Exceeding CX expectations through data and humanity
How do you exceed your customers’ expectations? It doesn’t matter what role or job function you have — when it comes to CX it’s about understanding the client, anticipating their needs, and then going the extra mile and, simply put, delighting them.
To better understand what this means, let me share a recent conversation I had with Paul Lewis (Global Social, Digital Marketing and Sales Enablement Lead).
As part of recognizing global CX Day (October 5) at Pitney Bowes, our employees from all parts of the business met to discuss one of Pitney Bowes’ five core CX principles.
Paul and I discussed exceeding expectations and how we are doing it through data but also recognizing the human element — listening, responding and delivering.
Anticipate client needs
We live in an increasingly data-driven world, one in which we can do a lot of digging into the digital client footprint. These kinds of behavioral insights have become critical in how we identify potential pain points for clients and fix them before they even have the chance to call a support line.
Paul was telling me how in web development they track clients’ behavior and analyze where they are clicking and, more importantly, where they are not. In our Sending Technology group, we see this when onboarding a new client and getting them familiar with a product. In this phase of the client relationship, it’s critical for us not only to understand if they are using the product correctly, but to ensure they understand the full power of the solution they bought.
Think like the client
Each one of us — it does not matter if you are client facing or back office — can be pushed to think more about clients. Over the past few years, we’ve improved significantly when it comes to the science of client experience. What we are now stretched to think more about is the humanity of client experience.
As we grow our data-driven approach, we must constantly remind ourselves of who are clients are and not lose our empathy for them.
Reach out and listen
Paul and I were talking about stories of delighted clients, and I shared an interaction with a small business client of ours who’s based in Florida. This particular client, a loyal Pitney Bowes customer for 15 years, was having trouble with an invoice.
The ticket passed my desk, I read it and, for whatever reason, the client had not gotten a satisfactory answer. Reading the transcript, my heart went out to him, so I picked up the phone and gave him a call.
The first thing I learned was that his issue was one that we could solve fairly easily. But as we talked further, he told me that the new product we had sent didn’t meld with his workflow in the same way the old product did, which made him frustrated.
So, I connected the client with our lead product developer, who took the time to hear his feedback. The two then discussed the clients’ workflow and in doing so helped the client realize that by using the product slightly differently he could end up saving approximately $100 per month in shipping costs — a significant amount for a small business.
I love this story because it demonstrates a few ways in which we can all contribute to client experience:
- Teaming together as a company to get this client to a better place
- Taking the time to listen and understand the client
- Turning what was a painful moment into something that wound up delighting the client and exceeding his expectations
Treat every day like it’s CX Day
CX Day is one day a year, but I encourage you to think about clients every day. Strive to keep them at the core of your business. Most importantly, don’t lose sight of the humanity in CX.