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Articles by John Aves
Culture clash: Why customer experience improvements fail
When customer experience improvements run into trouble, the problem isn't necessarily rooted in strategic thinking, but because the CEO is often detached from the plan (if there is one). This is a big problem. To successfully change your CX, you must create the right culture and climate to effect the change. You can't do this without your people changing their behavior.
Why businesses struggle with customer loyalty
We want to go out on a limb here and say that from our experience, most brands struggling with customer loyalty spend too little time focusing on their internal work. We all know that fixing issues with loyalty is difficult. And it's made worse by bad behaviours that businesses find difficult to shake off (that's if they are even aware they have a problem).
How to overcome challenges in your ‘Dear CEO’ letter
Many of you will have already seen the FCA's recent 'Dear CEO' letter about implementing customer duty. After reviewing some firms’ plans, the regulator reports that while some are making good progress, others face significant risks and challenges. Across many firms, there are some common areas of weakness. Right now, you are focused on what you need to do to comply with the FCA’s requirements.
‘Sea of sameness’: How to truly differentiate your CX programme
Let's not waste any time. ‘Sea of sameness’ was originally used to describe the more or less generic offerings by resorts in the early 2010s. You probably flicked through the 'palm tree and white sands' brochures yourself. Fast forward a decade and it's still as strong a wake up call for businesses as it was when it was first coined by Piers Schmidt – regardless of the sector you work in. Lots of CEOs and executives are convinced that they do customer experience differently.
Does your business have the loyalty gene? And does it matter?
Let’s jump right in. Businesses that want to improve customer loyalty usually start too far downstream to build the plan. Customer data and feedback is forensically analysed for clues about why people leave. Marketing and customer service teams pour over journey maps. Loyalty programmes are put through the wringer. Frontline employees pitch in. What businesses often don’t do, but should, is first put themselves under the microscope and study their own DNA.
Culture clash - why customer experience improvements fail
When customer experience improvements run into trouble the problem isn’t necessarily rooted in strategic thinking. It’s because the CEO is often detached from the plan (if there is one). This is a big problem. To make a success of changes to your CX you need to create the right culture and climate to effect the change. You can’t do this without your people changing their behaviour.
Bad behaviour: why businesses struggle with customer loyalty
We want to go out on a limb here. From our experience, most brands that struggle with customer loyalty spend too little time focussing on what they are doing internally. Fixing issues with loyalty is difficult. And it’s made worse by bad behaviours that businesses find difficult to shake off (that’s if they are even aware they have a problem). The same mistakes are repeated. Some mistakes are rooted in myths. And some are rooted in disbelief. Let’s first take a look at the myths. Three myths .. 1.
Sea of sameness - worn out metaphor or wake up call?
Let’s not waste any time. Sea of sameness was originally used to describe the more or less generic offerings by resorts in the early 2010s. You probably flicked through the ‘palm tree and white sands’ brochures yourself. Fast forward a decade and it’s still as strong a wake up call for businesses as it was when it was first coined by Piers Schmidt. Regardless of the sector you work in. Lots of CEOs and executives are convinced that they do customer experience differently. “Yes, we stand out”.
Consumer Duty - how to overcome the challenges in your Dear CEO letter
Tweet You’ll have already seen the FCA’s February Dear CEO letter about implementing Consumer Duty. After reviewing the plans of some firms, the regulator reports that while some are making good progress, others are facing significant risks and challenges. Across many firms there are some common areas of weakness. Right now, you are focused on what you need to do to comply with the FCA’s requirements.
If customer satisfaction is not enough, how do we create fans?
Simply satisfying customers doesn’t cut it anymore in the loyalty stakes. Consumers are mired in adequate experiences from brands jostling to stand out. Yes, they’re satisfied. But brands need to do way more than rely on high levels of customer satisfaction to create fans who rave and refer. The extra mile to win over hearts and minds has become two … three … even. Customer satisfaction used to be the gold standard for measuring the ROI on CX efforts. People used to be perfectly happy with satisfied.
