(Photo courtesy Wikipedia | Edith Wharton)
“There are two ways of spreading light:
to be the candle
or the mirror that reflects it.”
– Edith Wharton –
Suddenlink | Customer Experience Lessons
(Photo courtesy flickr | Dex Encarta)
In his post FastCompany | 7 Timeless Ways To Improve Customer Satisfaction, author Drew Neisser filters out the following success factors for customer (satisfaction or experience – call it what you may) initiatives based on Suddenlink’s success. In a struggling economy & in an industry with a questionable reputation for bad customer experiences, Suddenlink has shown improvements in multiple industry measures – $ terms & otherwise.
- Put someone in charge – having someone responsible for customer interest makes customer initiatives more focused
- Measure. Measure. Measure. – rely on multiple measures of how your business has performed in the customer’s perspective
- Fix the real issues – measuring is a starting point; addressing issues that are identified as part of the measurement is the REAL deal
- Link metrics to evaluation – to make customers a priority, link metrics to performance evaluation & even compensation
- Detractors are an opportunity – unhappy customers or detractors should be viewed as an opportunity for positive conversion
- Use social media to understand & serve customers (not sell more) – social media is a great listening tool to understand needs & respond to issues
- Continuous improvement – customer initiatives should never have an end, they are always work in progress to achieve even better customer outcomes
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Related Posts:
~ Amazon – World’s Most Customer Centric Company
~ Tony Hsieh – Delivering Happiness
~ Volvo’s Quest For Customer Centricity
~ Customer Service Champs 2010
Drivers on Indian roads are so undisciplined because ..
1. We Are Still Learning
The vehicular density on Indian roads has shot through the sky only in the last 20 years. The society as a whole is still groping & learning the tricks of the traffic – what works, what doesn’t, how it works, why it should work in a particular way, what’s good for the long term, etc. Give it some time & we will be up there with the rest of the best wrt traffic as well.
2. Its A Jungle Out There
We are a country where basic Maslowian needs are not met for a majority. The scarcity mentality that we deploy in most facets of our life, flows on to the roads as well. It is the survival of the fittest & each one for herself. Thoughts of a long term greater good is not something that most Indian driver can afford.
3. Values Gone Wild
Equality, fairness & discipline – all very important & we value them a lot. But, valuing is one thing and practicing yet another. Count us out of the practicing part – we have far too many other things to worry about.
Equality, Fairness & Discipline easily give way to the more practical Jugaad, Me First & Might Is Right.
4. The System Sucks
Even if individuals do the right thing, the overall system just sucks. The infrastructure is bad. Rules are not implemented. Cops are corrupt. The government doesn’t do enough. Fellow roadies have horrendous attitudes / practices. Why should I fight against the odds? It’s beyond one’s control & much easier to flow with the tide.
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Related Posts:
~ Why are drivers on Indian roads so undisciplined?
~ The New York Times article on Indian’s Uncompromising Practicality
Matt Cutts | The 30 Day Challenge
Matt Cutts is the Head of Google’s Webspam team. Apart from taking the Google story to the world, he also talks about an interesting method to achieve more in your personal life – the 30 day challenge. Check out this 5 minute YouTube video where he introduces this concept & shares his experiences using the same. Could be an effective personal kaizen tool.
The entire video with a lot more ideas is on YouTube (~60 mins).
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Related Posts:
~ The Next Step
~ Top 10 Productivity Habits
~ Why Should You Blog
~ Ric Elias – Lessons From A Plane Crash