What's the distance between good CX and bad CX?

From my recent experiences, I'd say one thousand and three miles. That, according to Alexa, is how far it is, as the crow flies, from Bracknell in England to Seville in Spain. The first is the headquarters of Waitrose and the second is the home of Curzon Classics. Please indulge me whilst I describe two recent customer journeys to you.

1.How to lose friends and alienate people.

Oh Waitrose. I treat you as my corner shop. Your store is convenient, nicely laid out, your staff friendly and helpful but, let's face it, your own-brand products sometimes - just sometimes - miss the mark. When I received an email from you asking me to comment on one of my recent purchases, your message did not include the words "...but only if you say something nice."

The product in question is depicted above; Waitrose Cumberland Pork Sausages. I'm not sure quite how you manage it, but the skins are, as I described them in my review, "...thicker than the average politician." I freely admit I went on to make the point that they were so tough a string of them could be pressed into service as an emergency bicycle tyre, and that they were ideal for hand to hand combat, but I stand by my views. The bottom line is you can cut a Porky White with a fork, but need a very sharp knife indeed to do the same with a Waitrose own-brand Cumberland...

Censorship

24 hours later, my review was rejected, without a reason. Now, it could have been my flippant tone, but let's face it, life is generally too short to be serious all the time. Rather I am left with the uncomfortable impression that Waitrose just don't tolerate negative reviews. Where I come from this is "censorship" and leaves me with a worse taste in my mouth than the offending pork products themselves. It leads me to call into question just how many of the glowing reviews on the Waitrose website are outweighed by the negative reviews that, like mine, did not slip past the censor's blue pen. Not a good look, Waitrose, and not a good impression to make on a previously loyal customer.

2.This is how you do it.

Do you know what a Teba is? Let me enlighten you with this Wikipedia entry. In short it is a great answer to the question of how to look smart but not too formal in the Next Normal. I have two now, and they are comfortable, practical, stylish and just quirky enough to make a statement (note the notchless lapel, for a start).

Spanish Stroll

Now, the finest purveyors of the Teba are Messrs Curzon Classics; a company based in Seville but owned and run by British expats, Curzon have been selling finely tailored clothing with English cloth and attention to detail blended with Spanish style for thirty years. The Teba - named after a Spanish nobleman - is a great example of this fusion of fabric, taste and style. I'm wearing my new one in the picture above.

To the point, between my Teba 1 and Teba 2, Curzon have changed the cut slightly. When I placed my order, I was contacted to bring my attention to the change, and to ensure that I was happy with the slightly more sharply tailored fit. Emails were exchanged with measurements and clarifications, and the jacket was not dispatched until I was happy that it would fit. When it arrived it did, as you can see. The very day it arrived I received a follow up mail from Curzon checking that it did, and I was happy with it.

Stellar

This is a stellar level of customer service. Look at me - I'm not only a happy customer I am a net promoter, talking about my great customer journey on a major social platform. Waitrose take note. I don't expect you to write to me every time I buy a pack of sausages from you, but if you do, and I tell you what I honestly think, I don't expect you to censor me.

Waitrose - and many others - could learn a great deal from a small Anglo-Spanish company that quietly gets on with creating fine tailoring and customer loyalty in equal measure. At Consentricare we also believe that our customers come first and do our best for them, and for their people.