de klacht voorkomen.

 

Dit blog werd geschreven voor CustomerFirst en gepubliceerd op 18 december 2019

Geen blog meer missen? Schrijf je dan in voor mijn maandelijkse CX Greetz!

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

De kraan lekt

Daar had ik er weer eentje te pakken. Zo’n bevestigingsbrief van een dienst die ik afnam. In de corporate terminologie zou ik dit een procesbrief noemen – zo’n brief die het systeem uit zichzelf uitpoept, omdat een klant iets heeft besteld, gewijzigd of opgezegd.

Natuurlijk is het van belang dat deze brieven er geautomatiseerd uitkomen. Want het is niet meer helemaal van nu, dat er een ruimte vol typistes zit. Die dit soort brieven op maat typen, op basis van elk klantding dat voorbijkomt. Maar waarom zijn deze systeembrieven toch zo niet van nu? Zo afstandelijk? En waarom gebruiken ze referenties, waar ik met mijn pet niet bij kan? Wie heeft die bedacht? K-532-Zleven. Of 54352-trxxx. Het zal wel te maken hebben met mijn klantnummer, adres of geboortedatum. Of is het een vergelijkbaar ingewikkeld en ingenieus systeem als de kentekens van auto’s? Iemand verzon een reeks, die raakte op en dus werd er een nieuwe reeks geïntroduceerd. Zoiets.

Maar ik dwaal af. Zelf ben ik verantwoordelijk geweest voor klantcommunicatie. Ik weet hoe moeilijk het is om deze procesbrieven te wijzigen. Het is gewoon een enorme rotklus. Zo’n klus waar eigenlijk niemand zijn vingers aan wil branden. Want het behelst nogal wat. Het start met de vraag: gebruiken we ‘je’ of ‘jij’ en eindigt met ‘welke brief wordt wanneer verstuurd’ en ‘waar gaat een mogelijk antwoord heen’? En welke woorden moet je gebruiken? Woorden die de klant wel moet kunnen begrijpen. B1, Jip en Janneke. Ach, ach, keuzes, keuzes…

Echt, niemand staat te springen om deze klus op het gebied van klantcommunicatie uit te voeren. En toch… als de kraan lekt moet je die maken (of laten maken) en daarna dweilen. Dáárover wil ik mijn punt maken. Over dat dweilen. Dat gaat het beste als de kraan gerepareerd is. Anders wordt het zo’n zooitje. Dus dat er vanaf vandaag alleen maar brieven en e-mails uitgaan die de juiste boodschap brengen aan de juiste ontvanger, in de juiste taal en op het juiste moment. En dan? Dan is het tijd om te gaan dweilen: je gaat de procescommunicatie aanpakken. Dat megaproject. Trek daar maar twee jaar voor uit. Minimaal zou ik zeggen.

Het meest nare is dat je hier weinig eervolle vermeldingen voor krijgt. Want zodra je klaar bent, is de eerste brief alweer verouderd. Of heeft het bedrijf een nieuwe naam. Of een nieuwe tone-of-voice. Of een nieuw logo. Of een nieuwe directeur. Want tja, al die brieven moeten wel de juiste handtekening hebben… Je zou er moedeloos van worden.

 

Dit blog werd geschreven voor CustomerFirst en gepubliceerd op 13 november 2019.

Geen blog meer missen? Schrijf je dan in voor mijn maandelijkse CX Greetz!

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

De klant centraal, is van ons allemaal

Wat vind jij? Een ja of een nee? Ik ben benieuwd. Maar voordat ik mijn opinie in de rondte strooi, neem ik je mee in een experiment.

Stel. Je wordt wakker en bent vrolijk. Je springt fris en fruitig uit je bed. Want je hebt er zin in. Je gaat vol passie aan de slag. Je loopt de keuken van de McDonalds in, groet je collega’s en start (na je handen te hebben gewassen; natuurlijk!) met een bestelling van een BigMac. Wat doe je?

  1. Je hebt dit al zo vaak gedaan, dat je niet meer naar het plaatje van deze hamburger hoeft te kijken. Maar je weet precies hoe de opbouw is. Broodje, saus, sla, tomaat, augurk, twee hamburgers, een plakje kaas en nog meer saus (voor de echte kenners, ik hoop dat ik het goed heb). Dus je bouwt de hamburger zoals die hoort, stopt hem in het doosje en hopsa; klaar om gegeten te worden.

Of

  1. Vandaag ga je out of the box. Je hebt iets gehoord van je manager over autonomie en je gaat deze hamburger nóg lekkerder maken. Beetje meer saus, beetje minder vlees. Want ja, dat is niet goed voor het milieu. Misschien is drie plakjes tomaat wel een goed idee. Gewoon even jouw passie erin en klaar is Klara. Hamburger in het doosje en hopsa; klaar om gegeten te worden.

