A few weeks ago, I came across an article, by Chris Lawless which caught my eye. The headline read “It doesn’t pay to be snob…” and explained how customers of a high-end retail store, Holt Renfrew, were a bit intimidated by the staff. As a result, the retailer set in motion a program to overhaul the service experience that it provided to its customers. The article went on to say the company’s efforts were beginning to pay off and that customer feedback indicated that service was more personable and "down to earth".

With this in mind, I accompanied a girlfriend on a recent trip to return some items she had previously purchased. Smiling faces and cordial greetings welcomed us into the store. So far, so good. We went up to the retail desk, and my girlfriend stated that she would like to return some items and receive a refund. “No problem” replied the sales associate. However, her smiling face was soon replaced with a frown.

“I’m sorry, we can’t refund your money, the purchase was made over 28 days ago.”

My friend explained that she had recently had a baby and had been unable to visit the store within the 28 day timeframe. The associate expressed the appropriate level of congratulations, but once again indicated that she could not give my friend a refund or credit. As if to emphasis the point, she reminded us that the store policy related to exchanges and refunds was printed on the back of the receipt. We turned the receipt over – which stated the return policy, as well as the words “we aim to delight our customers in any way we can”.

 

We certainly weren’t feeling delighted. I began to think about the Nordstrom Case Study we were working on, and recalled the story of the salesperson at Nordstrom’s who gladly took back a set of automobile tires and gave the customer a full refund – no questions asked. What’s unique about this story? Nordstrom has never sold tires, but the story is true.

We were simply trying to return items that we purchased at Holt Renfrew. We asked to speak to the Manager. When the Manager arrived, my friend explained the situation and repeated her request for a refund. Once again, we were told that as the purchase had been made more than 28 days ago, a refund was not possible. Not surprisingly, my girlfriend was not pleased and indicated that as a frequent shopper at store, she had hoped for some discretion given the circumstances. The conversation continued for about 10 minutes, which eventually resulted in an offer to provide a full refund. Needless to say, we took that refund and put it to good use across the street at another store!

We think that Holt Renfrew should try to learn from the Nordstrom customer service philosophy. Their philosophy is one that instructs its employees to use their good judgment in all situations, and to always favor the customer before the company.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

We think every company should read the letter written about a FirstCaribbean employee, named Marcia Vaughn. What did Mrs. Vaughn do? Well, she literally “bailed a customer out of a situation” at Sir Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados.

According to the customer, they were unjustly let down by both their CIBC Visa Card and Air Canada personnel. But fortunately, Marcia Vaughn used her common sense and good judgement and offered to go above and beyond to help her customer. How? Marcia Vaughn told her customer –

“Stand right by the Air Canada counter. I will debit your account for the money plus money to get a taxi. I will be there (to the Grantley Adams Airport) as quickly as possible with the money.”

Imagine, Marcia Vaughn did not go above and beyond the “call of duty” at her FirstCaribbean Warrens Branch, but actually went to the Airport to help her customer. We think that if more companies had employees, like Marcia Vaughn, who treated their customers as valued friends instead of just customers – they would immediately transform themselves into world-class companies!

Click here to read the letter!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Every company is talking about creating highly engaged employees. Why? Because highly engaged and committed employees create better customer experiences. But, creating engaged employees is no easy task. While many companies are trying to create increased engagement through focusing on becoming “Employers of Choice” and re-vamping their rewards and recognition systems there is still room for improvement. And frankly, many of the programs are starting to all look the same…

....except those companies that have implemented Red Balloon Days…

Red Balloon was founded in 2001 and sells experiences over the Internet. It could be a wine tasting in the Hunter Valley; a thrilling ride in a high-powered jet boat across the Sydney Harbour; whale watching; brewing your own beer; or it could be any of the other 1,500 experiences that the company offers.

Why experiences? People crave appreciation. Lack of it is one of the most common reasons for resignation. Research firm, Success Corner, found that one third of people leave an organization because they simply do not feel recognized. What an easy statistic to change!

