Do Something Great with Customer Feedback (Webinar Recap)

Last week, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Heart of the Customer’s CEO and Founder, Jim Tincher, to discuss all things customer feedback. He was accompanied by our Executive Vice President, Erin Fenn, as they engaged in a candid exchange around best practices for soliciting feedback, how to take action, and understanding the organizational benefits of using journey maps.

If you were unable to attend the live webinar, you can click here to watch the recording.

Fenn set the stage by highlighting the key findings from the recent Changes in Consumer Habits Study conducted by Intouch, which resulted in over 2,000 unique responses, and three published reports (to date). Links shared below.

According to the survey results:

1. Consumers have experienced an increased need to feel safe and to shop with trusted brands. Cleanliness is more important to today’s consumer than quality of product, quality of service, or convenience.
2. Online shopping has increased by 52%, influenced by social distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines. Digital presence and contactless payment has never been more in-demand.
3. Comfort has become a physical and emotional priority. Businesses need to examine how their customer journeys are changing, to ensure that they are putting their customers' needs first.

Tincher, a recognized thought-leader in the CX space, provided viewers with a high-level overview of how to create and understand journey maps. According to Tincher, “the best maps create impact”. They help organizations reveal key points of friction and delight​. They allow for the alignment of teams around a shared vision​, and they help gain executive buy-in for CX initiatives​. Journey maps can also help to pinpoint the most important opportunities to improve the journey and decrease costs to serve, ultimately increasing revenue, and boosting loyalty.

Tincher cautioned viewers by saying that, “ The fastest way to ruin a customer's experience is to ask for feedback and do nothing with the results.” Reiterating the point that Fenn was driving home around the importance of understanding today’s customer experience touch points, how things have changed, and how you can effectively measure whether or not you are meeting customer needs and expectations.

When it comes to creating journey maps (a function within the change management discipline), a businesses’ desire to change is the most significant driving force. By being adaptable, agile and having a desire and willingness to change, businesses can grow with their customers and cultivate their trust, demonstrating that customer feedback isn’t falling on deaf ears. It is critical to be able to identify moments of truth, friction points, and pain points, so that businesses can learn to pivot and make changes where it will have the greatest impact.

Both Fenn and Tincher agreed that it has never been more important to listen to what customers are saying, and to make the measurement of customer experience a continuous and iterative process. The time to act is now. As you listen to your customers, you will not only need to have a desire to change, but also the appropriate tools to help roll out new operating procedures to support the evolution of your journey maps.

For additional survey points and data insights please contact letschat@intouchinsight.com.

To download your copy of the Changes in Consumer Habits Study reports, follow the links below:

• For Retail;
• For Restaurants and Food Service Establishments;
• For C-Stores and Gas Stations.