Wat doe je: 1 of 2? Ik hoop scenario 1, want dat is precies wat de klant verwacht. Hopelijk wordt de hamburger met een grote glimlach aan de klant overhandigd en is het ook qua customer service op orde.

Want dat is waar de klant centraal over gaat. Over dat de klant een product of dienst in een bepaalde mate van consistentie verwacht en krijgt. Dat vergt kaders. Waar moet die consistentie voor jouw bedrijf aan voldoen? Is dit een bepaalde snelheid, kwaliteit, tone-of-voice, of opbouw van de hamburger? Ja, natuurlijk kun je net dat beetje meer geven, qua service of een extraatje. Maar de basis is die hamburger, dat product.

Dus nee. De klant centraal is niet van ons allemaal. Het fundament van de klant centraal is van die personen die het fundament ontwerpen. Dat kan het customer experience team zijn. Of bijvoorbeeld marketing, of het klantcontactcenter. Zij zetten kaders op waar je je aan kan en wil houden. En als je dan net dat beetje extra weet te geven als medewerker… Die glimlach. Die service. Die briljante BigMac. Dat echte klantcontact. Dan heb je het gemaakt. En staat de klant centraal. Daar mag je dan hartstikke trots op zijn.

 

Dit blog werd geschreven voor CustomerFirst en gepubliceerd op 16 oktober 2019

Geen blog meer missen? Schrijf je dan in voor mijn maandelijkse CX Greetz!

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

De definitie van Customer Experience

Customer Experience: je leest en hoort er veel over. Maar wat is het nu precies? Wat is de definitie? De definitie van Customer Experience die ik altijd gebruik is:

De perceptie die een klant heeft van alle interacties met jou als bedrijf tijdens de hele klantreis, in alle klantkanalen.

Graag leg ik dit wat uitgebreider aan je uit. Stel je voor, we hebben het over jouw bedrijf. En de organisatie waarvoor je werkt is een hotel. Maar het kan net zo goed een verzekeringsmaatschappij, een autodealer of zelfs een groot B-to-B-bedrijf zijn. Het type bedrijf is niet belangrijk: de klantervaring en de basis ervan blijven hetzelfde. Laten we eens kijken. Voor nu richten we ons op het hotelvoorbeeld en stappen we in de schoenen van de klant.

Perceptie

In dit voorbeeld ben ik een klant en ik ben dus op zoek naar een hotel. Ik wil een kamer boeken. Dus wat ik doe is jullie website bekijken, misschien lees ik enkele beoordelingen op onafhankelijke websites, of ik heb misschien een e-mail ontvangen van jullie afdeling reserveringen met antwoorden op enkele vragen die ik eerder heb verzonden. Al mijn ervaringen tezamen vormen mijn perceptie. En perceptie is belangrijk als het gaat om klantervaring: álles is perceptie. Customer Experience is dus niet wat jullie als bedrijf denken of hoe jullie graag op jullie klanten zouden willen overkomen. Nee, het gaat erom wat de klant zelf echt denkt en ervaart.

Alle interacties

Het tweede woord dat echt belangrijk is in de definitie van Customer Experience zijn interacties. Alle interacties om wat preciezer te zijn. En met alle interacties bedoel ik – in onze hotelcasus – alle interacties die deze klant heeft tijdens het boeken (website, beoordelingen en een e-mail). Maar misschien later – nadat de boeking is gemaakt – komt deze klant jouw hotel binnen. Zij of hij (maar voor nu maken we haar even een zij) wordt begroet door de receptioniste, of misschien praat ze bij het zwembad met de badmeester. Haar ervaring wordt bepaald door álle interacties in de hele klantreis en in álle kanalen, zowel online als offline. Dat is waar Customer Experience om draait.

Alle kanalen

Dit klinkt misschien best eenvoudig, maar het kost veel inspanning en toewijding om consistent te zijn in alle interacties en kanalen. Heb je een geweldige website, maar zijn jouw beoordelingen dat niet: dan heb je een probleem. Is de receptioniste echt hoffelijk en gastvrij, maar gedraagt de badmeester bij het zwembad ​​zich als een eikel: dan heb je alweer een probleem. Kun je eenvoudig via jullie website boeken, maar word je bij telefonisch reserveren van het kastje naar de muur gestuurd? Dan is dat vanuit klantbeleving gezien een regelrechte ramp.

Je hele organisatie moet dus consistent zijn in haar klantbenadering, tijdens alle interacties en binnen alle kanalen. Natuurlijk kun je ook consequent slecht presteren, maar iedere organisatie wil haar belofte waarmaken. Of nog beter: wil iets extra’s leveren om top-of-mind te worden en blijven bij klanten; wil zich onderscheiden van de concurrentie.