Imagine, if companies rewarded their employees with an experience – of their choice. Imagine the “water cooler” chatter after one of your employees had gone whale watching, wine tasting, or in a high powered jet boat? Imagine the passion and enthusiasm for doing more!

We believe more companies should focus on creating employee experiences, in addition to their desire to create differentiated customer experiences. It is no longer enough to focus only on the customer, as it is the employees that bring the desired experience to life!

Why not start with something as simple as creating Red Balloon Days for employees!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How many times have you come across great marketing campaigns that fail to deliver on their promise? Hundreds? Well, we certainly have come across a number of bank marketing campaigns that fall short of expectations.

In our recent most recent benchmarking, we came across one of the best banking campaigns that we had ever seen. So what did we do? We tested it.....and yes, in over 40 visits to branches the campaign did not deliver on the promise 80% of the time. So we decided to create a flash-based re-enactment of what we experienced. Of course, we have changed the name of the Bank, but the experiences are true.

Click on Daphne's World to see what we actually experienced!

Imagine what impact the campaign could have had, if the employees understood the purpose of the campaign, and how to translate a customer request into a long-term relationship!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This afternoon I was on the phone to four different prestige Miami hotels with the objective of securing a reservation for a team of 15 in late October. Before my fingers were dialing I was already smiling with anticipation – I love to experience great service and I was sure that that was what I was going to receive on the other end of the line.

My first three calls disappointed. On my first two, I was transferred to a representative that was not available – the first voice mail had a maternity leave announcement and the second indicated that the individual was not in the office for another 2 weeks and emphasized that they would NOT be accepting messages, and to call the hotel back and try again. You’d think that my call could have been better directed the first time – surely they know who is away.

On my third call I reached the sales representative’s assistant who said he would be pleased to call me back but it might take a day or so. Not exactly stellar turn-around.

Not a great start - and these are five star hotels!

My fourth call was to the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. My expectations were especially high in light of the recent write up in Fast Company – the hotel had won a Customers First Award for 2006 (I loved the example of the employee who had a store open after hours in order to serve a hotel guest who had forgotten to bring his dress shoes on his business trip!). I was greeted warmly after the first ring and transferred to Christelle. She let me know that she would be “delighted” to help me plan my event. She took down all the details and advised that she would provide me with a quote within 30 minutes. In this first stage her warmth, her interest and desire to provide a great experience were palpable! I knew I had her undivided attention. I felt important and appreciated, and I hadn’t even made a reservation yet!

20 minutes later the quote arrived. It had all the basics that you’d expect – room type, rates, length of time the pricing would be good for etc… but it was all the other little details that took it up to “wow”.

Christelle advised that she was “delighted” to let me know that my preferred dates were available, and that all rooms had “breathtaking” views of the bay. That with regards to the meeting space we had requested it was full of natural light in order to make our team more comfortable. She attached a fact sheet to let me know a little bit more about Miami since she knew I had never been and a full list of hotel and city activities that we might be interested in. She closed the quote document by saying that she looked forward to hearing back from me and having the opportunity of welcoming myself and my team to experience Mandarin Oriental, Miami. Not to stay, not to visit, but to experience the Mandarin Oriental Miami.

It wasn’t one heroic gesture that won me over, it was the impeccable attention to detail at every turn, and that, is no easy task.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you ever noticed how banks are always telling us that they’re working for us, putting the customer first, tailoring their products and services to meet our individual needs? For the most part, banks have been making big strides in the move towards becoming more “customer centric”, but a recent study by McDaniel Partner shows they still have a long way to go.

The study was designed to assess the effectiveness of the frontline at both handling basic customer needs, while delivering on the basic tenets of customer service. We focused on the basics, as so many banks are surprisingly still ineffective at delivering a consistent experience, every time their customers interact with them.

