THE CUSTOMER CULTURE CLUB Your Customer Experience Guide

A monthly Round up on all things customers, clients, and the best experiences out there.

Hi - welcome and this is The Customer Culture Club.

By that I mean this is the place to find out how to get your brand the recognition in the marketplace - for how you treat and reward your paying customers!

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway

N E W S L E T T E R - C O N T E N T

So, let’s dive into the Customer Experience world and see what’s been going on in the Month of November,

Did you know?

.That November is the month major brand release their Christmas adverts, of course you knew that, but did you know that in the UK advertisers spend approximately ￡9.5billion on making and promoting those adverts, mainly on TV and socials according to data from the?Advertising Association?and Warc.

You want the stats - click here.

Brand in the spotlight

Who stood out to me this month?

John Lewis – Well it’s Christmas coming

But it isn’t all just about their Christmas campaign, John Lewis have recently completely changed their customer care strategy. John Lewis are going back to their customer experience roots and partnering with Ascensos to overhaul their customer care, including adding more roles into call centres dn support. Totally flying in the face of most of the market, which is not only brave, but if true it shows in my experience that they are listening to their customers.

Now partnering with a tech led company also suggests that they will likely be embracing emerging technology to revolutionize how they approach customer care. It will be interesting to see how they choose to include AI into the mix. Where other companies seem to be racing towards replacing people with AI in call centres, I hope this announcement of additional new roles into john Lewis call centres will not only happen but will signal a sensible approach to partnering people and AI together to improve experiences for customers rather than using AI to drive down costs.

What i have been up to recently? Click on the blue stuff to see more

November has been a busy month of planning for next year, but also had some positive results from one of my smaller retail clients.

By focusing on their customer experience and working with me to determine the right actions to take they have been able to attract 30% more customers into their store and have managed to increase existing customer basket size by 50%. These are from a small base, but they make such a difference to my client. This was a mix of making sure that they were reminding people where they were, improving window displays to make sure thay attract people in and then using their amazing team to help new customers understand the products and to make it less intimidating to try new and locally sourced products they don’t know. By encouraging the team to engage with customers on recipes and how to use products or make great meals and treats as well as stoking more fo the must have items they have driven up sales, but sustainable sales of what customers want & need.

What can i do to help you?

In the new year I will be opening up some new slots for my Customer Experience Health Check.?

This is a great way to understand your customer strengths and challenges or opportunities to improve.

We will step through your entire customer roadmap from your plans and strategy through to all the touch points or moments that matter to your customers. So we will understand how do customers find you and their awareness of your brand, how do you listen to customers and take action, how strong is your customer service & how do you communicate with customers.

This will give you the key areas to work on to improve your customer experiences and insight & recommendations from me as to the actions you can take to grow your brand, win new customers and increase loyalty?

For more information DM me and look out for the upcoming webinar which will explain a lot more

What’s new in the work of customer experience

To self checkout or not to self checkout? That is the question…

Grocery retailers in the UK are grappling with what to do about self-scanning checkouts. The majority have heard that customers aren’t happy with them and that they do not enhance the experience in store. So the likes of Booths have decided to remove completely or reduce the number of checkout and invest back in human cashiers with a view to increasing the experience, while our friends Tesco have decided to double down and remove the need to scan items, investing in technology to monitor what you put in your basket and then you just pay before you leave.

I remember when self checkouts were first introduced as a means to reduce queueing times, based upon customer feedback, great, done, listened to customers and fixed it…right. However, many retailers went further and reduced the number of people on the shop floor looking after customers as a great way to save money. This combination of trying to find one solution to fit all and reduce the help and support available has led to this latest rise in customer feedback about disliking self checkouts.

This for me is the difference between listening to customers and really hearing what they are saying and resisting embracing technology for the sake of it or to save money. For me when customers said they didn’t like queuing, they are not saying they dont like human checkouts, they are saying you need more or better queue management. Adding in some self-checkouts for those that want them…read that again for those that want them, is a good idea but you also then have to manage queues for those who don’t.