How can we sustain customer loyalty as the cost-of-living crisis grows?
What’s going wrong with the UK services sector? As I ended last week as Mr Angry, having had bad experiences with my bank, utility provider, and delivery company, I reflected on what had gone so wrong. Have I just been unlucky or is there something more systemic going on? COVID, Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis … something these providers should be managing better if they want to retain my customer loyalty.
How to sustain customer loyalty as the cost of living crisis deepens
What’s going wrong with the UK services sector? As I ended last week as Mr Angry, having had bad experiences with my bank, utility provider, and delivery company, I reflected on what had gone so wrong. Have I just been unlucky or is there something more systemic going on? Covid, Brexit, the cost of living crisis … something these providers should be managing better if they want to retain my customer loyalty.
How to make customer experience the cornerstone of a merger
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) recently celebrated its first birthday after a £31bn merger last June. The deal created one of the UK’s largest providers with 47 million customers across broadband, mobile, TV and home phone. Rumours are also swirling about another game-changing tie-in. According to reports, Three parent CK Hutchison is in advanced talks with Vodafone about a possible tie-in. A deal between the two firms has been described as “inevitable” according to telecoms experts.
Trusted advisor: How to avoid the parity trap in professional services
Tweet We have worked with very successful law firms, accountants / tax advisors and management consulting firms over the past 25 years. Combined with my personal experience of leading two professional service firms (PSFs), I have outlined some insights and observations to help you differentiate and grow your firm.
Implementing a customer-driven change strategy in three phases
In a recent post we discussed the four pillars of successful CX transformation. We explored the reasons why programmes will most likely fail if a business misfires on any one of these pillars: leadership, organisation-wide alignment, capability development and infrastructure. In this article we introduce a proven three-phased process to build and implement a roadmap for a customer-driven change strategy. We show how the four pillars are brought together and outline a sequence for deployment.
The four pillars of successful CX transformation
Many businesses know that customer experience is their most important battleground. Scan the latest research headlines and organisations tell us that CX transformation is a top strategic priority. Forrester reports that 76% of executives say improving CX is a high or critical priority. Meanwhile, a third of companies that ranked CX investment as a low priority pre-Covid, now plan to spend more, according to MarTech Alliance.
Customer journey mapping: time for a rethink
Even in normal times – and we live in anything but normal times – there are aspects of customer journeys that you won’t have seen or anticipated. New journeys need to be identified and pieced together – end to end. But the methods most companies still use are rooted in a siloed, functional, 1990s mindset. The focus is frequently on a specific touchpoint or process to reduce cost and / or improve process efficiency.
Why there's a CX empathy gap and how to close it
We humans are not limited by rational thinking. We can be unpredictable. The decisions we take are weighted by our emotions. We use emotional intelligence (EI) to understand, use and manage these emotions in positive ways. Empathy, the ability to understand and relate to the thoughts and feelings of another person, is the part of the source code of our EI. It’s only natural that empathy is also a critical part of the source code of customer experience.
Why there’s a CX empathy gap and how to close it
We humans are not limited by rational thinking. We can be unpredictable. The decisions we take are weighted by our emotions. We use emotional intelligence (EI) to understand, use and manage these emotions in positive ways. Empathy, the ability to understand and relate to the thoughts and feelings of another person, is the part of the source code of our EI. It’s only natural that empathy is also a critical part of the source code of customer experience.
Webinar Replay: Managing Change in the Contact Centre
Watch the Webinar Replay now! First Name Last Name Email Phone Job Title Company Country State / Province Approx Number of Agents in your Company/Organisation Industry Sector Human Test: What is 9 + 3 ? By ticking either box you will confirm your registration and that you consent to our Privacy Policy. We process your data and share it with the Sponsor through legitimate interest. Without doing so, we would not have the funding available to bring you our industry-leading webinar programme.