The 60 Canadian bank branches that we visited were randomly selected by our team. The study tested two areas of customer needs – opening a banking account or applying for a mortgage or line of credit. We rated each visit across the following dimensions:

1. Did they deliver on basic customer service standards?
2. Did they gather facts, and conduct a needs assessement?
3. Did they try to close the sale?

Here’s what we found…

Did they Deliver on Basic Customer Service Standards?
• 15% did not make the customer feel welcome, either through words or actions.
• 25% did not faciliate a personal hand-off from one individual to another.
• 30% did not provide an opportunity to speak to the appropriate person.
• 25% of the frontline staff did not introduce themselves by name.
• 30% of frontline staff did not ask for or use the customer’s name.

Did they Gather Facts and Conduct a Needs Assessment? When passed to a Financial Services Representative (FSRs), we found the following:
• 90% of the FSRs did not pick up on basic customer cues.
• 75% of the FSRs did not try to find out more detail about the customer.
• 60% of the FSRs did not attempt to sell beyond the immediate need identified by us.

Did They Try to Close the Sale?
• 70% did not try to sell us a mortgage, even though we said we were house hunting.
• 25% of the FSRs did not try to match products/services to our stated needs.
• 70% did not try to schedule a next step discussion or appointment.
• 75% stated customer service was their differentiator, but few knew what that meant.

The results of this study demonstrate that banks continue to fall short in their ability to deliver a differentiated customer experience. As well, they are failing to captialize on selling opportunities and are losing prospective customers, day-in and day-out.
From our perspective, a bank will never create the experience they desire unless they are able to deliver both a consistent service and sales experience. This requires frontline an engaged frontline! Remember: service = sales = service.

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We like the article written in the article in the Globe & Mail on September 14th about Sir Richard Branson. In the article, Branson gives some very interesting thoughts on life and work that many Corporate Leaders could use!

Human Resources 101:

Branson –

“The Chairman must be willing to get out and party with his people, let his hair down, and be willing to get drunk with his staff. The Chairman should have a notebook in his back pocket, as it is at bars and parties where senior managers get the best feedback. And make sure you act on any feedback the next day.”

McDaniel Partners certainly thinks that this is a very interesting philosophy. It is so hard for many of us to imagine a Chairman actually going out with the “little people”. If more leaders showed their human-side and actually got to know their employees on a one-on-one basis it would do wonders for both employee motivation and company morale.

Recruiting Tips:

Branson – “Managers need to be good with people and care about people – and not just the people at the top. They should be good at praising. People who criticize people all the time are completely counterproductive.”

At McDaniel Partners, we certainly have worked in environments where it is more common for Senior Leaders to criticize than to praise. These environments are characterized by e-mail trails that point blame, time lost due to frustration, and a highly de-motivated and disengaged culture. Before companies can ever expect to deliver on a differentiated customer experience, like Virgin, they need to stop Senior Managers from creating cultures characterized by hostility and criticism.

On North America:

 

Branson –

“Many U.S. companies are far too quick to hire and fire. A lot of American companies seem to be ruled by fear rather than by motivation. I believe that North American companies are prisoners to numbers. But in the end, at lot of it is based on a gut feeling.”

At McDaniel Partners, we think that North American firms need to focus more on engaging employees in the organization that they work for. Those that will “rise to the top” will start to focus on putting employees at the center of everything they do – rather than paying “lip service” to them.

We believe that companies should try a less traditional approach to leading their people They need to move away from the mahogany, top floors in an office tower and come down and start to know their people We are not suggesting that many Leaders would be comfortable going out tomorrow and “drinking” with their employees, but maybe they should start to think about their role and responsibility in creating a culture that motivates and engages their employees. We think they should learn from the best, and study a personality-led company, like Virgin!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just yesterday, I was facing a tight timeline - printing a 350 page final project summary binder at the 11th hour for a client meeting early the next morning. Knowing that I needed someone who could turn the printing around quickly I called Kinkos. The first location I called said they couldn’t help me – 5 hours wasn’t enough time to complete the project, they were swamped. I then called the 24 hr Kinkos location known for its high volume capability. After being answered abruptly I waited for about 5 minutes on hold. Then, when my call was taken, I was told that I should have planned my time better and no, they could not help me. I asked if there might be any other locations that would be able to complete the work and I was told “I have no idea and I’m very busy”. That was it.

