April 28, 2016

The customer experience has become the competitive battleground for business. By delivering a consistent, memorable experience, companies can create a competitive advantage that increases customer engagement, conversion, loyalty and advocacy.

Today, almost everyone in a company plays a role in the customer experience — from HR to finance, operations, sales, marketing, customer service, even general employee connections and interactions. As a result, ownership and management of the entire customer experience has been elusive. That is rapidly changing. Over the next three-to-five years, 75 percent of marketers say they will be responsible for the end-to-end customer experience.

This series will provide CMOs and business executives with a deeper understanding of the strategies and tactics required to deliver a superior end-to-end customer experience.

/ About the series

/ Upcoming sessions: May - July

/ Upcoming sessions: August - October

/ Upcoming sessions: November - December

Download the complete curriculum guide and register for the entire series:

www.cmoeducationseries.com

The March session discussed the CMO and marketing’s role in the customer experience.

We focused on the context and understanding it takes to make material changes to the role marketing plays throughout the customer experience.

How customers interact with your company has fundamentally changed.

This changes the customer experience.

Customer Experience is redefining the role of marketing and the CMO.

Employees & Partners Influence on Experience

Culture Drives Experience

Consistency & Continuity are King

Customer Data and Insights

“Always On”

Purpose vs. Profits

=+

++ BUT HOW?

“CMOs should step forward and take responsibility for turning the enterprise toward

the customer. This means taking on a more significant role on the executive team …

it also begs CMOs to lead innovation processes in the organization … the CMO has to

create a more engaged customer relationship … only CMOs who rethink their

approach to marketing operations will pull it off.” ~ Forrester Research

"To become the ‘general manager’ of the overall

customer experience — to launch and drive a

market-oriented management of customer

engagement — means most CMOs will need to

acquire new skills. Many marketing chiefs may

not be ready for this transformation as it requires

not only a change in their own competencies and

responsibilities, but also changes in their mindset

and the mindset of the whole organization."

~ Constellation Research

/ Change creates opportunity

IMPLICATION

Fundamental changes in

marketing skills, staffing

models and operating

procedures are required.

Changing executive perception

will also be critical.

What a successful model looks likeSTRATEGY / STRUCTURE

SYSTEMS STORY

/

/ /

Customer

Connectivity

Culture

Formally document the

strategic intent,

responsibilities and goals for

marketing’s role in the

customer experience. Then

secure appropriate ownership

within the organization.

Identify and connect data,

systems and processes that

are crucial for delivering a

cohesive and consistent

customer journey.

Align marketing operations

(roles, responsibilities, processes) with the customer

journey; integrate processes

across customer-facing areas of

the business; and initiate sustained culture development

programs required to deliver a

connected and compelling experience.

Develop and drive consistent

utilization of a customer-centric

Messaging Platform inside and outside of the organization that

aligns corporate Strategy, Vision,

Mission, Values, Purpose, Promise and Core Value

Messages.

Capturing Customer Data and Insights that Elevate the Customer Experience

Learning Objective: Participants will leave with a deeper

understanding of the customer research

methods and data they need to create a

more engaging and compelling customer

experience.

Cinnamon Perryman Engagement Director, OnMessageStrategic consulting firm, specializing in messaging development and delivery throughout the customer experience.

1,000+ Customer Research Hours

DOZENS OnMessage Strategic Messaging Engagements

20+ Years Strategic Consulting

Leading Brands

Expertise and Experience/ Customer research and analysis

/ Corporate messaging strategy and execution

/ Internal communication strategy development

/ Go-to-marketstrategic planning

What percentage of your customers are emotionally or psychologically attached to your organization?

Only 29 percent of B2B customers

are fully engaged — psychologically

attached to the companies with

whom they do business.

B2B companies are at risk of losing

more than 71 percent of their

customer base.

~ Guide to Customer Centricity: Analytics and Advice for B2B Leaders,

Gallup

This is true in every type of company — from manufacturing to pharmaceuticals

to law firms.

Give them what they want.

How can I emotionally or psychologically engage them?

“60 percent of B2B customers do not believe their problems were resolved.”~Guide to Customer Centricity: Analytics and Advice for B2B Leaders, Gallup

But how do I know what they want?