Webinar: Managing Change in the Contact Centre
Webinar Date - Thursday 10th March 2022 at
14:00pm UK time Click here to register “The Only Constant in Life is Change” Contact centres are changing all the time. New customers, new staff, new ideas, new challenges and new channels. So how do we manage change in the contact centre? How do we ‘move the dial’ on Customer Service? How do we bring our teams and our advisors on board? Tune in to our exciting webinar to find out.
The inconvenient truth about insurance claims and CX - and what insurers are doing about it
The insurance sector is notoriously low touch. There are arguably only four key customer journeys: taking out a policy, renewal, making a claim and cancellation. Customers tend to only hear from their insurer once or twice each year, and these are usually dull, administrative interactions. Then it’s radio silence until it’s time to renew again. Few people relish the insurance claims process.
Six customer experience trends uprooting 2022 planning
There are evergreen CX trends like omnichannel, digital, self-serve and personalisation that are part of the strategic fabric of every customer-centric business. They have been shaping customer experience plans for years. These trends have gradually changed and developed over time as transformation programmes gained maturity. Then COVID comes along. The pandemic has accelerated the natural evolution of these trends that were already baked into customer plans.
6 CX trends uprooting 2022 planning
There are evergreen CX trends like omnichannel, digital, self-serve and personalisation that are part of the strategic fabric of every customer-centric business. They have been shaping customer experience plans for years. These trends have gradually changed and developed over time as transformation programmes gained maturity. Then Covid comes along. The pandemic has accelerated the natural evolution of these trends that were already baked into customer plans.
The (in)convenient truth about insurance claims
The insurance sector is notoriously low touch. There are arguably only four key customer journeys: taking out a policy, renewal, making a claim and cancellation. Customers tend to only hear from their insurer once or twice each year, and these are usually dull, administrative interactions. Then it’s radio silence until it’s time to renew again. Few people relish the insurance claims process.
10 purposeful employee engagement ideas
The past year has made us all re-evaluate what’s important to us. People’s thoughts on how work brings a sense of purpose to their lives, and what they want to achieve, is part of that thought process as we all seek more solid ground. As an employer now is the time to figure out the steps you can take to make your team feel committed and reconnected to their colleagues and your organisation. It will be worth it.
What the Boohoo story tells us about customer loyalty
Sustaining customer loyalty is notoriously difficult in the world of fast fashion, which is built on low prices and fast turnover. When you think that 2 in 5 consumers feel no loyalty to fashion retailers, and they will only stay loyal if they perceive that they are receiving real value, it’s quick to see why loyalty is hard won by brands like Boohoo. Boohoo bucks the trend because it is one of the most customer-centric, agile and responsive brands in the marketplace.
The Insurer’s Guide to Customer-Led Growth in the New Normal
There has been a profound change in the behaviour, values and beliefs of insurance customers over the past year. Returning to a pre-Covid world is not an option. The change has been so deep that insurers will need to go back to customer experience blueprints and work out how to build back better.
7 traits, 3 examples, 1 rule: What does it take to be a successful CX leader?
A CX leader with their hands on the tiller in 2021 is not the same leader that they were at the start of last year. The pandemic has tested the mettle of executives charged with reacting in a meaningful way to the shifting sands of customer needs, wants and expectations in the past year. Leadership focused on what needed to be done. The big question was: “what do I need to do to get the business through this”.
7 traits, 3 examples, 1 rule: What does it take to be a successful CX leader?
A CX leader with their hands on the tiller in 2021 is not the same leader that they were at the start of last year. The pandemic has tested the mettle of executives charged with reacting in a meaningful way to the shifting sands of customer needs, wants and expectations in the past year. Leadership focused on what needed to be done. The big question was: “what do I need to do to get the business through this”.
A tale of two banks: Why TSB stands out from the pack
The major UK banks are in denial. In my conversations with bank executives over the past few years I have suggested they should be more concerned and less complacent. Customer sentiment, greater consumer choice and regulators who are taking an increasingly tough line are all tipping in the wrong direction for them. And yet they don’t seem to be losing any sleep.