Bij Customer Experience draait alles dus om de klant. Over zijn of haar perceptie van interactie met jullie als organisatie. Ik heb deze Engelstalige video opgenomen waar ik met behulp van LEGO eenvoudig laat zien wat Customer Experience is.

 

Wil je meer weten over Customer Experience? Het is mijn missie om van de wereld een betere plek voor klanten te maken. Je kunt je abonneren op mijn YouTube-kanaal waar ik regelmatig informatieve en interessante video’s upload over Customer Experience. Plus: je kunt je inschrijven voor mijn maandelijkse CX Greetz waarin ik inspiratie en interessante weetjes geef over hoe je deze waardevolle klantervaringen kunt creëren. Help me met mijn missie: to make Customer Experience WORK!

 

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

Gaming voor een hogere NPS

De dame aan de telefoon van het energiebedrijf sluit het gesprek af; “Mevrouw, u krijgt straks een email met een vragenformulier. Hierin wordt ook gevraagd om een cijfer te geven. Dit is voor mijn persoonlijke beoordeling. Wat voor cijfer geeft u mij? Tussen de 0 en de 10?” Ik ben licht verbouwereerd, stamel ‘een negen’. Ze vraagt niet door over het waarom van dit cijfer en we hangen op. (dit is niet precies wat er is gezegd, maar zeker wel de strekking)

Is dit nieuw? Dat de call center agent eerst vraagt naar het cijfer? Voor mij was het duidelijk de eerste keer en ik snap er echt niks van. Vanuit CX benoem ik dit als rare praktijken.

Erop terugkijkend herken ik drie gevallen van Gaming, die ik een eigen naam heb gegeven. (Gaming is het beïnvloeden van scores (NPS, CSAT, CES, en ga zo maar door))

  1. Het effect van vragen naar het cijfer en dat dit belangrijk is voor haar persoonlijke beoordeling. Dat noemen we bribery.
  2. Het effect dat ik overvallen wordt door deze vraag en haar persoonlijk niet afval zo aan de telefoon. Dus een relatief hoog cijfer geef, terwijl het gesprek dit echt niet waard was. Dit noemen we het effect van social desirability.
  3. Het eerst melden dat ik een enquête krijg en het me daarna persoonlijk vragen. Dit noemen we ‘framing’ , met als effect dat ik de enquête invul. En ze dus een hogere respons rate krijgen

Wat voor mij het meest frappante is, dat ik een halve dag na het gesprek nog geen enquete heb ontvangen.

Ook vraag ik me af waarom ik eigenlijk nog een enquête moet krijgen. Hebben ze geen speech analytics waarmee ze het cijfer zo uit het gesprek kunnen halen? En wat natuurlijk nog frappanter is, dat de medewerkster wel het cijfer vraagt, maar het niet zelf in het systeem mag zetten. Wat trouwens vaak ook Gaming veroorzaakt, want wat is fijner dan jezelf een hoger cijfer geven. Zeker als het per ongeluk een keertje laag is ?

Het belangrijkste bij het vragen naar klantfeedback is natuurlijk nieuwsgierigheid naar Wat ik als klant heb ervaren. Niet de uitkomst in een cijfer. Dat is waar het mis gaat. Zucht. Diepe zucht.

Nu ben ik benieuwd. Welke vormen van Gaming heb jij de afgelopen weken ervaren? Die helemaal niet om nieuwsgierigheid gingen, maar puur om een zo hoog mogelijk cijfer?

 

** Schrijf je in voor haar maandelijkse CX Greetz. **

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

/door

The good, the bad and the ugly

When I hear the title of this movie, what comes to my mind, is Clint Eastwood on a horse and the great title song with the whistle in it. A real spaghetti western which was taped long before I was even born. But I love the movie, the plot and of course the title. It is the silly season in the Netherlands. Summer holidays, and there is not much news going on, and the good thing is that many people enjoy some well-deserved time off. To recharge, to enjoy quality time with their family and to enjoy themselves basically. I hope you too or maybe you have already returned back to the office. This holiday I decided to rethink my customer experiences in the past. When looking back, what are the THREE customer experiences that I really remember, that stand out? Whether they were good, bad or ugly.

We have so many customer experiences. Actually, we have them every day. Same goes for me. Working on my laptop, browsing the web, doing groceries, having lunch at a restaurant, calling my provider, booking a ticket, I could go on and on and on. But what are the ones that really stand out, positive or negative?! In this blog my summary of the top 3 Good, Bad and Ugly since the moment I became an entrepreneur (January first, 2015) and the emotions that go with it. And I must be honest, I am not the one that is too fond on sharing the bad and ugly ones, because of the great impact I might have with my exposure. But let’s be honest, it is my duty as a customer experience pro and speaker to tell it as it is. So here they are.

