公司在考慮開展業務時，無一例外都會希望能夠得到客戶的積極響應。
咨詢公司Beyond Philosophy近期對全球2，160家公司的8,000位客戶體驗專業人員進行了調查，結果顯示，雖然許多公司投入大量資金，用于研究和改善客戶體驗，結果卻令人大失所望。通過該項調查所提供的路線圖，任何公司均可以招攬新客戶，培養回頭客。
Beyond Philosophy的市場調研總監史蒂芬•沃爾頓認為，在客戶體驗投入方面，來自零售業、銀行業、科技行業和電信業的公司居于前列。但調查結果顯示，在前10位開支大戶中，僅有一家公司進入成功案例榜排名前10。
這些公司的做法有哪些可取之處?同樣重要的是，它們的做法存在哪些問題?
“給豬抹口紅”——空忙一場
惠普(HP)和戴爾(Dell)在用戶體驗開支大戶中名列前十——而且效果也還不錯，但沃爾頓認為，考慮到它們投入的成本和精力，最終效果并不盡如人意。那它們究竟有哪些敗筆呢?
沃爾頓表示，兩家公司提供的都是標準產品，“確實兌現了產品標牌上的承諾。”這兩家規模龐大的公司無一例外地投入了大量資金，用來研究客戶心理，但基本都是從易用性、功能性的角度出發，因此充其量只是查漏補缺，只能算是“事后諸葛亮”而已。沃爾頓認為，從顧客的角度來看，“毫無驚喜。豬抹上口紅也還是豬。
“度量衡”陷阱
沃爾頓認為，其他公司的錯誤之處在于深陷“度量衡險境”。之所以出現這種情況，通常是由于軟件公司跳出來毛遂自薦，說服這些大公司，要想改善客戶體驗就得衡量與客戶的每一次互動。另外一家在開支大戶中名列前十的公司——匯豐銀行(HSBC)便深受其害。
這種方法的問題在于，雖然公司會衡量客戶的忠誠度，但卻很少根據結果采取相應的行動。原因何在?沃爾頓稱，對希望在職場搞“拉幫結派”的經理人來說，替代實際行動的測量行為有可能成為他們的救命稻草。他說，經理人打著調查客戶忠誠度的旗號就可以籠絡一大批人歸自己領導。但“只給豬稱重，是不可能讓豬減肥的”，必須付諸實際行動。
就上述情況而言，只有客戶調查或員工調查，而沒有任何的實際行動，比根本不進行調查的影響還要惡劣。邀請受訪者表達不滿，但卻不采取相應對策，只會進一步激怒受訪者。
What company doesn't want customers to have a positive reaction when they think about doing business with it?
But despite spending significant sums on studying and improving customer experience, many companies are simply not seeing results, according to a recent survey of 8,000 customer experience professionals in 2,160 companies globally by consultancy Beyond Philosophy. The findings provide a road map any company can use to court new and repeat customers.
According to Steven Walden, research director at Beyond Philosophy, companies in retail, banking, technology, and telecommunications tend to spend the most on so-called customer experience initiatives. Yet of the top 10 spenders, only one made a top 10 list of successes, according to the survey.
What are companies doing right and, just as importantly, what are they doing wrong?
‘Lipstick on a pig'
HP (HPQ) and Dell (DELL) are two of the top 10 spenders on customer experience – and they do a fair job, but not what you would expect based on the cost and effort, Walden argues. What haven't they figured out?
Both companies provide a standard product that "does what it says on the tin," Walden says. They both have big organizations and spend dollars on thinking about the customer, but this is mainly from the perspective of usability, functionality, and fixing what's broken. From a customer perspective, "there's no wow there," Walden says, it's more about "putting lipstick on a pig."
A case of 'measurementitis'?
Other companies get it wrong by resorting to "measurementitis," says Walden. This often happens when a software vendor comes knocking and convinces a company that the way to improve customer experience is to measure every interaction with its customers. HSBC, another top 10 spender, is guilty of this, Walden says.
The problem with this approach is that companies will measure loyalty but then won't act on their findings. Why would they do this? Measurement instead of real action can be a draw for managers who want to create fiefdoms, Walden says. You can build a sizable team under you just by measuring things, but "you can't make a pig thin by weighing it," he says.
Customer surveys – or employee surveys, for that matter -- that result in no action are much worse than having no survey at all. It just fuels anger to ask people to state their complaints and take no action based on the results.
