What is this age of astonishment? Well, I’m happy that you asked. It is the dismantling of service delivery as we know it and its replacement with what can be called the experience partnership era. Wherever you go, customers are looking forward to having “an experience,” be it at the grocery, the clothing or the …
Building a great customer experience brand is a bit like investing in the stock market. Following a slow and steady strategy. Some businesses just don’t have the patience to build the vision, nurture the skills, establish the customer experience standards, train for competence and create the infrastructure required for a congruent ecosystem, that delivers an …
One of the biggest mistakes that I have come across in my work as a service transformation consultant, is businesses trying to create a great customer experience by applying quick fixes to their broken (hit and miss), customer service. These fixes remain shiny and new for a short while and lose their effect sooner, rather …
How would you answer this question, “Why do you work?” I’m sure that the responses will include, “to pay bills, to provide for my family, to advance my career, to live well and to achieve financial independence.” All virtuous responses. But, let me pose another perspective on the question. How about if we consider that …
We’re in a state of not just change, but rapid change. One of the early exercises that I lead when executing service transformation interventions, is to walk employees through “preparing for change” sessions. One of my favourite exercises is to ask participants to describe today’s world and secondly, to have them describe the individual who …
I had the privilege of delivering an International Women’s Day presentation recently and shared my thoughts on navigating the noise of life and work. I spoke about some rules for living that have become invaluable in enabling me to function more often than not, above the disquietude of life. Michael Singer, the author, speaks about …
It has been interesting to watch the evolution of the intersection between our Carnival event culture and our customer experience culture. It’s amazing what competition does to product branding in a crowded marketplace. Superlative brand differentiation becomes the basis for customer support and is the reason why the promoters who get it right can win …
When businesses undertake change efforts, some fail and others succeed. There is no magic to the ones that succeed. A major driver of their success is the level of quantum effort that is committed to preparing the business and its employees for change. The reason for the change may be compelling, the landing point of …
Every business should think of itself as a nursery. A nursery is a habitat that supports the healthy development of its inhabitants or colony. In its widest application, a nursery can fill the role of supporting the development of ideas and noble intentions of a corporate population as well. As a crucible, the corporate nursery …
Saying “yes” to accepting a leadership role is sometimes easy, but navigating its associated journey can be downright perilous at times. Who knows what’s hidden within the layers of the inherited ecosystem. While it’s not wise, necessary, or even useful, to try to inoculate oneself from the nasties that accompany the position, it does help …