When it comes to delivering an elite customer experience through our call centers, "what I think we often forget," notes Michael Adams, senior vice president and director of the customer contact center for FirstMerit Bank, "is the value of the human capital and the experience. Compared to [product value], that experience is just as influential, if not more influential, in customers’ long-term loyalty and buying decisions."
Adams, a keynote speaker at the 13thAnnual Call Center Week in Las Vegas, Nevada and the guest on this edition of the Customer Management IQ "Customer Creation" podcast, is a firm believer in the importance of "competing on the customer experience." With companies like Disney, Amazon, USAA, Apple and many others developing prestigious reputations specifically based on their perceived customer-centricity, they are ushering in a raised bar when it comes to the customer experience.
As a result, brands are not only competing with their industry rivals on product quality and value but competing against a cross-industry conception of customer-centricity. If someone has a great expectation dealing with customer support at Nabisco, he is going to expect that same type of interaction from Dell. And if Dell can better meet expectations than Hewlett-Packard, it has a great chance of capturing customer loyalty.
"It is really critical as call center executives in our industries that we understand that the service that our shops deliver is really a product. It’s a product because it can be made consistent. It can be of extremely high quality. And it can be difficult to duplicate. How many people duplicate Disney?" explains Adams.
In this exclusive Customer Management IQ podcast, Michael Adams not only reveals the philosophical importance of "competing on the customer experience" but also shares insights on the substantive side. He discusses how to evaluate one’s experiential "competitive advantage," whether those metrics have a clear tie to revenue and the blueprint for a truly "customer-centric" strategy in 2012.
And if you like what Michael has to say, join him at the 13thAnnual Call Center Weekfor what will certainly be an engaging session! Access the agenda and full event details below: