Keeping Your Customer Promise

Sometimes, we can get too focused on what we do and not enough attention on who we do it for. Essentially, we get stuck in the work. Stuck in our silo. Stuck in the process. Stuck in our habits.

And it can be hard to change our habits.

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One approach that has worked for me is to implement a customer promise strategy. Essentially, it is an agreed upon short list of aspirational goals for and by the team. Three that I have re-used in multiple environments include:

• Customer Journey Ownership
• Ease of Escalation
• Proactive Communication

How the team defines each aspirational goal is up to them. However, as a leader, we must ensure their definitions align to our company goals and challenge everyone to reach further than they ever have before. I found that a Customer Promise provides a common focus and a way to clear away the clutter that can be a barrier to good decisions.

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However, what if you don’t challenge the team to align around a Customer Promise? The answer is that our customers already perceive promises from the companies they buy from, whether explicit or implicit. As an example, your ecommerce website is being compared to Amazon. Your coffee shop is compared to Starbucks. Your contact center is being compared to other experiences. So is your cashier, your salesperson, your product etc. You might be thinking that your products and services are better than your direct competitors, but your customer may not be making that comparison. Your customer is likely comparing you against other industries and experiences as well.

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That is the problem that you face. If we don’t align the team around our customer promise, we are already missing the expectations by our customer. It is important to set the bar higher.

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A well-defined and implemented Customer Promise strategy leads to multiple benefits:

• Strengthened trust and loyalty: Delivering on a promise builds trust, demonstrates that your company is reliable and operates with integrity. This often leads to increased customer loyalty and higher sales. Purchases from loyal customers can be as much as 41% of your company's revenue.
• Enhanced reputation: A strong reputation can attract new customers and differentiate your company in the market. A study showed that a 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by 25% to 95%.
• Increased customer satisfaction: Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and are likely to recommend your offering.
• Reduced customer complaints and escalations: Think of how many valuable hours are spent in your company resolving a chronic issue… wouldn’t it had been far easier to solve the small stuff weeks ago?
• Emotional customer connection: Emotional loyalty, even in B2B environments, often outweighs transactional loyalty.
• Long-term business growth: Positive word-of-mouth from your customers and their referrals drive organic growth.
• Employee morale: Employees feel more aligned with an organization that values its commitments.

A customer promise is more than a marketing tool or a sales pitch. It must be a commitment that defines the relationship between your business and customers. By keeping this promise, your company increases trust and loyalty. Trust me, it works!

Some related articles:

• Why Our Employees Need to Focus on the Customer Journey, Not Just on Tasks
• The Impact of Multiple Hand-offs
• Leaders Need Peace of Mind

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