Happy employees = Happy customers
Value your employees and treat them well, the level of their job satisfaction can significantly impact the service they offer your customers. You’ll be amazed how even the smallest of gestures can go a long way to increasing staff morale and remember happy employees means happy customers [KL1] [KD2] [KD3] 
 
Listen to your employees. They work at the heart of your business so they are in the best position to identify areas that need a little tweaking. If we had a pound for every employee that says communication could be better in their company, we’d be pretty rich by now!
 
So, come on, set up those team huddles, send out regular weekly emails, maybe even a podcast or two. Why not step it up a gear and create your own private YouTube channel for employees to listen to company updates? Remember, everyone likes to learn in different ways, so giving them options means you are more likely to be heard.
Studies show that a happy work force has a positive impact on your customers’ experience, so what are you waiting for?
 
How easy are you to do business with?
How many times have you heard or even said yourself, “I love the company, I just wish they didn’t make it so hard to do business with them?”  Pull your team together and map out your customer journey. Be critical! Ask yourselves: how customer focused are we? Are we easy to do business with? [KL4] By taking a closer look at the customer touchpoints throughout the journey, you’ll be able to see where you can make improvements and make doing business with you that little bit easier for your customers.
 
 
Get the team involved
Yes, it’s important that the MD has bought into the initiatives to improve customer services, but actually, everyone plays a part in the customer journey, and, ultimately, the overall experience the customer has. Getting teams working collaboratively is way more effective. It also improves the overall customer experience, than those teams that work in silos. Nominate champions within each area of the business and let them work collaboratively to review customer issues and touchpoints and then suggest solutions to improve your customers’ experience.
 
Don’t make assumptions about your customers
There’s an easy way to understand what your customers want from your product or service – ask them! Completing yearly relationship surveys with your clients will help you shape the future of your business, based on the “voice of the customer”. This can be done by several methods: emails, telephone, SMS or face to face. Work out which method is right for your business and give it a go. Make sure you have defined objectives of what you want to achieve before putting the questions together, and then take that step forward and get to know your customers better.
 
Like what you’ve read…well we have a lot more tips and suggestion for you, so get in touch! Please call 02380001421 or email: [email protected]
Visit us at www.zestconsultancy.co.uk  or follow us : @ZestConsultancy #loveyourcustomers
 

 

It can sometimes feel like good customer service is a thing of the past! And yet, it doesn’t take much! A smile, a little focussed attention and a “have a good day” as a goodbye from a member of staff, is probably enough when grabbing a quick coffee or popping into a shop. However, when these little things are missing it can really affect your mood and importantly your view of the business.
A good customer experience is even more important now than a few years ago, as in many areas of business, there is so much more choice. It is easy to go to a competitor just down the road or across the street, especially for a coffee or some lunch!

What does good customer service look like?
Have a think about what good customer service looks like to you?
Here at Zest, we believe it is part of our job to make our client’s day a little easier or simply more enjoyable. This might include a friendly chat, a little banter, or simply enquiring after a client’s well- being. We like to focus on the person and not just the business. Furthermore, it certainly makes the day go much faster if you are enjoying the company of the person you are working with or talking to and, in turn, ultimately creates a good customer experience whilst doing so. Importantly, happy customers are easier to build relationships with and will help grow your business.

First impressions
A first impression is a key tool for yourself and your business and it really does count. The way we look, the way we talk, the way we present ourselves is such an important part of our business.
Without realising it, within moments, the person we are introducing ourselves to has probably already decided if they like us and are interested to hear more. So, take a critical view of your business and what first impressions you are making on your customers? This could include how your staff answer the phone; how your shop or office looks to your clients; or how your staff are dressed? There are a great number of things which give off a ‘first impression’ and you need to make sure this is the right image for your business.

Just add Zest
A large part of getting first impressions right and offering a good customer experience is understanding your customers and what they want. It is pivotal to business success. At Zest, we help you to interact with and listen to your customers. We get to understand their motivations and their needs and can help to map out the customer journey, looking at all the touch points with your business along the way. Zest will implement a customer experience programme which is responsive, flexible and tailored to your needs.
Interested to learn more? Call us on: 02380001421 or email: [email protected]
Visit us at www.zestconsultancy.co.uk  or follow us: @ZestConsultancy #loveyourcustomers

If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur, you’ll understand that your customer is king. But, how do you win customers and, most importantly, keep their business in the long term?
 
In this blog, I’ll be sharing some of the insights I’ve learnt during my 25-year career in sales and looking at companies that are at the top of their game with exceeding customer expectations.
 
Go that extra mile
In the corporate world, being ‘customer centric’ is not just about running a customer survey. The customer experience needs to be part of your business DNA as it’s critical to your revenue and future growth.
 
