Analysing the customer experience: putting humans first
INSIGHT - helen blake
Right now, understanding customer experiences really should be top of mind. We need to understand in detail what’s going on and, crucially, why. Without understanding customer experiences, we’re always behind the curve.
With this thought in mind, I was surprised/not surprised when I was asked last week about Net Promoter Score® by one of our technology clients. Following a recent ISO audit, their auditor had suggested they introduce this as a customer satisfaction measure. My initial reaction was surprise – not at wanting to measure customer satisfaction, obviously - but at whether a predominantly B2C, score-based view of the customer buying journey is the best measure of customer loyalty for growing a technology, process-orientated, relationship-based business?
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of power in a metric that everyone can relate to. However, my personal view is that any quantitative scoring technique alone can’t tell the full customer story for any business. The trouble is that rating systems, particularly if they are tech / AI based are easy and alluring. I get it - I’m as easily seduced by an app or online scoring system as anyone, but the truth is that, in the beginning at least, you need a human-to-human interaction to uncover not only what your customers think but also what they feel and how they’re likely to behave. It’s about understanding ‘why’.
Qualitative and quantitative - the difference is critical
We humans are complex - emotional, rational, moody, calm, and always contextual - what we think and how we feel are often different, and that doesn’t change when we become customers.
Understanding your customers is critical to growth. The best way of understanding is to have a mix of qualitative inputs and then (only then) quantitative measures. I can’t stress this point enough: you need to start with qualitative research, and this means talking to your customers. Qualitative techniques look at human behaviour; they uncover what’s really happening with your customers, then and only then can you establish the correct areas for quant measurement and tracking. Starting with quantitative (number scoring-based) techniques, such as 1-10 scores, smiley faces, or tick box questionnaires, means you may simply be measuring the wrong things. Quant needs to follow qual.
At Futurecurve we’ve spent years refining our qualitative research methods that combine the best of traditional research techniques, business experience, psychology tools and the latest social sciences approach. As a team, we have undertaken qualitative interviews with many hundreds of customers for clients over the years. The art and skill of business conversation, being immersed in the dialogue between two people and really listening to customers, asking questions based on what someone just said rather than moving to the next question on the list, is the approach that will capture valuable insight for strategic business development. We understand how to structure, analyse and act upon this and work to transfer these skills to our clients. We’ve done this specifically so we can uncover WHY your customers think, feel and behave as they do. This is the benefit of having a neutral third-party doing interviews.
Understanding why is critical if you want either to create impactful change or retain your crucial points of differentiation.
We suggest you adopt the following qualitative approaches to understanding your customers:
In-depth customer insight interviews, scheduled once every 12-18 months. This is particularly important for key account management
Project satisfaction, mid-point and post-project reviews
Proposal debrief (Win/Loss review)
Management team review monthly and an overall review every 6 months
The output from these then goes into shaping the quantitative measures to ensure you’re then measuring the right things.
In summary
The key to effective understanding of your customer experience is the blend of qual and quant research - the human insight and understanding followed by the measurement over time. Truly engaging at the start then moving to easy, tech-based scoring is the optimal way forward. It’s this integrated mix that gives you a holistic perspective, allowing you to act, design better customer journeys and customer experiences, and thus grow your business.
I’m always keen to hear about the qualitative and quantitative measures you’ve put in place in your business. See our summary - 5 reasons why scoring metrics need a qualitative feed (the human touch) to improve customer experience - drop me a line if you’ve any points to add.