Today’s topic can become quickly overwhelming if not anchored.

Customer insights will enable you to focus on what matters.

=

=

=

Focus on data to

help understand a

customer’s desires,

needs and challenges

Leverage customer

data to specifically

improve the

customer

experience

Create a more

engaging and

compelling customer

experience with

customer data

/ Identification / Organization / Activation

So, we will focus our conversation on …

Complexity paralyses

A course of action is never defined. The customer experience is never started.

Uncertainty of the best approach for capturing and using customer data

Fear about how to formalize a customer experience strategy

Anxiety over all the things not known

Overwhelmed by the enormity of the task

Never-ending questions. No action. Customer experience opportunity is not realized.

Simplicity empowers

Steve Jobs built an entire career with

focus and clarity.

/ Eliminate the noise

/ Simplify

/ Focus on what matters to the

customer

Create a differentiated customer experience

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”~Mark Twain

“the experience” “ then act”

Focus on what matters to the customer: Gather essential customer insights:

/ Inform organizational strategy

/ Drive strategic initiatives and investments

/ Improve customer acquisition, retention and advocacy

/ Generate and sustain organic growth

Benefits abound

The benefits of customer insights cannot be overstated. Customer insights:

It is the CMO’s job

The CMO owns customer perception.

Forrester Research says the customer experience is simply defined as:

“How customers perceive their

interactions with your company.”

That is why CMOs must own the customer experience…

And it starts with gathering customer insights that will turn the customer

experience into a competitive advantage.

Since the customer experience is defined as:

“How customers perceive their interactions with your company.”

Insights that matter

/ Customers

Who are your

(valued)

customers?

/ Perceptions

What are their

overall experience

expectations?

/ Interactions

Where does their

journey begin? What are the

critical interactions

along the way?

Your data collection model should be anchored in three things…

/ Demographically

Easiest to find and

explain, not as

powerful

Who are my (high-value) customers?/ Customers

/ Behaviorally

Tells what

happens; but not why

/ Attitudinally

Strongest

options; but difficult to

explain or act upon

Let’s start here…

Not all customers are created equal.

Customer Segments relevant to your industry (Organizations)

- Strategic Segment: Strategic business alignment, high growth opportunity

- Opportunity Segment: Low market penetration, significant growth opportunity

- Mature Segment: Low growth opportunity but high market penetration

Target Customer / Influencer within each Customer Segment (Functional Role)

- High-Performing Relationships: Loyal and profitable

- Stagnant Relationships: Somewhat content and low maintenance

- Struggling Relationships: Low reliability and higher maintenance

Personas for customers within the Customer Journey (Mindsets / Motivators)

- Don’t assume the persona work done for sales or content will cover this.

- It is likely customers involved in the post purchase and repeat purchase phases of

the customer journey have not been represented in past personas activities.

Segmentation work is required.

Conduct formal research

Now that you know who they are,

you must understand the critical

interactions they have with your

company.

Look for commonalities and differences

within each customer persona:

Who they are.

How they think.

What motivates them.

/ When

At what points in the

journey do customers

interact with my

company?

What does my customer’s journey look like? / Interactions

/ Where

Where (locations) do

these interactions take

place?

/ How

What methods, processes

are used to facilitate the

interaction?

/ Why

What is their desired

outcome in each critical

interaction?

Creating a journey map

What you need to know …

When do my customers interact with my company?

Where do they interact with my company — online / offline / in-person?

How do they interact with my company — social media / partners / others?

Why do they interact with my company?

Remember …

Complexity Level: High, but do not

overcomplicate the process

or the deliverable

Execution: Dedicated resources

Insights: Immediate visibility only —

not the strategy

Deliverable: An actual customer journey

map

When

Start by defining the

major and repeatable

phases of your

customer’s journey.

Each phase should have a timeframe attached to the activity. These touch

points, and the time you have to make a significant impact, will play a critical

role in helping you formulate your overall customer experience strategy.

At what points in the journey do they interact with my company?

Online locations Offline locations

Where (locations) do these interactions take place?

Each location provides visibility to critical technologies, business functional areas and stakeholders that play a role in the customer journey.

