The number one reason every moment matters in customer experience

A recent survey commissioned by Harris Interactive found that 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company because of one bad customer experience, up from 59% 4 years ago.

*Source: Harris Interactive:

Customer Experience Impact Report 2011

86%! And growing, this is clearly showing an increasing gap between customer expectations of their experience and what companies are delivering.

Why is this happening?

Rationally it does not make a lot of sense. One would think that switching costs and the time already invested by the customer in doing business would preclude them from changing suppliers.

However, the reality is that we are driven by EMOTIONS. Experiences that create powerful negative emotions tend to override any logic or rationale thinking.

Have you ever gone off the deep end? Think about the last time you responded emotionally to a situation that in hindsight seemed like an overreaction? We have all been there before.

What does this mean for companies?

The bottom line is that every interaction with a company can and does have an impact. Emotional triggers override rational thought so it is important to consider which issues can create negative emotions.

For example here are the top reasons customers leave companies in the finance, TV and telecommunication sector* I have added the associated emotional drivers:

• Having to repeat information – emotional driver: frustration
• Feeling trapped in automated self – service – emotional driver: powerlessness
• Having to wait too long – emotional driver: anger from lack of respect for time
• Interacting with staff who have no knowledge of the service history (or customer value) emotional driver: anger from lack of respect for time
• Unable to easily switch between communication channels – emotional driver: frustration

*Source: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Report – The Cost Of Poor Customer Service

How can emotions be leveraged for customer centric change?

Both positive and negative emotions can be leveraged in employees during a drive to improve customer experience and customer centricity throughout an organization:

1, Creating Empathy

Sharing the negative emotions that come with poor customer experiences help create customer empathy and understanding. This is a crucial first step to gaining buy in from employees that customer focus is important.

2. Creating Action

The positive emotions that come from doing a great job, satisfying a customer and being recognized for those achievements are powerful levers for change. There is an inherent satisfaction we get when we know we have done something worthwhile.

This is the crucial positive emotion to trigger as this provides employees with the motivation and desire to adapt their own work and become more customer focused as individuals.

Here is a short video we created to paint a picture of the type of company we are trying to help our client’s create:

Tapping into the emotions that drive performance is a key success factor when it comes to customer centric culture change. What works in your company?