CRM - December 2008 - (Page 38)

CUSTOMER-CENTRIC STAFF A SIMPLER TIME manage to attract, hire, and train.” Three-quarters of his “Many people just bemoan the idea that often we don’t get roughly 50 employees are customer-facing—and it’s critical the customer service that we used to [receive],” Sweeney for them to forge one-to-one relationships with HotChalk’s laments. “It’s like the old TV show Cheers, when Norm would users: teachers and school districts trying to determine how walk in and everyone would call [out his name]. [Good serthey can improve the quality of the education they give to vice] is just the fact that people know your name, or the children. In fact, Fields says, the relationships are so critical notion of treating you as if you’re really special.” that he’d rather be short-staffed than have the wrong people. He says that most companies’ senior management pay lip “Our philosophy is that it’s better to have an empty seat service to the importance of hiring quality employees to fosthan the wrong butt in it,” he says. ter this experience, but the talk amounts to little more than The importance of having the right people isn’t limited words lingering in the air. Technology, he argues, has too easto the education market. In just about any modern organiily and pervasively replaced human interaction. “How often, zation, the commoditization among competitors’ products when you go to call a company, do you end up having to dial and prices has led many observers to believe that customer so many numbers and be put service may be the last great on hold?” he asks.“You have to differentiator. listen to the options because “There is tremendous parity “REPS JOINED BECAUSE THEY LIKE they were just updated, and in the marketplace today, in there are at least 12 of them. terms of quality of products TO ANSWER PHONE CALLS AND HELP There’s a real disconnect in and basic service,” says Linda terms of what we say we beShea, global managing director WITH PROBLEMS—not lieve as business executives and senior vice president of and what we’re really doing.” customer strategies at Opinion Shea believes the problem Research Corp., a global marhas developed over the last ket-research firm headquardecade. “I don’t think there’s tered in Princeton, N.J. “How been as much awareness and do you create those sticking acknowledgment in the marpoints so someone will rememketplace in the last 10 years or ber, speak highly about [your so,” she says. “Many companies don’t understand [the] conorganization], and will give you more of a chance than somenection between the brand and experience, or the need to body else? That’s really hard to do today.” measure the gap between what you promise and deliver.” To make things more complicated, the very definition of satShe explains further that the disconnect began to develop isfaction may be changing. According to recent research from due to a lack of cohesion among internal company divisions. industry analyst firm Aberdeen Group, there is a new equa“In most organizations, brand, marketing, and communication for customer satisfaction, and it includes “unmet need”— tions were in one area of the company,” she recalls. “The cuswhich is to say that if agents are not cross-selling or upselling, tomer experience—whether [it involved a] product, service, or they are failing. In the survey of contact center managers, 62 support—was typically in another area. Also, employees typipercent said differentiation was the top driver for agents to add cally managing [human resources] were also separate.” This, she selling to their repertoire. However, 57 percent reported an argues, created silos that quickly fell victim to reduced budgongoing problem: how to incentivize agents to sell while at the ets. Now departments are trying to demonstrate a return on same time making sure customer issues are resolved. investment to the executives holding the power of the purse, With many consumer-facing employees’ jobs evolving in and only recently have companies started to realize all these real time, many company executives say they’re trying to pieces are truly connected. identify those who are truly customer-centric, and how to Another issue holding companies back has been the very train them properly so they can deliver a high-quality expenotion of customer centricity itself: What kind of employee is rience with every interaction. Others, however, believe not really focused primarily on the consumer? “It’s an interesting enough emphasis has been placed on finding the right peoterm,” admits Ron Hildebrandt, founder of Enkata, a provider ple in the first place. “It’s an area that I think has been very of performance management software. “When I hear [that underserved,” says Patrick Sweeney, executive vice president term]—or ‘customer experience’—it usually means having a of Princeton, N.J.–based Caliper, a firm focused on hiring much stronger rapport with consumers when they call in. [It and training employees. “I really think it’s an essential busialso means] having a much more personalized dialogue to give ness driver.” the agents not just a greater satisfaction score but to really get With competition intensifying and an unstable economy the opportunity to sell something.” He says that others in the growing worse, the hiring-versus-training argument may industry are still holding on to the conventional meaning that become your most important customer service issue. because they want to twist the call into a sales situation .” 38 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2008 www.destinationCRM.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - December 2008

CRM - December 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point The Rave Is Over CRM on Twitter Financial Frenzy Will Customer Experience Survive in a ‘Soft’ Economy? Holiday Humbug Empowered Consumers Are Ready to Flip the Switch Required Reading Transparency Spiff Up Your Site! They Aim to Please Mixing In a Little Sugar Sweetens the Deal A Newsletter Employs New Tactics A Site Stops Feeling Overtaxed Make ’Em Laugh—Personally Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - December 2008

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