Dr. Fader is the Professor of Marketing at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Fader's expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as consumer packaged goods, interactive media, financial services, and pharmaceuticals. Managerial applications focus on topics such as customer relationship management, lifetime value of the customer, and sales forecasting for new products. Much of his research highlights the consistent (but often surprising) behavioral patterns that exist across these industries and other seemingly different domains.
Many of these cross-industry experiences have led to the development of the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/wcai/), a new research center that serves as a “matchmaker” between leading-edge academic researchers and top companies that depend on granular, customer-level data for key strategic decisions.
Professor Fader believes that marketing should not be viewed as a “soft” discipline, and he frequently works with different companies and industry associations to improve managerial perspectives in this regard. His work has been published in (and he serves on the editorial boards of) a number of leading journals in marketing, statistics, and the management sciences. He has won many awards for his teaching and research accomplishments.
Dr. Fader is the author of Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantages.
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We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
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“Angel Customers and Demon Customers” by Larry Selden and Geoffrey Colvin
“Consumer Behaviour Models for Non-Statisticians” by Jerome D. Greene
Jay Baer is the world’s most retweeted person among digital marketers. He is a renowned business strategist, keynote speaker and the New York Times best-selling author of five books who travels the world helping businesspeople get and keep more people. Jay has advised over 700 companies since 1994, including Caterpillar, Nike, Allstate, The United Nations and 32 of the FORTUNE 500. He is the founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consulting firm that helps prominent companies gain and keep more customers through the smart intersection of technology, social media, and customer service. His Convince & Convert Media division owns the world’s #1 content marketing blog, the world’s top marketing podcast, and many other education resources for business owners and executives.
Jay believes that now more and more of our customer contact is in public, and that changes the dynamics of customer service considerably.
“It changes the value of customer service considerably, but the problem is most businesses haven’t figured it out yet”
He says most businesses are using old customer service playbooks to solve 2016 customer service problems.
“The other thing that’s really useful for executives is to show them how customer service is the new marketing.”
For example, when a customer has a great customer experience they talk about it, when the experience is shared on social media as part of a rating, review or tweet, that is part of your marketing.
“One-third of customer complaints are never answered.”
Most of these complaints are via social media and they go unanswered by the company. These are public complaints that other customers or prospects can see and have access to, yet they remain unsolved.
80% of businesses claim to have exceptional customer service, however only 8% of their customers agree.
“There is this massive difference of opinion between what businesses think is good customer service and what customers think is good customer service.”
Jay adds that customer service is chronically underfunded for almost every business because for generation’s, customer service has primarily been a “necessary evil” and nothing more.
He notes that customer service is public now through social media and has more impact on purchases; companies need to re-evaluate their current focus on customer service.
Jay points out hiring the right people for your customer service front lines are crucial to your business. Recruiting people who have the type of personality that can show empathy for the customer is very important.
“You can learn an awful lot about somebody’s skills as a potential customer service representative just through an exercise.”
Jay shares one online tool that his company could not live without, virtual desktop software called Sococo. While working with people from all over the world, Jay says this is the tool to keep everybody connected.
“The greatest managers in the world understand, find out or determine what motivates each person (employee); they put incentives and programs in place at the individuals personal level to motivate each person instead of trying to motivate everyone together.”
Jays sees the value in developing his people. He started a six-month program for his staff so that they could grow their speaking skills in order to go and speak at conferences all over the world.
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
“Procrastinate on Purpose” by Rory Vaden
Marc Mawhinney is on a mission to help coaches build stronger businesses! A lifelong entrepreneur, he achieves this with his podcast, “Natural Born Coaches”, and his 1:1, group and online coaching programs. He frequently makes media appearances and is a contributor for Entrepreneur.com. You can learn more about Marc at NaturalBornCoaches.com!
We have all been taught that the customer is always right, but Marc has a slightly different view on this topic. Marc has experience in both brick and mortar and online businesses, and from those experiences he feels that there needs to be a common area where the client and the business have mutual respect for each other.
“I think there has to be a balance and there has to be respect between both the business person and the customer.”
After Marc’s experience in Real Estate and dealing with all types of clients, Marc’s coaching business allows him to have the freedom to have more control over who is a well-fitted client for him.
“I can say that I am much less stressed. I look at where I am today compared to when I was twenty-something and doing real estate, with coaching I can say that I really have fun working with my clients because I have a tighter set of criteria with who I work with.”
When Marc was asked his thoughts on the controversy of turnaround times regarding responding to emails, Marc feels he does not have an obligation to drop what he is doing in order to have a quick turnaround and 24 hours is a reasonable amount of time to reply.
