In the early 2000s hit romantic comedy, What Women Want, Mel Gibson’s character gains the ability to hear people’s thoughts – which he uses to his advantage as an advertising executive.
Unfortunately, this telepathic ability is not widely available (yet), but we can still find ways to gain empathy with customers in order to better understand what makes them tick.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Complaints are one obvious way to understand frustrations – and one of the biggest opportunities to improve your business. While it’s natural to recoil every time we hear a negative comment – the truth is we should be embracing feedback and learning how to be better. Most unhappy customers will just walk away – but if they take the time to complain, it means they’re giving you a chance to redeem yourself.
Customers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect you to make things right – so take the opportunity to convert haters to fans – and improve the process for your other customers along the way.
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around.”
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around.”
How did Air New Zealand become the most innovative and tech-savvy airline in the world? Well, it all started by following customers throughout their journey, literally.
Our national airline didn’t ask whether customers were happy with the overall experience – they asked for feedback at every single step as it happened – booking, checking in, boarding, safety briefing, meals – and everything in between. The result was full, rich insight that led to a revolution in airline customer service and countless international awards.
While surveys can give good general insight – there is nothing as powerful as asking customers about their experience in realtime.
“Mystery shopping might feel like Sherlock Holmes, but in fact, it’s more like being a real customer, experiencing a real buying situation.”
“Mystery shopping might feel like Sherlock Holmes, but in fact, it’s more like being a real customer, experiencing a real buying situation.”
Innovating the customer journey is about putting yourself in the customer’s shoes and understanding what their experience is like every time they have contact with your brand. It’s understanding where the customer experience is delightful, or where it is frustrating and then figuring out how to be better.
One of the best ways to do this is mystery shopping. Act like a customer – and see what it feels like – place an order, make a call, navigate the website, wear an overtly fake moustache – and see what happens. Was the experience everything you had hoped? Great. If not, innovate.