Why the tide has turned on the B2B sales experience
A branded sales experience – getting upstream in the B2B buying process B2B buyers tend to prefer to stay loyal to a few suppliers that they trust because they don’t want to have to start over with a new supplier that they don’t know. As we mentioned earlier, multiple stakeholders can be involved in complex B2B purchasing decisions. The whole process can take months. It’s a significant investment. Sticking with your supplier makes future decisions a whole lot easier.
A tale of two banks: Why TSB stands out from the pack
The major UK banks are in denial. In my conversations with bank executives over the past few years I have suggested they should be more concerned and less complacent. Customer sentiment, greater consumer choice and regulators who are taking an increasingly tough line are all tipping in the wrong direction for them. And yet they don’t seem to be losing any sleep.
Why the tide has turned on the B2B sales experience
A branded sales experience – getting upstream in the B2B buying process B2B buyers tend to prefer to stay loyal to a few suppliers that they trust because they don’t want to have to start over with a new supplier that they don’t know. As we mentioned earlier, multiple stakeholders can be involved in complex B2B purchasing decisions. The whole process can take months. It’s a significant investment. Sticking with your supplier makes future decisions a whole lot easier.
Is your local pub calling time on your customer experience?
And it’s not just my local. Pubs up and down the country are taking the time to create newsletters to keep in contact with customers and re-affirm a sense of community. For example, I know of another pub that is encouraging its customers to share ‘lockdown’ contributions for its newsletter (they have also started a number of local care initiatives). These are local community initiatives, underpinned by care and authenticity.
Customer Experience Assessment
Understanding where your business is on the journey to achieving a differentiated customer experience is vital to effectively prioritise plans and areas for focus in 2021. Our Customer Experience (CX) Assessment is designed to help you understand where your organisation is on this journey.
6 trends shaping CX redesign in 2021
The Coronanvirus crisis has been a clarion call to CX leaders like no other. As the crisis broke the five-year plan became the five-day plan. As the road ahead started to stretch out, leaders were able to recalibrate and respond with fleet-footed nimbleness, and clarity about what it would take to serve customers’ immediate and evolving needs. They were able to draw on their deep reserves as customer-centric brands to respond in a meaningful way.
6 trends shaping CX redesign in 2021
The Coronanvirus crisis has been a clarion call to CX leaders like no other. As the crisis broke the five-year plan became the five-day plan. As the road ahead started to stretch out, leaders were able to recalibrate and respond with fleet-footed nimbleness, and clarity about what it would take to serve customers’ immediate and evolving needs. They were able to draw on their deep reserves as customer-centric brands to respond in a meaningful way.
The Insider's Guide to Measuring CX
The Insider’s Guide to Measuring CX What’s the return on your CX strategy? Not knowing the answer to this question is a difficult position to hold. With little sign of Covid’s stronghold on the economy weakening, key stakeholders need a clear understanding of the business impact of their customer experience efforts. The reasons for measuring CX haven’t changed. But the route to demonstrable ROI for your business is being changed by the pandemic.
Delivering a superior CX over Black Friday is crucial - but it’s no silver bullet for growth
Tweet Black Friday in England will be online due to the second lockdown. Consumers looking for a deal have two choices: buy online or use click and collect services to pick up purchases outside stores. With the doors to non-essential shops locked once more, every retailer will be vying for their share of the surge in online spend over the course of the weekend (which is being dubbed Cyber Weekend to include Cyber Monday). This is a difficult battle to win in normal years.
Former Sainsburys Bank and Eurostar CEO Hamish Taylor joins cp2experience
We are delighted to announce that business guru and former Sainsburys Bank CEO Hamish Taylor has joined cp2experience as Executive Advisor. With a CV that The Times described as “takes some beating”, Hamish has had an illustrious career. After training in brand management at Procter and Gamble, he went on to take up a role as a management consultant at Price Waterhouse.
