XM Inspiration | 10102022

Hello!

It's my first experience management (XM) newsletter right after customer service week 2022. As expected, so many lovely posts and messages online celebrating the week.

As you would expect, brands chose this opportunity to recognize not just employees but also customers. In fact, I have witnessed businesses focusing and spending more on external publicity rather than focusing on the purpose of the week/event which is "... an international celebration of the importance of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers on a daily basis." (CSWeek.Com).

Brands typically use their different online and offline platforms to share appreciation messages and most of the time, they do this by reiterating their customer-related mission, vision or values.

Are there times when this could go wrong? 100% and an example of this has inspired my THINK DIFFERENTLY newsletter today.

Customer Service Week Message Gone Wrong: Ikeja Electric Case Study

Ikeja Electric is one of the eleven (11) electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria. It describes itself as being buoyed by a mission to redefine customer experience (CX) and be the provider of choice wherever energy is consumed. It is also Nigeria’s largest power distribution network that powers lives and businesses with innovation and an unwavering drive for excellence.

On the 6th of October, the DISCO took to its #twitter handle to share a message from its CEO; Folake Soetan to affirm its commitment to customer satisfaction. Reading through the comments, more than 95% of the comments were comments from dissatisfied customers disagreeing with the CEO with most of them, citing their personal experiences.

This was a great 'corporate' message so what could be the challenge? Why did customers disagree? Customers disagreed because their customer service experiences were not a reflection of an "... unwavering commitment to excellent service delivery through investment in our people and technology".

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

Nothing damages a brand's reputation more than negative word-of-mouth experiences especially one shared on social media, particularly on Twitter where a brand message such as this and negative customer reviews/comments can go viral really quickly.

I always say this, your brand truth is what your customer says it is and knowing your truth is why a number of brands today engage in social listening so you stay on top of how customers feel and what they are saying about your brand because that has the potential to positively or negatively impact customer acquisition and customer loyalty.

Referencing the 2021 State of Customer Experience (CX) in Africa report published by Niche Customer Experience Consulting Firm , customers in 21 African countries share that their top 3 expectations of their aftersale experience with brands (top 3) on the continent are quality products/services, reliable products/services and/or support and efficient support. So if you think about this CEO's message, it speaks of the brand's commitment to meeting its customers' aftersale customer expectations so what is the issue here?

Below is a snapshot of some comments on this post on Twitter.

Did this brand do anything wrong by posting this message? Absolutely not. What is wrong here is communicating a brand message or promise that is detached from its customers' reality on a platform where real customers can give real and instant feedback for or against the message.

Unfortunately, the message was largely contested by real customers with actual experiences at Ikeja Electric.

I thought through this and the conclusion I came up with was the question - what is the alignment between product, customer service and brand experience at Ikeja Electric?

I noticed that Ikeja Electric started responding to customer complaints in the comments section but after responding to the 5 first comments (5% of the comments), they stopped.

Gone are the days when different departments in an organization work in isolation driven by siloed key performance indicators and goals. It has become clearer to me what businesses should prioritize in 2023 in Africa and as I reflect on posts like this, the 2021 State of CX in Africa report, professionals I have interacted with within and outside Africa and CX projects I have executed this year as a CX consulting practitioner, I am more certain of what businesses should prioritize in 2023.

WATCH OUT FOR MY 2023 CX FOCUS FOR AFRICA ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!

So, What Should Businesses Do Differently To Avoid Being In This Position?

Here are my thoughts on this subject i.e. my 5 tips for brands to avoid a social media embarrassment such as this one.

1. Design an experience that reflects your brand promise. This is a great place to start. So if like Ikeja Electric your brand is committed to "... excellent service delivery through investment in our people and technology", how have you researched what this means to your customers? How have you designed and integrated your product, customer service, employee and brand experiences to reflect this? Have you provided the human and technological resources to facilitate this aspiration? #foodforthought
2. Conduct a periodic experience SWOT analysis. It's one thing to design an aspirational experience but are you aware of what your customers, employees and vendors are experiencing now? This is where and how you identify your brand truth. It is what your customers, employees and vendors say it is not what you say it is.
3. Communicate your strengths as your brand promise. It is great to have an aspirational brand promise, but what you should communicate in your external brand messaging especially on platforms where your customers or prospects can respond to you instantly is to articulate your strengths as observed after conducting your SWOT analysis. Play to your strengths so you encourage more positive interactions.
4. Work on your weakness and threats. You have a brand aspiration but note that achieving this goal is a journey so don't be in a hurry to say this is who you are as a brand because you are still evolving. As a business owner myself managing both a corporate and personal brand, I know this first hand. As you address and improve on your weaknesses and threats that will negatively impact customer satisfaction and profitability, your brand promise becomes stronger and your customers can better resonate with and acknowledge these strengths as what makes your brand unique.
5. Leverage your opportunities. Opportunities in my view are what your customers have on their bucket lists. If you consider conducting a SWOT analysis using a current state customer journey map and observing customer attitudes & behaviours while they use your product or service, you can predict what should come next and that gets you ahead of the competition. Again, this gives your brand an advantage as your overall brand experience and messaging evolve over time.

There you have it! So when you think about sharing content about your brand promise, values, commitment, etc, consider first where you are now, and what customers are experiencing now, put your best foot forward, and align all experiences i.e. product, customer service, brand & employee experiences and allow yourself to improve & evolve over time.

Remember, your brand truth is what your customers, employees and vendors say it is based on their experience interacting with you.

Have a good one! ??

deBBie akwara?

Business Transformation Leader | Top 50 Global CX Thought Leader & Influencer

I Help Businesses in Africa???? Identify & Fix Gaps in Customer Experience to Increase Customer Profitability & Improve Employee Experience.