Customer Experience Counts

I called the Emirates Airlines to book a flight from Entebbe to Dubai in December and in between on availability, the reservation agent took time to ask me ‘’what plans do you have for the holidays?’’. Oh, that was a surprise, usually when I call to make hotel or airline reservations, beyond the customary greeting of the day, I have grown used to the pause which is usually punctuated with ‘’are you still there’’.

Was this agent using a script, I wondered. But the agent continued effortlessly to keep me engaged while he answered all my questions. I went on to book an Economy ticket, even though it cost one hundred and forty dollars more that Fly Dubai (the recent low cost carrier on this Entebbe-Dubai route). No surprise here as the American Express yearly survey on customer experience found that three out of four (74%) consumers say they have spent more with a company because of a history of positive customer service experiences, similar to the past two years (75% in 2012; 73% in 2011). Over two thirds (68%) of consumers state that they are willing to spend more with a company they believe provides excellent customer service.

The Emirates agent re-confirmed to me through his knowledge, engagement and quality of responses, why my family and I continue to prefer Emirates even on long haul flights to New York and elsewhere. The same survey by American Express found that in order to provide consumers with an excellent customer service experience, representatives must be able to ‘provide a satisfactory answer to their question’ (86%) or be able to ‘connect them with someone who is knowledgeable’ (78%).

Like the folks at the Conference Board found in their research, a company’s brand, product service and price to value ratio accounts for 47% of customer loyalty. While 53% of loyalty comes from the experience customers have with sales people. In other words, it is not ‘’what’’ we sell but ‘’how’’ we sell that gives us the greatest leverage with customers. You may charge zero fees on the use of the Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) but what experience do I get when I walk into your branch or meet my Business Banker?.

Companies that want to reap the benefits of loyal customers must look to achieve the following;

Make customer experience an integral part of a culture of excellence

It is not just the reservation agent on the phone; it is from the check-in counter to picking up your luggage at your destination. In the case of Emirates, at check in, you get the ‘’welcome back Mr. Egbuson, how was your last flight to New York?’’. By some miracle this agent at the counter new the last time I flew and was genuinely interested in my opinion about the trip. She made eye contact and stopped my check-in process until she got my feedback. On board the flight, the purser came by to welcome me on board and assured be of his service throughout the flight. In a way, I felt the entire Airbus A380-500 experience was designed with me in mind. And my children have the same opinion, especially my 5 year old Anabelle.

This above experience will be similar to going to Cafe Javas in Kampala where it is not enough that the food is served with fifteen minutes but waitresses are stationed to make eye contact with the tables and are on hand to provide assistance. If the wrong order is served and you complain, the order is replaced. Contrast this with another experience where I complained about a wrong food order and the waitress retorted with ‘’who is going to pay for this one?’’.

US chain Wegmans sent Carol Kent, who runs the Cheese department for the Pittsford, New York store, to Italy several years ago to see how parmesan cheese is made. It was important that Kent not just sell Cheese but also sell the culture and pass on the mystique of that culture.  Wegmans not only provides great variety and excellent experience, it has also consistently ranked as a great place to work.

The customer experience is not only a ‘’touch point’’ issue but it is a journey, from check-in to check-out. It is the way ‘’we do things’’, the culture.

Leaders should commit to and model the culture of excellence

Anytime we run into the Group Chairman of Mandela (owners of Cafe Javas) at any one of their restaurants, we are struck by his willingness to serve customers and interact with the children. Any wonder why Cafe Javas consistently provide such quality service – it is not a matter of telling front line employees what to do but it is the very senior leaders, who model the behaviour of excellence. While a number of restaurants in Kampala will emphasize pony tails and lipstick, Cafe Javas places their emphasis on what the customer values – great service and healthy portions. Pony tail and lipstick is good for appearance of the waitress but it is the entire experience reinforced by leaders that will have customers come back.

The actions of leaders, managers and supervisors, according to Isadore Sharp – founder and chairman of The US luxury hotel, Four seasons, ‘’speaks louder and clearer than words’’. And this is especially true when a company or team is trying to get a common and consistent way of doing things.

Employees must embody the culture of excellence
I went to Stanbic Bank at Forest Mall a few months ago – during my lunch break from a workshop (so I had very little time to spend) – to send money to wife who was in Istanbul at that time. I told the branch manager that I wanted to wire money but had very little time to wait for the paperwork. So requested to sign all the necessary paperwork and leave the rest to him and my niece who accompanied me. To my surprise, the manager said that was no problem provided I had the money in my account. Within minutes, I was on my way back to my workshop and later my niece informed me that the transfer was done. In fact, I had to go back to the back to pay for the transfer fees later that day.

For me that branch manager delivered value and delivered it excellently. No recital of Bank of Uganda regulations about wire transfer or we need various copies of my identity card. Now, getting everyone in the company to embody prompt, delightful and remarkable service is no small feat. A challenge that was well captured by Isadore Sharp, Founder and Chairman of Four Seasons Hotel – a hotel know for is legendary service. According to Sharp, ‘’our customer – frontline relationship is crucial. Customers seldom see or talk to general managers. They interact almost solely with frontline, three to seven junior employees. If that contact disappoints the customers we want as lifetime patrons, they become ex-patrons. But when our employees remember them, greet them, know what they want and provide it quickly, they create a loyal customer whose referrals and long-term repeat business can often run well into six figures. That’s the cycle of success, dependent entirely on junior employees’’.

Build on-going process for customer feedback

My family and I spent the Christmas holiday at Kampala Serena Hotel and within less than 24 hours of check out, we received a guest satisfaction survey. The survey was in addition to the numerous checks in with us by the Hotel senior staff – from General Manager to Waiter. All inquired about what else they could do to make our stay great.

While some companies play guessing games with what their customers want, others like Serena have a made it part of the way they do business to ask the customer in near real time. Not suggestion boxes like one of the telecommunications company in the region. This telco gets eight thousand walk in clients daily but spends little time getting feedback. When asked, the Service manager responded with ‘’that is why we have suggestion boxes’’.

Conclusion

While it may seem daunting to provide consistent excellent service, the reward makes all the effort worth the while. Bain and Company survey in 2013 found that it pays off on the bottom line—loyalty leaders grow 2.6 times their competitors’ average.