Delivering a superior CX over Black Friday is crucial – but it's no silver bullet for growth - cp2experience
Black Friday in England will be online due to the second lockdown. Consumers looking for a deal have two choices: buy online or use click and collect services to pick up purchases outside stores. With the doors to non-essential shops locked once more, every retailer will be vying for their share of the surge in online spend over the course of the weekend (which is being dubbed Cyber Weekend to include Cyber Monday). This is a difficult battle to win in normal years.
Digital retail experience: what matters most to your new customer cohort?
Bricks and mortar retailers, direct-to-consumer challengers and eCommerce brands are relearning who their customers are in the slipstream of the Coronavirus pandemic. The crisis accelerated the digital transformation of consumer behaviour and habits resulting in a rapid shift from bricks to clicks, to contactless shopping and payments. And there’s no going back to the old normal. This much we know. But, what does this new cohort of natives and converts now want from their digital retail experience?
Digital retail experience: what matters most to your new customer cohort?
Bricks and mortar retailers, direct-to-consumer challengers and eCommerce brands are relearning who their customers are in the slipstream of the Coronavirus pandemic. The crisis accelerated the digital transformation of consumer behaviour and habits resulting in a rapid shift from bricks to clicks, to contactless shopping and payments. And there’s no going back to the old normal. This much we know. But, what does this new cohort of natives and converts now want from their digital retail experience?
Retail banking: is this the end of the branch experience?
Is this the end of the branch experience? Year in, year out this question proves to be the ultimate rhetorical question. This year is no different. Yes, Covid-19 is having a dramatic impact on the retail banking experience. Yes, many banks temporarily reduced their branch footprint during lockdown. Yes, the pandemic has accelerated FinTech and other digital adoption trends. Yes, customer behavioural change has been so profound that banks need to rethink their branch models to enrich CX.
Retail banking: is this the end of the branch experience?
Is this the end of the branch experience? Year in, year out this question proves to be the ultimate rhetorical question. This year is no different. Yes, Covid-19 is having a dramatic impact on the retail banking experience. Yes, many banks temporarily reduced their branch footprint during lockdown. Yes, the pandemic has accelerated FinTech and other digital adoption trends. Yes, customer behavioural change has been so profound that banks need to rethink their branch models to enrich CX.
Online employee training: 8 essential tips every customer experience professional ought to know
Face-to-face employee training came to an abrupt standstill when the Coronavirus crisis started. Fast forward seven months and in a socially distanced world most doors to the training room are still locked. Some CX leadership teams haven’t been in the same place with colleagues for months. Some employees are working from home for the foreseeable future. Some are coming into their workplace on set days or at staggered times and shifts.
Why it’s Time to Push the CX Reset Button > TheCustomer
We’ve almost run out of adjectives to describe the Coronavirus pandemic that has impacted every aspect of our daily lives as individuals, families, consumers and employees. And as the lockdown eases, we are all adapting to the new normal, a phrase that has become ingrained in our collective psyche. When it comes to CX, what does the new normal mean for businesses that are preparing for a post-pandemic future? Maybe it’s time for a CX reset.
Online employee training: 8 essential tips every customer experience professional ought to know
Face-to-face employee training came to an abrupt standstill when the Coronavirus crisis started. Fast forward seven months and in a socially distanced world most doors to the training room are still locked. Some CX leadership teams haven’t been in the same place with colleagues for months. Some employees are working from home for the foreseeable future. Some are coming into their workplace on set days or at staggered times and shifts.
Planning for a post-pandemic future - why it’s time to push the CX reset button
We’ve almost run out of adjectives to describe the Coronavirus pandemic that has impacted every aspect of our daily lives as individuals, families, consumers and employees. And as the lockdown eases, we are all adapting to the new normal, a phrase that has become ingrained in our collective psyche. When it coms to CX, what does the new normal mean for businesses that are preparing for a post-pandemic future? Brands have now moved beyond the react and respond stages to recovery.
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