Between 2014 and 2015, only five industries improved and 14 declined in customer experience, according to the 2015 Temkin Experience Rating. “As we look to the future, we need to be anticipating what a new and better customer experience looks like and implementing strategies to put it in place,” asserts Amy Fox is president, CEO and founder of Accelerated Business Results. “Employee and management training is key in this effort.”
Fox suggests 5 Steps to Ignite Change in Customer Experience:
• Get employee buy-in. Up front there should be an awareness component describing what, why, and how. What do you need to change and why is it important? How am I expecting you, the associate or drive-thru attendant, to change?
• Skills and behavior training. What does it look like if employees are asked to be authentic and to demonstrate empathy and ownership? Training should focus on what that means in their everyday interactions, going beyond definitions to include heavy application and practice.
• Content that's relevant, rich, and easy to access, such as training that provides short, just-in-time bursts of learning that's easy for employees to access in real-life situations.
• Empower supervisors to coach, reinforce, and redirect staff.
• Reinforce staff training over time with multiple touch points and a plan to make it to stick.
“Helping employees to discover these lessons through situations they encounter every day makes those light bulbs really light up,” she says. “It's all about igniting change by giving them an opportunity to truly connect with the people they are trying to help.”
Amy Fox is President, CEO and founder of Accelerated Business Results, a leader in innovative business learning solutions, and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies on training and sales performance strategies. Amy and her team are driven to meet the diverse training needs of today's organizations, from increased sales performance and product knowledge to leadership, communication and coaching skills.