You need to make sure that solutions you implement are actually wanted by customers and balance the need to drive efficiency with the need to delight customers. Very rarely does one size fit all and trying to force customers into one way is likely to come back to bite you. As for Tescos going even further down the technology road, I aks is this what customers really want?

Looking after your Customers

Here are 3 simple tips for taking care of your Christmas customers:

Give clear Information - Make sure all important details, like shipping deadlines and return policies, are easy to find. Customers appreciate clear information (we call it transparency), especially during the busy holiday season. Consider creating a holiday FAQ on your website or sending out a quick email with key details.? But give the right information.

Have Quick (but great) Customer Support - by this we mean be ready for more customer questions during the holidays. Have enough staff to respond promptly to inquiries through live chat, email, or phone. Fast and helpful customer support shows your commitment to keeping customers happy, even when things get busy.

Finally add a Special Touch - Surprise your customers with a little something extra. Consider adding a small, unexpected gift or a personalised holiday card with their purchase. These thoughtful touches create a positive experience and make your brand stand out in a good way.

By providing clear information, quick (and accurately great) customer support, and a special touch, you can ensure your Christmas customers have a happy and enjoyable experience with your business - oh and they’ll be back…. Again, creating return customers and brand loyalty.

ps: The obvious is to obviously get someone like me to help you.... if you're stuck that is.

Tips for your marketing

The first thing we usually think of doing is expressive sharing of Festive Visuals and by this I mean - capture the holiday spirit in your marketing visuals. Use festive and eye-catching imagery that reflects the joy and warmth of the season (Santa with his merry smile). Incorporate holiday-themed graphics, colors, and symbols to create a visually appealing campaign. Aesthetically (no needles here) pleasing and festive visuals not only attract attention but also evoke positive emotions associated with the holiday season.

Create interactive and engaging content that encourages customer participation - make they reply to you….. This could include holiday-themed quizzes, polls, or contests on social media platforms. By involving customers in your festive activities, you not only boost engagement but also make them feel like an integral part of your brand's holiday celebration (emotional connections).

Be mindful of the timing and relevance of your communication. Keep customers informed about important dates, such as shipping deadlines or last-minute deals. Use targeted messaging to highlight products or services that are particularly relevant during the holiday season. Timely and relevant communication shows that you understand your customers' needs and are there to assist them during this busy time.??

By being festive, feeling festive, interacting and communication being great - customers will feel valued, wanted and appreciated!? They’ll return more often and thus create brand loyalty.

Just our tips…. Let us know what you’re doing and how that is working for you.

The Undercover customer - Here's Kevin's input

So after joining the team last month Kevin has been out and about checking out a number of brands in the UK and reviewing their experiences as he finds them

After listening in to our coffee chat Linkedin Live on Friday (24th Nov) Kevin decided that he would give Costa coffee a go and here is his review

“Hmm what can I say, I needed the caffeine to wake me up after a heavy night out and decided I would give this Costa Coffee a whirl (we don’t have them where I come from)

It was….OK I guess

I mean the coffee was decent, bit too milky and sweet for my taste and not as strong as I would like, but decent for a high street chain. So, product tick

The décor was a bit homogenous, but it was nice enough to spend time in and I got a plug socket I could use if I wanted, but I can’t smoke in here, what kind of planet is this?? – Anyway, venue tick

The service, however, well that left something to be desired.

I had to wait for quite a while to get served, even though it wasn’t that busy and when the shuffling zombie barista got to me there was no greeting or happy, smiley faces – just a ‘what da you want?’

Wow, OK I may be hungover but even I could do better than that!

Oh well, I paid with my stolen credit card I’d borrowed from some city suit and stood waiting while watching three other members of staff standing around chatting about their weekend!

So, all in all not the greatest experience out there 3/5 overall

Now is it too early for a kebab? Or should I get a greasy full English breakfast?

Go get one of my spaces to the Customer Health Check - you never know what it could change in your business for 2024.