Net Promoter Community

Because I'm a social media consultant, when I think about the "customer experience" theme of this year's Net Promoter conference, I can't help but consider what role social media has played in brands' ability (or inability) to create customer experiences that rock.

One side of the equation is that it's hard to be able to consistently deliver when people can essentially "help themselves" via your blogs, knowledge bases and communities.

The other side of that same formula is social media provides the ideal connection point to begin, deliver on or enhance your customer experience program.

A few weeks ago, I read BAM: Bust A Myth: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead and was gobsmacked at the role social media was playing in being able to deliver on truly world-class service.

I'm glad that companies are finally embracing social media, but it's just not enough to be "on the grid". Two things have to happen to make social media have a positive impact on your customer experience program:

1. Someone has to be paying attention. It's great that your brand is represented on Twitter or Facebook, but it's not enough to talk about your company and offer updates. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to really listen to your audience and take their feedback into consideration? Hire someone to manage your reputation or at a minimum inform you on what's being said about your brand so that someone from your team can respond timely and accordingly.

2. Do something with the information your social media team receives. If you're listening, you'll get some great, actionable information from your social media channels and the best thing you can do is act on the information you receive and when you do, let your audience know that you've taken their advice. It will make them more inclined to offer insights in the future.

Social media isn't another advertising channel, it's a way for you to support your customer experience efforts in a way that's open, authentic and modern.

But it got me thinking about the pervasive silent killer of customer loyalty programs . . . the dreaded “white binder syndrome.” The cost of this affliction is staggering but often hidden; hundreds of man hours from your employees, negative goodwill, and when it is most severe – rampant customer defections.

“White Binder” syndrome is easy to diagnose. Here is how it often presents itself:

• You, your staff, or your research team spend hundreds of hours creating beautiful notebooks full of perfectly formatted charts. Most often, much more time is given to chart formatting then to THINKING about what the customer is really saying.
• The binders delight the recipients. Most will sit the binder right on top of the “to-do” pile with the best intention to look at it the next morning over a hot cup of coffee.
• The next day comes. Urgent (but not important) calls derail the morning. The recipient promises to take the notebook home over the weekend for careful review.
• A few weeks of broken self-promises, the pretty white binder ends up on the book shelf, clogging the arteries of the customer loyalty program. Slowly killing it.

Tragically, the data collection team did their job, they got trustworthy data. But the organization failed because no action was taken.

But, you can overcome the disease. And when your organization starts taking action, remarkable things will happen! Renewals rates will improve, clients will buy more, and the word of mouth marketing engine will go into overdrive.

I am really excited that Eric Murphy, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Ingenix, is speaking at the conference. The Ingenix leadership team created a culture where action is paramount. As a result, in just 18-months they are enjoying measurable increases in their business outcomes.

Go ahead, self diagnose. If you are a victim of “white binder syndrome” then Eric is one presenter to be sure to hear. Members of the Ingenix program team will be at the conference as well. Come find me and I’ll be happy to make introductions or share ideas for overcoming “white binder syndrome.”

See you in a few weeks.