Some Ongoing Research

A variety of companies from four major industries (healthcare, retail, insurance and automotive) told us that leading organizations (those that create great experiences for their clients or end-users) clearly define the customer experience and seek to fulfill it creatively, hold their leaders and employees accountable for that experience, and then maintain open (transparent) sales and service processes.

By contrast, they also indicated that individuals (their own, or others) who do not support exceptional experiences (learner, leader or customer) do so due when there is a misalignment of organizational support or team development.

Some examples they provided helped us identify warning signs that are indicators for underlying issues, that in turn lead to unsatisfactory customer experiences:

· executives that cannot align or trace their work activity to the customer experience

· training that does not support the customer experience (either directly or indirectly)

· sales or service policies, incentives or guidelines that are in conflict with the stated customer experience

· observable employee actions that do not enhance or support a quality customer experience.

This feedback also included examples of how employees who do not have customer contact, but whose work ultimately impacts the experience, still have a positive or negative impact on the end-user experience.

One health care insurance executive, when describing a previous downturn in customer satisfaction and an increase in customer complaints, identified the source of the trouble as a "new leader in the sales department who had begun focusing more on quotas, and less on the feedback his team was providing him…not acknowledging their experience and ideas on how care could be delivered.”

By shifting focus to the user experience–how the customer feels about their brand and their organization–this insuror has begun to realize significant gains in user-based referrals and fewer requests requiring more costly service-recovery efforts.

As a result, changes have also been implemented within the organization’s training and development program. In a follow-up discussion, the Director for Customer Service Training indicated that in addition to core competency and technical training, she partnered with the sales department to cross-train sales and customer service agents so each can understand how the actions (and promises) of one team impacts the other.

Our experience shows that this is not only anecdotally expeditious, but that the return on steps like these can be measured in terms of cost savings and additional revenue, a step the organization is now undertaking.

Regardless of economic climate, experience shows that organizations, like this one, can achieve meaningful results given a total commitment to a unified vision of the customer experience, when coupled with an environment of transparency and accountability.

(based on a true story…)

You’re part of a 8,000-strong employee organization, and are responsible for creating the new:

ü leadership development program

ü a yearly update to a sales compliance manual

ü selecting and implementing a Learning Management System (LMS)

You have a budget of $15,000, no staff, 3 months, and limited access to subject matter experts that are often too busy to explain technical details.

What's the biggest challenge?

What's the best solution?

What would you do?

Experience Is Our Teacher

I don’t know about you, but I work with adults. Adults respond both intellectually and with their emotions to a learning moment.

This means most communication, and specifically education, has to engage adults on both a cognitive and emotional level. For now, I will assume you create learning for a variety of audiences and clients (both internal and external) using various tools and techniques.

Regardless of their age, the following rules apply to most adults:

Everybody Likes A Good Story. We learn through stories. Most people love to experience a good story and share them. For thousands of years we have passed along information by telling informational stories. As a result, this preference is hardwired into us like a pigeon’s sense of direction.

Everybody Enjoys Discovery. Kids learn quickly that the process of pulling wrapping off a box leads to a surprise. They also learn just as quickly which person’s gifts under-whelm or delight them. As adults, people still enjoy an element of discovery within learning.

Everybody Learns by Trying. Most people want to learn through experience, and in fact, most people learn best by applying knowledge immediately to job or task.

Everybody Likes to Succeed. Most individuals do not set “failure” as their primary objective, unless a perceived failure leads to a larger success. In general, we want to be seen as successful and become more like our heroes: inspiring us to greatness.

These fundamentals haven't changed over thousands of years. They won’t change anytime soon. Our approach to learning should acknowledge this fact, regardless of the tools we use, online or in the classroom.

The Learning Experience Matters!

Let’s pretend I could magically place an educator into your organization that was focused completely on Making the Moment for your students.You wouldn’t need an awe-inspiring office or training center. Your employees would feel GREAT!

Students will ask where you found the new trainer. They will remember how good they felt, they will feel more engaged, they might even feel challenged to learn more or come back sooner.

Moreover, they will will remember the one person that turned an otherwise hum-drum training course into something meaningful through a genuine level of commitment, transparency, and honesty. And then, they will tell others and encourage them to interact with your organization. And next, they share that excitement with your customers.

You don’t necessarily need the latest tools to make learning great. You simply need people who are passionate, committed and open to creatively using the tools you have to the advantage of their students.

Faces & Places

Your choices determine whether your employees learn faster, easier and more frequently.