The Good

Still my very best customer experience is my flight to Adelaide with Emirates. Of course, I relive it a lot, because I share the magic in my keynote ‘Great customer experiences don’t happen by accident’. But everything about it was perfect. I loved the digital information on the website, the ease of booking, the pre-flight information, the picking up by a limo to bring me to the airport, the stop over and the lounge in Dubai, the upgrade to first class, the service on the plane, the photo they made with a polaroid, the coming home, the survey I filled out and… the way they reacted on the survey. They reacted on the survey. Yes, that is what I am writing. One of the few companies that reacted on a survey I filled out. What a brilliant Customer Experience. I still remember the names of two flight attendants. Miriam and Gigi. That is what happens when customer experiences are great. I loved everything about this experience, it inspired me and it sparked joy. A lot of joy. If you want to read more, see some pictures, read my blog I wrote on it.

The Bad

This was a difficult one to pick, because I had so many bad experiences. But for the worst of them all, we have to go back three years, when I ordered a book through Amazon. That was not the issue, but the issue was that I needed it fast. So, I chose for express delivery and I would receive it in two days. I received a text message indicating at what time the package would arrive. Of course, I waited at home. You probably guess what happened. No package. So, I called and they couldn’t trace the package. From that moment I entered Purgatory, the place close to hell. Yes, that rimes to DHL, which is the company I am talking about. They promised to deliver the book three times, never came at the moment they promised, their social service on Twitter was messy, to say the least. They even explained to me their whole process in direct messages (like I care, just deliver the book) and after four days the package arrived. I had spent over three hours on the phone, no chat, but Twitter, and the crazy thing was, once I finally had the book, I still received texts to tell me when the book would be delivered. I still fume when I think about it, kind of shocked. I have learned their internal processes, their internal business lines and many people that hide behind all of the above. Brrr. The book I ordered was good though: “Must win battles” by J. Killing, Thomas Malnight and Tracey Key.

The Ugly

Well, this is where it gets really messy. The first time in my life that I had to go to court when it comes to my own customer experience. I watch customer rights programs always with an ambiguous feeling. First of all, a feisty powerful feeling that I admire the consumers that bring their issues to these programs. But secondly a nauseous feeling, one of disgust that businesses don’t help their customers and that these customers have to bring it to a tv studio to get what is rightfully theirs. I just can’t understand businesses, that won’t help customers. PERIOD. But they do exist. Listen to my story and NO, I didn’t go on national tv with it.  In 2015 I bought a car at Avi Automakelaardij, and I loved the car in an instant. But after a month I had the first issues and my local car mechanic found out that the mileage had been reversed. I contacted the car broker I bought the car from, right away. Because in Dutch law it is the obligation of the car trader to check the mileage and as a consumer, I could annul the sale, which I did. He didn’t want to help me in any way. My car got more failures, even had a motor issue in the end (no driving any more). Still the car dealer didn’t help out. So, I had to get to court to get my right. It was an awful phase in my life (what was I doing in court?!) and I still cannot believe the business owner went as far as to court, instead of helping me out. Yes, he lost the case, had to pay all costs. But no sorry, no excuse. Thinking back of it, I still feel sadness, anger and most of all the frustration of the process.

What is incredible and good to bear in mind? That is that both the Bad and the Ugly happened in 2016. THREE years ago. I even wrote about them in a blog. As I have written them down now, they are what comes to mind. They are the memory of the customer experience. It is not at all factual, but colored with emotions. Like what happens in CX. What feels good, can feel even better after months or years. And what felt awful, bad or ugly, could still feel frustrating now. While writing this, I went to have a look at Plutchik’s wheel of emotion. I learned about this for the first time in the course Learn-to-Customer-Journey-Map-in-One-Day by Conexperience and I have used it a lot since. Because it helps to color in emotions even more. In this wheel, you find many emotions. Not just the happy or sad ones, but all their varieties. Good to use while journey mapping, but also for the next step in this blog.

What I would like you to do is think of your Good, Bad and Ugly customer experiences and find the two emotions per experience. For the wheel, click here. Take ten minutes, write down the Good, Bad and Ugly, as well as your emotions. This is good for you and your own business. What kind of emotions did you experience? Do you know that you might be giving these experiences to your customers and the emotions that come with them? And most important, how did you deal with your emotions? Know your customers have to deal with their emotions too and might lash out on contact center agents or store employees. A good exercise of emotions to walk in your own shoes as a customer and to get out of the traditional business context. Of course, feel free to share your stories and experiences with me in the comments. Let’s learn and grow together. And for now, I am whistling the soundtrack of the Good, the Bad and they Ugly for you. Happy and hopeful greetz from the Netherlands.

 

** Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz. **

 

*****

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. 

She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person voor CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. 

With her over 20 years corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. 

 

/door