改弦易張才是正道
而美國運通(American Express)的狀況則截然相反。作為開支大戶中的一員，這家公司正處在上升期，這在很大程度上是由于公司致力于在客戶致電時，讓客戶有“良好的感覺”。沃爾頓稱，公司已經開始行動，阻止客戶的流失。
另外一家開支大戶是美國蓋普公司(Gap)，它甚至將“客戶體驗”這一術語加入到店內職員的頭銜里，不過目前，這一舉措尚未能明顯改善公司的形象。
在眾多開支大戶中，唯有沃達豐公司(Vodafone)進入了Beyond Philosophy最受贊賞公司排行榜。它是如何做到的?據沃爾頓表示，這家公司通過贊助一級方程式(Formula 1)賽車活動為公司保持了良好的品牌形象。
沃爾頓稱：“沃達豐公司自上而下，一切業務都圍繞客戶體驗展開;這是公司的文化，也是公司的DNA。雖然沃達豐與惠普類似，并非是很突出的創新性企業，但沃達豐的業務開展總是以客戶體驗這個明確的目的為基礎。與之相反的是，惠普只是將客戶體驗視為一個程序。”
用好情感營銷策略
如果說有哪家公司以少量的投入便獲得了最佳的效果，人選非樂購(Tesco)莫屬。這是因為“它與客戶建立了牢固的關系，使客戶擁有家人般的感覺。”
樂購的做法與沃爾瑪(Wal-Mart)截然不同。目前，面對消費者和市場，沃爾瑪一直難以明確自己的定位。沃爾頓稱，甚至家庭美元百貨公司(Family Dollar Stores)也已經認識到，作為零售商，價格戰只能吸引一部分客戶。客戶對公司的感受至關重要。
說到這個問題，我們可以看看在調查中前三家最受尊敬的公司，它們分別是：蘋果公司(Apple)、亞馬遜公司(Amazon)和扎珀斯(Zappos)。沃爾頓說，它們的共同之處在于，都有魅力非凡的領袖，并且產品與交付過程都充滿活力。他們采取的方法頗為先進，但又不落俗套——他們不僅傾聽消費者的心聲，而且主動引導客戶需求。他們充滿了創造力，從來不會因為深陷各種分析數據而無法自拔。沃爾頓認為，這些公司之所以如此受捧，是因為它們尊重客戶的個人感受，并重視和客戶之間的情感聯結，而這種情感不僅會使客戶與公司緊密相連，而且會讓他們心甘情愿地購買這些公司的產品。
蘋果公司在最受贊賞公司排名中位列榜首。對它而言，問題在于這家公司能付延續已故CEO史蒂夫•喬布斯對細節的極度關注。
沃爾頓認為，很明顯，與大型公司相比，小公司更容易建立客戶個人感受和情感紐帶。但在上世紀90年代，蘋果并未能入選最受贊賞公司名單。既然喬布斯能做到，其他CEO也能做到。他們缺少的只是方法。他們還需要做到心無旁騖，保持專注，同時爭取他人對這個愿景的支持，并保證公司相關人員各司其責。
本文作者愛麗諾•布洛斯罕是董事會咨詢機構價值聯盟和公司治理聯盟(The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance，http://thevaluealliance.com)首席執行官。
譯者：阿龍/汪皓
Turning a new leaf
By contrast, American Express (AXP), another top spender, is on its way up largely because they are concentrating their efforts on providing a "good feel" when customers call. The company has begun to stem its loss of customers, says Walden.
The Gap (GPS), another top spender, has even put the term "customer experience" into the titles of its in-store workers, but that has yet to improve the company's image.
Vodafone (VOD) is the only top spender that also made the most admired ranking in Beyond Philosophy's survey. How did they do it? According to Walden, they maintain a great brand image through their sponsorship of the Formula 1 auto racing events.
"Customer experience is at the heart of everything they do; it's in the culture and DNA of the organization. It comes from the top down. Like HP, Vodafone may not be massively innovative, but they operate from this clear statement of intent -- in contrast to HP, where customer experience is a program," Walden says.
Using emotion well
Who does it really well without spending a ton? Tesco (TESO) makes it because of "the strength of the relationship they create with the customer, as if you are part of their family," Walden says.
This contrasts with Wal-Mart (WMT), which is currently having trouble defining itself to customers and the marketplace. Even Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Walden says, recognizes that price alone won't draw all the customers a retailer needs. How customers feel about the company matters.
Which brings us to the top three most admired companies: Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), and Zappos. What do all three have in common? Charismatic leaders with a young feel to the product and delivery, Walden says. They have maverick, cutting edge approaches -- and don't just listen to customers, they lead them. They are creative and don't get bogged down in analytics, he says. Customers love these companies because of the personal feel and emotional connection they provide, Walden says, and emotions not only connect you to the company, it makes you want to buy from them as well.
For Apple, the most admired in the survey, the question will be whether they can replicate the explicit attention to detail the late CEO Steve Jobs instilled.
Clearly, it's easier to create personal feel and emotional connection in a small company rather than a large one but, Walden says, Apple in the 1990s would not have made the most admired list. Jobs set out to change that – and CEOs can. They just need to know how – and maintain that focus, gaining support for their vision and holding everyone associated with the company accountable.
Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.