When I speak at business events, I often tell the following story. Some years ago, a family staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Florida returned home to find that their little boy had left his much-loved toy giraffe ‘Joshie’ behind. Mum phoned the hotel desperate to track him down. Not only did the hotel team locate Joshie, they returned him complete with a photo album of snaps showing the giraffe enjoying his holiday – much to the delight of the little boy. The story, and photos, garnered almost 4,000 views on YouTube, 12,000 likes on Facebook and nearly 5,000 tweets, generating fantastic PR for the hotel.
 
The Ritz-Carlton team went above and beyond expectations to deliver outstanding customer service that had a real impact, setting the chain apart from its competitors and delivering a memorable experience. Standing out from the crowd and delivering a fantastic experience is just as important whether you’re running a large chain of luxury hotels or an SME. If you want to grow as a business, you need to make your customers feel special.
 
Get under the skin of your customers
Understanding your customers and finding out what makes them tick is crucial. Think strategically and consider what’s important to them now and in the future. McDonald’s is a great example of this. From a company that offered just ‘burgers and fries’ back in the 80s, McDonald’s listened to its customers and has broadened its offering to include healthy eating options, kids’ menus, flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and more. The chain is even piloting a takeaway delivery service in the UK. Crucially, McDonald’s understands the importance of listening to the voice of the customer in shaping its future business strategy.
 
Listen to your customers
Of course, customer surveys can provide some valuable information. You can gauge customer feedback online, by phone or email – from quick pulse surveys through to longer-term relationship surveys. Email surveys tend to have relatively low response rates as customers are bombarded with similar requests. Telephone surveys often have the highest response rates. Decide which approach will work better for your organisation.
 
And remember, it’s not just about what matters to your customers; you also need to listen to your employees. Survey your people and find out what they are saying about the business to their friends and families. Look at how internal training and coaching can be improved and turn your employees into brand champions. Happy employees lead to happy customers.
 
Old Mutual Wealth – an award-winning customer experience
One company that has put this learning into practice is Old Mutual Wealth. In 2016, I was a judge at both the UK Customer Experience and Employee Experience Awards, where the team won accolades in multiple categories.
 
Christina Dolding, Head of Customer Experience at Old Mutual Wealth, and her team have worked tirelessly to deliver change within the company over the past seven years. Back in 2010, customer satisfaction was in negative figures whereas now it is at an all-time high…and earning industry awards.
 
Christina talks candidly and passionately about how, at the start of the process, customer feedback was not always acted upon in a consistent way. To address this, the team implemented a multitude of activities, from monthly podcasts (with real customer feedback) through to customer focus groups and a ‘triage’ team to help better understand customers’ issues and resolve any problems more quickly and effectively. They also shared this information with the wider business units to help develop future service offerings.
 
“We’ve had to take some bold decisions and work within a very limited budget, which has been a challenge at times,” says Christina. “However, over time, these projects have led to a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction scores – testament to the hard work of the team.”
 
One such project is ‘Magical Moments’, which gives employees the chance to surprise their customers with something special that is directly linked to their reason for getting in touch with Old Mutual Wealth. ‘Magical Moments’ empowers employees to listen to the customer properly and then really take an interest in their lives. Armed with this information, they then do something unexpected to create a moment of joy. This has included surprising a customer who was dealing with a life-threatening illness with their food shop and sending a very special gift to mark an important life event.
 
“The response from customers has been phenomenal,” says Christina. “We’ve had customers on the phone in tears because they’re so touched by the gifts. It also gives employees the chance to better understand our customers and connect with them on a personal level.”
 
See your business through your customers’ eyes
The team at Old Mutual Wealth places great importance on seeing things from the customer’s perspective and this is often where other businesses go wrong. In my view, it’s vital to see things through your customers’ eyes and provide an end-to-end service that’s consistent from the moment a customer lands on your website or walks into your office for the first time. As I mentioned at the start, it’s about far more than just customer surveys. Your customers need to have a great experience from start to finish, no matter where they come into contact with your business.
 
You may well have to challenge traditional assumptions and ways of working. But, if you want to build a sustainable future and keep your customers for the long term, you need to be bold in looking critically at your business and seeing what you can do better.
 
Kristy Davies-Sumpter
Kristy has built a highly successful career in sales over the past 25 years and worked for some of the biggest names in the hospitality and technology industries. She is MD of Zest Consultancy, which helps companies of all shapes and sizes to win new business and improve their customer experience. Kristy is also a judge at the UK Customer Experience and Employee Experience Awards. To find out how Zest can help you win new business, visit www.zestconsultancy.co.uk or call 02380 001421