Where

Social Media

Live Chat

e-Commerce Software Interaction

Online Support YouTube

Sales / Marketing

C-Suite Customer Service

PurchasingTechnical Support

Professional Services

Corporate Website

How

The goal? To align these insights and

discover the customer’s desired outcome in each interaction…

the Why.

We know when and where, but what does it look like?

What methods or processes are used to facilitate the interaction?

For example, during selection and purchase of the customer journey, the customer is engaged with the sales team. Is that interaction:

/ Face-to-face?

/ Email?

/ Webinars?

/ Online product demonstration?

This helps to analyze and assess the quality of the content and messages used to facilitate the interactions.

Why

To get this information requires primary research, preferably through

interviews, clustered by customer segment, target customer and

influencers identification already completed.

What is their desired outcome in each critical interaction?

What is the customer trying to achieve within each interaction?

- Get an answer - Solve a problem

- Conduct transactions - Validate buying decision

What is emotion do we WANT them to leave with professionally? Personally?

- Trusting - Confident

- Advocate - Incomplete

What is their mental state within each interaction professionally? Personally?

Positive Negative Neutral

Assumptions are dangerous.

Don’t assume you know the answers. Don’t accept what sales or customer service tells you.

You not only need to capture customers’ answers, but also the essence of what they desire.

How

e-Commerce

SoftwareWhere

Online

Activate your insights

Here is a picture of a specific “interaction” that is critical in the customer journey:

WhenPurchase

Phase

HowWhyFast, Painless

Ordering

Customer intent:

/ Get in and out of the system as quickly as possible.

Customer challenge:

/ It is not quick. Customers leave feeling negative, under-valued and questioning your company’s capabilities.

Customer insight:

/ You can now justify a significant improvement activity within the customer experience.

You now know:

STRATEGIC ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:

— Change the way you position your e-Commerce software in the sales process

— Improve the user experience of the e-Commerce software by removing complexity

— Improve the e-Commerce software experience and develop messaging to support “smarter,” faster systems intentionally designed for quick service

/ People

Familiar vs. Professional

What are their experience expectations?/ Perceptions

/ Products

Emotion vs. Price

/ Processes

Interpersonal vs. Independent

PerceptionsWhat customers expect from the people, products / services and processes are foundational.

It is critical to not only understand what customers expect from individual interactions, but to understand what they expect from their relationship with your company.

This is the customer’s “experience expectation.”

People ProcessesProducts / Services

What do customers expect from your people?

/ Smart?

/ Efficient?

/ Helpful?

/ Professional?

What creates a positive experience when a customer engages?

/ Efficiencies?

/ Account manager contact?

/ Order processing transparency?

What creates a positive product experience?

/ Ease of use?

/ Incremental ROI?

/ Productivity improvements?

/ Access to assistance?

/ Competitive advantage?

“How customers perceive their interactions with your company.”

~ Forrester Research

Instead…Developing a customer

experience strategy

can be daunting.

It can turn into a never-ending

data gathering process.

(Stop it : )

Search for answers to critical, strategic questions that will lead to action.

Execute actions that will materially impact the customer experience.

In summary

/ Identification / Organization / Activation

Clearly identify and understand your high-value” customers

Determine the critical interaction phases

Confirm the desired outcome from each critical interaction

Establish what customers expect from your organization

Execute a customer experience strategy to fulfill customer expectations

Thank you for coming.

Please complete your “Feedback Form” before you leave.

“A Guide to Customer Centricity: Analytics and Advice for B2B Leaders.”

“How to identify, capture and activate the customer insights you need to get your customer experience strategy off the ground.”

As you leave, please pick up these valuable resources and educational materials:

Questions?

Next Session

May 24

Gleneagles Country Club

Plano, TX

Topic:Corporate Messaging as a

Competitive Advantage in

the Customer Experience

About the sponsor. OnMessage is a strategic consulting firm with 15 years of experience executing corporate messaging development and infusion initiatives that enable B2B companies to deliver a clear, compelling and consistent message throughout the customer experience. Our Messaging Development and Infusion™ Methodology aligns and activates your entire organization around a unified corporate story that increases customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. www.itsonmessage.com