In love, engaged or is it complicated?
Yes, it is. February, the month of love. Or to be more precise, the month in which Valentine's Day falls. That day when a lot of people send a card. Buy a bar of chocolate that says "I love you" and then give it to a loved one. Or send someone a message. To our loved one, a friend, mother, neighbor or daughter.
Actually, the shape doesn't really matter. Showing love can be done in many ways. Say something nice, send or do something nice. It works. It makes your own heart do a dance and therefore also that of the other. Isn't it wonderful to have a column about love? Unfortunately, this is where the happy part ends.
Because I want to switch to another world. That of love for the customer.
That's where my heart stops with the dance. Unfortunately, for many, that's where the imagination stops. Because love for the customer. What does it look like? Should we call the customer and tell them we love her/him (I'll keep it to her for now)? No, we're certainly not going to do that here in the Netherlands, that's too American for us. But that's not the point.
The point is that we do want the customer to love us and give us a nine or ten in the survey. That she spends her money with us every year. Tacitly renews the contract. Buy more policies. Tacitly accepts the price increase and let's hope she doesn't call. That she doesn't disturb us with our work, but mainly finds her own way, digitally.
Love. That's exactly where things go wrong in organizations. We don't really like the customer. Of who she is. What she's doing. We do want her to choose us. But even if she, as a customer (i.e. citizen, participant or applicant), cannot choose, that she does not bother us too much.
That's what we're talking about here. About whether you and your colleagues are in love, engaged, or married to the customer. And whether you really feel something about it. Or is it complicated? (Thank you Facebook, for allowing us to choose this wonderful addition within "types of relationships"). After all, do we talk about the customer internally as if we love her? Or do we prefer to use her customer number? Do we talk about customers in meetings, or do we prefer to stick to the process?
The love for the customer is a topic that should really be discussed. Do you love your customer? Ask yourself and your colleagues the question. I suggest that you have this conversation lovingly in your organization. I dare say that Valentine's Day next year will be a very different one.
This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on March 7, 2023
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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 for 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 of 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.
