Storm Tussey Just a few thoughts

Customer care has never been a more integral component of a business’ success. World population is estimated to be 6.8 billion by the year 2010, and all of these people are going to need care. The good news is – those of us who care will likely have jobs.

The challenge, however, is that providing that 1:1 care interaction will become cost prohibitive for businesses. Exacerbating that situation is the consumer’s increased expectation on how, when, where they interact. They are less loyal. As described in a Wall Street Journal book review of The Trophy Kids by Ron Alsop, “While members of other generations were considered somewhat spoiled in their youth, millennials feel an unusually strong sense of entitlement.” So get ready business – no longer are we living in a era of ‘buyer beware.” We’re now in an age of “businesses beware.”

Technical advancements have created significant changes in the care experience and helped elevate opinions on what the care experience should include. As the web enabled 24×7 support, consumer expectations about access to information, service and support increased. As search empowered consumers to get information on their own terms, their sense of independence increased. Now, online social networks create communities where consumers can share experiences and opinions and have a much faster and greater reach – and impact on brand.

We know by watching the morning talk shows that businesses can no longer hide from a bad experience. People taping care interactions, posting videos on YouTube-poor Dominos, and in matter of weeks if not days, talking to Matt Lauer on the NBC Today Show. Today one bad care interaction can create millions of negative brand impressions. As if this social media onslaught wasn’t enough for businesses to tackle, there are other business dynamics at play.

The speed of innovation has never been greater. Some say that you have nine months before the competition catches up with you. Price, features, and quality are no longer enough to differentiate a product or service. As products and services have become commoditized, the ability to keep consumers engaged is based on drivers other than product and price, according to Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a New York-based research firm that specializes in assessing brand loyalty.”More and more, customer service levels are contributing more to purchasing decisions.” It used to be that call center managers mostly worried about reducing costs, creating efficiencies, and being organizationally streamlined. Now they need to embrace each and every interaction with the consumer – and if they don’t, they most likely won’t survive the environment just described.

We are living in a Care 2.0 world – a world where expectations are higher, the speed of innovation is faster, and the real true opportunity to differentiate a brand is in the hands of those providing customer care.
Companies who’s customer care should be looked on as leaders in innovation:Amazon, Zappos, and Lexus.

However,one more company should be included in my opinion. Recently, I was told of an interaction between Prana and a trusted friend. He wrote an email telling them his frustrations with their sizing and distribution and low and behold he not only received 1 e-mail from customer service acknowledging his concerns but then 4 more times from different product development and marketing people truly interested in servicing their consumer. What a great way to make sure that customer will be loyal to you for life! The responses even impressed me and now all his gifts will come from that brand. Kudos to Prana and Thanks for providing great 1:1 customer care.