How many times a day do you use your cell phone, land line, internet connection, and/or cable television? If you’re like me, your answer shows just how much you rely on your telecom provider(s). And yet, most people don’t feel warm and fuzzy when they think of their cell phone or internet company.
When compared to other industries, telecom suffers from lower customer engagement scores, higher incidence of customer problems, and slower problem recovery (data available in the PeopleMetrics 2009 Most Engaged Customers Report).
The sheer size of many telecom companies is partially to blame. As these companies innovate to keep up with their customers’ social networking habits, telecom customer service interactions have become increasingly scattered and inconsistent. Today, telecom employees from various departments interact with customers using multiple forms of media. In such an environment, consistency is elusive, and must be methodically pursued. In his article, “Building an Effective Total Customer Experience Model for Telecom Operators,” Sampson Lee investigates how telecom companies can maximize efficiency and reach organizational goals by focusing on the Total Customer Experience (TCE). Mr. Lee begins with an overview of the obstacles facing the telecom industry:
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Average Revenue Per User Per Year is decreasing.
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Telecom customer retention is elusive. Telecom customers are likely to switch companies at the drop of a hat—despite sophisticated loyalty programs.
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The telecom brands are “big and empty,” as Mr. Lee says. Customers feel no emotional connection to one brand over another.
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Overall, telecom companies deliver inconsistent customer experiences across departments/channels.
To tackle these problems, Mr. Lee suggests that telecom companies systematically map out every possible touch point with customers, in an effort to understand how customers interact with different parts of the company. This customer-centric model assumes that customers see a single brand, rather than specific employees or departments. Every interaction with a representative from your company contributes to a customer’s picture of your brand. An email from a sales executive is lumped together with a troubleshooting call handled by a call center representative. The TCE approach aims to list, analyze, and prioritize touch points to ensure a consistent customer experience across all segments of a company.
Mr. Lee emphasizes the importance of figuring out which touch points have the greatest impact on customer loyalty. In a world of limited corporate resources, it’s pragmatic to spend more company resources on the most important, influential touch points. Which areas of your customer service program effect retention and customer referrals? Mr. Lee suggests diverting additional resources to those areas.
Using an integrated Customer Experience Management (CEM) program can deliver a positive Total Customer Experience by gathering feedback from every customer interaction. By focusing on Customer Engagement, rather than mere customer satisfaction, you can measure a customers’ emotional connection with your brand which will ultimately determine long-term loyalty.