Flipping through the phone book, looking for another printing house I came across Print Three. http://www.printthree.com/ I had heard of them and decided to give them a call. The person who answered the phone was warm and friendly. He said that he understood the stress and pressure of tight timelines and asked me to give him all the details of my request so we could get things underway. When he provided me with the quote I was taken aback. He could start right away, meet my deadline and it would cost $200 less than Kinkos. Feeling a bit skeptical I asked what the difference was between Print 3 and the larger printing houses like Kinkos. He gave a chuckle and told me that Print Three are experts, that they love what they do and that they don’t see the point in gouging customers. He also mentioned that all of their staff have been in business for years. This is what they do – its not a part time gig. He then gave me his name and told me to ask for him when I got there.

I rushed my printing files over, arriving in a flurry of stress. I asked for the gentleman I had spoken to on the phone. Apparently he was off on a delivery but he had relayed my requirements to them and they were ready to go. They even knew my name. They invited me in to watch them load my files and make sure that everything looked as it should. As I was in there the store manager came by to introduce himself – nice touch I thought. They produced a sample for me which I approved and then we were off to the races! I was given the length of time it would take to complete and was thanked for my business. I was then given the option of coming back in to pick up the printing myself, to have them bring it to my car anywhere within a few blocks when it was ready or to have it delivered. Lots of convenient options!

I chose to go back in to the store to pick it up. I was encouraged to check over the copies to make sure they were up to snuff. I was asked how the rest of my day had been. After paying they told me again how much they appreciated my business, that it was a pleasure and that they hoped to see me again soon.

When I got home there was a message waiting. It was the first guy I spoke to. He said that he was sorry to have missed me but that he was glad that all had gone well. Oh, and good luck with the presentation tomorrow.

I have gone back to Print Three twice since that first visit and the experience has been the same each time. This was my experience at a printing house. If you ever doubt that a business, as common as printing can create an uncommon and memorable experience … go and visit the nearest Print Three!

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We recently were sent an announcement (see annoucement below) from a very large Financial Services institution. What we were shocked to learn was that the intention was to announce changes to the Global Operations Organization - which were all viewed as positive changes. However, imagine if you were Joe, Jill, Susan and Joanne (the names were changed to protect the organization) and the organization announced you were leaving in a group message. Imagine how they must be feeling after making a time and emotional commitment to the company only to find that the company would fail to talk about what they had accomplished during their tenure with the organizaiton. I find it hard to believe that ALL of these individuals contributed nothing to the organization while they were there!

I find it shocking that companies continue to announce changes to an organizaiton and its leadership in a group manner. No wonder, companies are having a difficult time engaging and energizing their staff. I mean what is the point of commiting time and energy, if the company is only going to announce your departure with three other colleagues who may or may not know or like each other!!

Announcement – Changes to the Operations Organization

Today, I am announcing several organizational changes in Global Operations that will consolidate all production support capabilities under a single reporting line. These changes align our service and delivery capabilities with the needs of our business partners, and are consistent with our priority to rationalize business support and maximize efficiencies.
As a result of these changes, Joe Smith, Senior Vice-President, Central Operations Services Group, Jill Brown, Vice-President, Business Management, Susan Wright, Vice-President, Central Control/External Services Management, and Joanne Williams, Vice-President, Operations Projects will be leaving, effective immediately.
On behalf of the Global Operations team, I would like to thank Joe, Jill, Susan, and Joanne for their contributions and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

Head of Operations

Posted by Judy McLeish at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)