The Difference Between Good and Bad CX!

There are so many factors that can determine a good or bad customer experience. The problem with a bad one is that it can spark an emotion far greater than that of a good one. I read a long time ago that a person will, on average, tell at least 10 people about a bad customer experience but only 3 people about a good one.

Today, with social media being a platform to express our views and feelings to the world, those figures are more significant and so too is the damage to a brand's reputation.

Over the past few months, I have had mixed experiences when dealing with service providers and have come to the conclusion that we as consumers actually?expect?to be subjected to IVR lock-in, long wait times, being hung up on, having to repeat information, and being passed from pillar to post. It’s become the norm and sadly, accepted!

A poor customer experience

A few weeks ago I had to call my mobile service provider because I had no signal on my phone for a few days. Before they could speak to me they needed to send me an SMS to verify me… can you see where the problem is?

It ended up that my company had to get involved to fix a problem that could have been fixed immediately if they had an alternative verification process in place.

A good customer experience

Compare that to the experience I had with my credit card provider last week. I had forgotten my username to access my online account so when I called them, the agent already knew my name, he verified me by sending an SMS and he fixed the problem within a couple of minutes. The interaction felt seamless, natural, and efficient compared to the one above which was stressful and frustrating.

The interconnect between processes, products, and people

The difference between the credit card provider and the mobile provider was that the credit card provider had the right processes, products, and people in place to efficiently deal with my enquiry, whereas the mobile service provider did not. This reinforces the need for all links in the chain to be right because if one fails, they all fail.

In summary

Processes, products, and people are as important as each other when building great customer experiences. If the experience is bad, it is amplified through the use of social media and it has an impact on brand reputation. Companies need to get it right. No longer is customer service viewed as a cost center, it’s also a critical component of customer loyalty and as a result, revenue.