In the last three chapters of our playbook, we covered why customer feedback is important, how to write questions to maximize the impact of that feedback, and how to get customers to provide feedback. For the fourth chapter, we’re going to discuss how to assemble all the pieces of your business to achieve success. It’s important that everyone within your organization is set up to act on the data you’re receiving as part of your customer feedback program.
We’ll dig into having a champion, establishing the right culture, aligning with current processes of your organization, and how to motivate employees, from hourly to upper management to create a successful program.
2. In the last three chapters of our playbook, we covered why
customer feedback is important, how to write questions to
maximize the impact of that feedback, and how to get
customers to provide feedback. For the fourth chapter, we’re
going to discuss how to assemble all the pieces of your
business to achieve success. It’s important that everyone
within your organization is set up to act on the data you’re
receiving as part of your customer feedback program.
We’ll dig into having a champion, establishing the right culture,
aligning with current processes of your organization, and how
to motivate employees, from hourly to upper management to
create a successful program.
Enjoy!
2
Let’s create a better experience
What we’ll explore:
ü Establishing the right culture
ü Aligning with current
programs and processes
ü Motivating for Success
-Joe Stanton
CEO - Elevate
Sole property of Elevate | October 2014
3. 3
The Importance of a Champion
“Everyone is responsible and
no one is to blame.”
-Will Schultz
Every successful initiative needs to have one
go-to person for the team to rally behind.
Best practices to achieve max success:
- Match accountability with authority. Too much
of one or the other creates imbalance.
- Provide support for the entire team. Neglecting
one area will also create dysfunction.
- Establish one central point person who
dedicates time to customer feedback and is
responsible for making related changes.
- All team members can advise, but ultimately
one person decides. This is especially
important in franchise organizations.
5. Establishing the Right Culture
5
Messages Must Come From the Top Down
Top-down communication ensures success.
Encourage communication throughout the
organization by:
- Scheduling kick-off announcements and
specify individual expectations.
- Composing personal notes to recognize
exceptional performers, even down to the
store level. You can even implement
feedback scores into employee recognition
and reward programs.
- Using automated communication for
efficiency and consistency.
- Telling stories, sharing comments and
utilizing data to develop a foundation for
consistent communication.
“Communicate everything you can to
your associates. The more they know,
the more they care.”
-Sam Walton
6. Establishing the Right Culture
6
Ingrained in Business
Put customer feedback to work. Use
feedback in team meetings so everyone
has the opportunity to listen and
participate.
- Weekly team meetings: Discuss
comments from customers– both good
and bad- to determine what needs
improvement.
- Monthly manager meetings: Track
your team’s progress against its goals.
Are you allowing your employees to
perform their best work?
- Quarterly business reviews: Set your
goals. Measure your performance. Re-evaluate
when necessary.
7. Establishing the Right Culture
Stop focusing on internal issues and start viewing your organization like a customer does.
7
Decision Making
- Refrain from using the phrase “I think.”
Instead, say “we know” because your
team is aware of the issue and
understands how a customer would
feel in the situation.
- The facts always win. Use data to
understand how people perceive your
business, regardless of inside biases.
- Customer comments shape a story.
Use them to make change and pave
the way forward in your organization.
9. Aligning with Current Programs and Processes
9
Use Results to Create a More Informed Metric
Established programs bring credibility. The key is to bring all programs and
processes together.
10. Aligning with Current Programs and Processes
10
Use Data to Support Other Business Areas
Data isn’t just helpful for customer service.
For example, you can:
- Mine customer comments for
potential compliance problems to
avoid messy legal issues.
- Understand questions consumers
may have regarding new products
or services.
- Better understand where the focus
should lie in employee field training.
12. Motivating for success
12
Reward Behaviors You Want to See
Some leaders make the mistake of only rewarding end results. It’s important
not to overlook the positive behavior that leads to those desirable outcomes.
Nonfinancial incentives are rated
as more effective motivators than the
highest financial incentives.2
Examples of behavior worth rewarding include:
- Following invitation protocols - getting
enough surveys
- Following up with upset customers in a
timely fashion
- Routinely sharing feedback with employees
- Accessing the reports
- Completing training sessions or webinars
- Signing up for educational materials - blogs,
email courses, etc.
67
62
60
52
63
Praise &
recognition
Attention from
leaders
Opportunities to
lead
Performance based
bonuses
Increase in base
pay
Nonfinancial incentives
Financial incentives
13. 13
Coming Next
In Chapter 5, we’ll explore …
ü Customer feedback as a way of life
ü It’s all about routine
ü Data driven decision making
ü Business planning from the customer’s
perspective
ü Integrate with other tools for deeper
understanding
Chapter 5 coming soon!
14. 14
Learn more about Elevate…
Sources:
1. Elevate Customer Data
2. McKinsey & Company
Elevate is the easiest and most affordable way for restaurants and
retailers to survey customers who recently dined in one of their
restaurants or shopped in one of their stores. It allows all sizes of
restaurants and retailers to:
- Get immediate feedback from real customers;
- Follow up with upset customers to get them to come back; and
- Have better conversations about performance.
- Channel feedback into the organization versus onto review sites.
Start your free 30 day trial today. It takes less than 10 minutes to get
signed up. There are no setup fees and no contracts.
Learn more about Elevate by visiting www.elevateresearch.com.
Connect with us:
Sole property of Elevate | November 2014