We are wired to remember people and places. You can use those assets to your advantage. Most organizations can't afford to build their campus beside a beautiful mountain stream or tropical bay. But they can afford to hire, train and promote great people.

The quality of your facilitators does matter. For God's sake, don't transfer your worst sales rep into training where they can pollute all of your new hires! By replacing a ineffective teacher with a more talented one, you can turn a dull technical course into something more meaningful, memorable, and engaging.

Fundamental Fact #1

In order to survive, our ancestors needed to recall faces and places, not shopping lists. Our brain physiology developed accordingly. We respond eagerly to agreeable faces and interesting places. Humans that avoided bad people and bad places survived to share their story.

Fundamental Fact #2

The process of developing from child to adult (school years) is a time that is loaded with personal development and self-exploration. The courses we took inside the classrooms were often sidebars to the main event: surviving social traumas and learning how to cope, work with and love other people.

Fundamental Fact #3

We measure the quality of human interactions by how we feel, not simply what occurs. People quickly forget what we said, but will remember how we said those words – and how they felt working with us - for a long, long time.

“Never ask a barber whether you need a haircut.”

Warren Buffett

CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

The Barber Says You Need a Haircut

I firmly believe, whether through formal curriculum, mentoring programs, “edu-tainment”, informal web safaris, water cooler group discussions and any other of a number of ways, education is at the heart of a vibrant community and better work+life experience.

For the most part, corporate education is not the highest paying position in an organization. It’s not usually a stop on the career path to Chief Executive Officer, which is quite a shame.

I believe the reason many people choose to work in learning is because of the opportunity to partner with such an amazing diversity of individuals from across the enterprise, and learn from them as we help them learn. It’s a unique position, and one that could be considered a great way to prepare future leaders for their role at the top.

Despite any challenges in budget or staffing, educators who are passionate about learning are creative, intelligent and resourceful people. A young instructor delivered one of the most exciting courses I have ever observed in the parking garage of a theme park. No fancy technology or props, just a great sense of humor and a commitment to his students’ success.

Don't underestimate the potential of the professionals within your corporate education department.

The Outsourced Experience Comes Home

Recently, a friend of mine flew to Beijing to visit her son. A recent graduate of M.I.T., he chose to work there and was highly recruited to assist with the design and development of battery technologies.

China is investing billions in battery technology and, through companies like Build Your Dreams and more than thirty other automotive industry partners, preparing to launch a generation of Asian-designed automobiles built using advanced technologies, such as battery and electronics. India is not far behind, with increased ownership in corporate capabilities.

This is part of a larger transfer of knowledge and expertise that began at the latter half of the 20^th century. As we move into the 21^st century, Asian countries are taking on broader roles in product design and corporate ownership, in addition to manufacturing capability. The 21^st century will be less about Western design (or design for Westerners), and more about Asian design and products designed first for Asian preferences. With this shift, it will be Western society that consumes primarily Asian-designed and owned services and products.

I think this is the beginning of a transformation that will have a profound impact the American live+work experience for many years to come.

Service Experience Scorecard

Here's 4-question checklist to begin dialog regarding the customer service experience:

1. Does our organization clearly define typical customer challenges (experience) so employees can anticipate them?

 In general, my team knows the type of experiences our typical (customer/audience/member) craves, and the reasons why.
 We clearly know why your customers prefer the experience we offer, versus those offered by other companies or brands.
 A typical customer experience within our (department/division/organization) is a positive event, for both employees and customers.

2. Does our organization map customer contact points and assign adequate resources to insure a great service experience?

 Everyone on my team knows what resources to use, and when, in order to deliver a great experience.
 We honestly and openly measure customer feedback at multiple contact points.
 We use customer feedback to improve our internal processes, staffing and learning within days, instead of months and years.

3. Does our organization provide ways for employees and customers to collaborate on new services or solutions?

 We support informal learning experiences (versus curriculum or LMS driven learning) for all team members and offer innovative leadership opportunities for every team member, within weeks of their arrival
 We routinely turn interactions into enjoyable learning moments for customers, members and/or clients
 We allow tremendous flexibility in how employees engage prospects and customers and use social media tools to help us draw customers closer.

4. Does our organization identify, grow and sustain service champions, both internally and externally?

 We know what motivates people to become one of our loyal customers.
 We know our champions (loyal customers that live, eat, breath our product) and can identify them, by name
 My team is given the resources to track, validate and sustain both internal (employee) and external (client) champions through programs that reward their loyalty and honest feedback.