I’ve flown several different airlines in the past few months. Most recently, I flew Southwest and was reminded how much I enjoy the flying with Southwest compared to other airlines. Southwest Company Culture Southwest has created a culture that is positive, fun and engaging for employees. Employees are happy and interact positively with customers. They are encouraged to be creative in the way they complete otherwise boring, repetitive tasks required by Federal regulations. One of my favorites was the flight attendant who asked, “Did anyone lose this?” Of course, we all looked up. The attendant was smiling and said, “Now...
My business is all about improving the customer experience. As a result, my friends tell me about their customer service experiences-both good and bad. A few stories I’ve recently heard were about patient experience in healthcare and they brought to light the fact that little things matter most and can have the greatest impact on satisfaction! One story was about a friend’s mother who fell and broke her leg. She required emergency surgery and a couple days in the hospital. After day after surgery, she asked the nurse if she could wash her face and brush her teeth. The nurse said sure....
George Klein, CEO/Founder of Peoplocity, will participate in a panel discussion at the ACTE Education Forum in San Francisco on November 2. The interactive discussion will focus on the evolving role of the travel manager with specific emphasis on the economic challenges, new technologies, hotel forecasts and controlling spend on ground transportation. George will share his expertise on using technology to improve the traveler experience. Other panel members include Matt Doherty, RVP West, Lyft, Jeff Hillenmayer, Head-Corp Sourcing Americas at HRS and Dorian Stonie, Sr Manager, Global Travel at Salesforce. The panel will be moderated by Ralph Colunga, Sr. Director, Global Travel and Marketing Support...
We just returned from the ACTE Global Corporate Travel Conference in Dallas! As we continue to think about the conference, we can’t help but think…WOW! It was truly a great experience from start to finish! The conference focused on key trends in the business travel industry including our favorite, Traveler Centricity. There were over 700 attendees from around the world onsite as well as online attendees who were treated to impressive speakers from throughout the travel industry. Two that were especially interesting to us included Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines and Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines. Their candid...
Customers expect the businesses to offer easy customer service channels. They want questions answered and issues resolved easily at any point in their journey with a business. Too many customers become frustrated with cumbersome channels such as web forms, emails, and automated phone attendants; they’re difficult to find, hard to use on their mobile phone, and these methods take too much valuable time to utilize. 91% of customers are frustrated when they must contact a company multiple times for one issue. 89% of customers are frustrated by repeating their issue to multiple representatives. 90% of customers are frustrated when put...
There’s no getting around it, bad customer experiences happen. How you handle customer issues have a huge impact on your business. Recently, I had a bad experience that made me think about actions businesses can take when things go wrong. I had a reservation at a high-end steak house for a family celebration. Upon arrival, the hostess told us that they didn’t have a table available. I asked why, and was told it was because they were busy. Which is, of course, the point of the reservation! We waited 40 minutes before giving up. We left hungry and angry without...
When you walk into a high-end retail store like Nordstrom, you expect to be treated to one-on-one service. When you make your way to the grocery store to pick up your weekly necessities, you may be used to a different experience, dealing with some minor issues during your trip. When stores like your neighborhood Kroger can take those minor issues and create a positive, one-on-one experience, they’re sure to make a customer for life. Let me tell you about the Nordstrom-quality experience I had recently at Kroger. Minor issue at hand: I can’t find my beloved thin pretzel crisps! Every...
Are you ready for 2016? If you’re like most business owners, you reviewed last year’s goals and set new ones for the coming year. When you defined those goals, did you include customer experience? I believe that customer experience should be integrated into all aspects of business. Customers are the only reason your business exists. Customer experience goals don’t have to be costly to have big returns for your business. If you have just a 5% increase in customer retention, you can increase profitability by 75%! Improving customer experience begins with information and data. Begin by stepping back to take...
The New Year is upon us, and 2016 brings new expectations for businesses. Forrester Research, a leader in business research and consulting, has released predictions for the coming year. According to the company, 2016 will be an extremely important year for businesses across the globe, and one of extreme leadership change. Using technology to better understand and personalize service is a common theme. Below we’ve highlighted a few of their predictions and what they mean for your business. Customers expect personalized services. Today’s customer expects a business to understand them as an individual, and to anticipate and respond to their unique...
Have you ever been irritated by a business that has a special offer available only to new customers? It is especially bothersome when the result is that the new customer is getting a better deal than than the current one. What a way to reward those who are loyal customers of a business! “New customer only” offers feel like a punishment to the loyal customers who have been frequenting a business for quite some time. Recently I was at an event and saw a lady behind a table calling, “Free umbrellas!” I could always use a new umbrella, so I ran right over. Well come...