“I’m not surprised if it takes a few days for someone to get back to me because if they’re successful, they’re busy!”
Marc shares some everyday solutions that could help improve customer service on a global level.
“I think it is really important to put yourself in the customer’s shoes, which sounds like common sense but I don’t think it is very common. What I’ve always made an effort (before when I was in real estate and now and with coaching) to try and put myself in the customer’s shoes and look at it that way.”
Marc stays motivated by reading a lot of motivational and personal development books, but also he blocks people out of his life that are not supporters of him, which is something he has gotten better at over time.
“The other way I stay motivated and conserve energy is I don’t jump into things that don’t warrant my energy.”
Marc says the biggest online resource, tool or app that he cannot live without would be his online calendar. This is how Marc controls his time and schedules for each day.
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
www.NaturalBornCoaches.com/ABCbook
“Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill
Vance Morris is a Service Trainer & Management Alumni of the Walt Disney Company. He now coaches companies to create magical and profitable service cultures in their businesses through his companies; DELIVER SERVICE NOW INSTITUTE (DSNI) and The Marketing & Entrepreneurial Growth Alliance (MEGA).
With Vance’s background and experience, he wanted to find a business that he could add his special touch of high level customer experience to. He found a franchise to work with that had strong systems and processes already in place.
“They already had a framework that I could work from and then take that and be able to add to it what makes me special, and provide a complete service powerhouse.”
Vance shares about a service technique that he uses in setting the tone for reciprocity by providing a housewarming gift to clients.
He was able to implement different qualities and concepts from Disney into his business, including providing a monthly newsletter highlighting the company’s level of customer service and detail.
“I think it is very important that you educate your clients and educate your customers, especially when it comes to the details you are providing.”
Another thing Vance has implemented from Disney is having a set of service standards. He notes that for over 50 years, Disney has had the same standards in place.
“You know Disney only has four (guiding principles) that have been with them for 50 years now and they are: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. I have taken that 100% into my business.”
Vance feels that businesses have been too focused on profitability and cost cutting, which has led to a major decline on customer service.
“They have created a department called Customer Service when in fact it should be everyone’s job”
He is really excited about being part of a mastermind group, and says the help and support you can get from other businesses owners is phenomenal.
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
www.facebook.com/DeliverServiceNow/home
“Be Our Guest” by Disney Theodore Kinni
“Good To Great” by Jim Collins
Angela Powers is an instructional designer helping entrepreneurs become “freedom-preneurs”, partnering with them to create and optimize their online programs. She has designed, developed and delivered training to hundreds of thousands of students globally for the past 12 years, working with large companies including Google, Amazon, Boeing and F5, as well as individual entrepreneurs.
A few years ago, Angela decided that she wanted to be a coach, and she says this had been something she was thinking about for a long time.
After completing coaching school, she came up with multiple ideas of what she wanted to focus on. She realized that her greatest expertise was as an instructional designer, building online courses.
Angela shares that her main motivation as an entrepreneur is her family, which includes her 5-year old daughter.
“As a freedom-preneur, I can work from home and set my own schedule; I work with the people I love to work with.”
She worked with her first coach 10 years ago, which transformed her own life.
“I work with a lot of coaches. I love being able to help them transform more people’s lives and have a bigger impact.”
Tools that she used during her time in the corporate work, like design logs, are important in her current role working with clients. Angela says issues such as communication and tracking are just as vital for small business owners to pay attention to as they are for large companies.
“I think that’s a big part of customer experience, being on the same page”
Angela believes that customer service on a global level needs improvement and as a customer herself, her own standards keep going up.
A good amount of Angela’s expertise has been acquired through on-the-job training, and she also received her certification in professional learning and performance four years ago, which required about 150 hours of work, written tests and projects.
Usability testing is an effective tool that she uses when creating content.
“You can’t get any better than real (people) actually using your prototype and giving you that real time feedback.”
She takes advantage of multiple platforms to help clients create programs, including Udemy, and says that they all have different advantages and features available.
“I’m open to really finding out what somebody wants to achieve through that training”
Angela stays motivated by breaking her goals down into 12-week timeframes, which keeps her focused. She has also successfully used accountability partnerships to keep her on track.
She is a big believer of taking care of herself, by blocking off personal time as well as meditating every morning.
Angela is most excited about learning ClickFunnels, a tool designed to create sales funnels for online marketers.
“As an instructional designer, that’s what I’m usually doing; creating a specific path to get you to a goal.”
The mantra that she lives by is “We’re born to teach.”
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
www.Facebook.com/LearnWithAngela
www.Twitter.com/LearnWithAngela
Brene Brown’s interview on Elizabeth Gilbert’s podcast