Eat Your Own Lunch was written by nlightencx CEO Nathalie Schooling and Director Brendon Bairstow-Klopper. Along with two decades of research, this manual outlines their expertise in Customer Experience (CX) strategy development, training, customer journey mapping, and experience redesign, in a how-to fashion.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently,” – Warren Buffet.
For businesses looking to bridge the gap between doing business and growing meaningful human connections that attract investors, the methods in “Eat Your Own Lunch” will aid you in taking your first step. The following sections are some extracts from the book:
IT BEGINS WITH LISTENING
How you deal with client disappointment underpins your customers’ experience of your brand, and it all starts by creating a feedback loop with your clients by listening to what they’re telling you and acting on it.
Companies that respond to every query and act on every request with grace and friendliness are already streets ahead of their competitors that offer only lip service. Loyalty can evaporate in an instant when a customer feels their concerns are falling on deaf ears.
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC LEADERS LEAD BY EXAMPLE
The number one priority for today’s CEO should be delivering an exceptional customer experience.
The world’s best corporate leaders already recognise this and see themselves as advocates for their customers before anything else. It might be the retail MD who spends time on the floor, listening, learning, and talking to shoppers. It might be someone like Virgin’s Richard Branson, renowned for his innovative leadership style. He’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. He travels on his own aircraft, he speaks to his customers, and he engages with his staff. He understands the importance of walking his talk and continually asking whether this is how he would want to be treated were he the customer.
EMPATHY IN ACTION
In South Africa, the landlord-tenant war made headlines in the early days of the country’s lockdown in 2020. Embroiled in arduous negotiations for days on end, landlords and retail tenants argued over the payment of rent.
The disconnect between tenant and landlord in the property sector, especially in the retail and commercial space is a huge problem because many landlords don’t view the tenant as a customer. One property group, which owns a portfolio of retail, office, and industrial assets, demonstrated empathy for what its tenants were going through and provided approximately R82-million in rental relief. With a clear focus on tenant retention, this act of compassion yielded great rewards. The group’s May 2021 interim results showed overall client retention of 85%, up from the year before. They decided to shift strategic focus from an emphasis on sales, putting the tenants at the heart of all property management decisions.
The CX lesson? You can’t put a price on customer relationships, and you certainly can’t ignore the power of empathy.The top three drivers of customer loyalty, according to Forrester Research are: Make me feel valued, when I have a problem, help me resolve my issue, and speak to me in plain and simple language.
For more information visit www.nlightencx.com/cx-handbook/
