INNERGISE!

The reputation of any business affects retention, new customers coming on board and business growth. This series of articles explores the Gaps to Close between being an average business providing average service and a great business providing great service.

Mind the Gap No 1 – Know what your customers expect

Most organisations know that they have no unique product or service and that therefore they need to work hard to differentiate themselves through their approach to service and managing the customer experience. By getting that right, they can manage the reputation they have with existing and potential customers.

When we ask organisations and business leaders “What do you want your clients saying about you in 12 months time?” it becomes evident that many have there is a lack of clarity.

Yet business leaders instinctively know that if they manage and create a powerful reputation the benefits are massive: 

• Better customer retention 
• Selling more and different services to existing clients 
• New clients coming through word of mouth 
• The ability to charge a premium 
• Reduced sales and marketing costs

…and the list goes on.

Yet if we are not clear and have not articulated and communicated the reputation that we are trying to achieve, we will not align our activities and behaviours or our people and we will not turn the desired reputation into a reality.

So how do we go about articulating the reputation? Well don’t do what some organisations do, namely get a bunch of managers (who are potentially not as close to the customer as they might be) to brainstorm some words that feel right. 90% of the customer interactions happen away from the eyes and ears of managers, so they are often not best qualified.

The two groups of people who know what that reputation needs to be are the customers themselves and the front line people. So do appropriate research with these 2 groups to find out what customers really need and want to be saying.

Typically the desired reputation might include such things a ‘reliable, professional, commercial, approachable, go the extra mile, innovative, caring, or fast to react’. While some of the words might seem uninspirational, ask yourself the following question: if the customer experience we provided on a systematic basis led to customers saying that about us, would they recommend us to others and stay loyal.

One accountancy firm we worked with recently completely eliminated customer churn on transactional work by articulating their reputation and engaging all employees to make sure that every time they came into contact with their customers their reputation was reinforced. Needless to say, their profitability improved.

At Innergy, we continually get feedback from loyal customers about what it is that they like about us and make sure that we reinforce that reputation at every step. What customers tell us is that they recommend us to others because Innergy:

“challenge us”
“really understand us”
“they are professional and honest”
“are creativity in a way that actually works”
“are fun to work with”
“add real value ”
“enable change that brings lasting impact”

Define the reputation and sense check it to see whether it is:

Differentiated – once achieved, would this reputation be different enough to attract new customers to us?
Valuable – does the customer care enough about saying it? 

So the first gap to close is all about getting closer to the customer, improving feedback from the customer and those working on the front line and being very clear about what reputation you need. It’s a powerful strategy for growth.

Coming soon … Mind the Gap No 2 – Managing the Customer Experience