CX Book Gems #5: "A Diamond in the Rough" by Steven Van Belleghem
Book summary of "A Diamond in the Rough: Over a 100 specific tips to build a strong customer culture" by Steven Van Belleghem.
This week’s book is A Diamond in the Rough: Over a 100 specific tips to build a strong customer culture by Steven Van Belleghem.
📘 Book Summary
A Diamond in the Rough offers an illuminating exploration into the essence and execution of customer-centricity within businesses. The book identifies companies as "diamonds in the rough" that, despite their potential and desire to excel in CX, fail to undergo the transformation necessary for true customer-centric evolution. Van Belleghem highlights a startling disconnect revealed by a Bain survey: while 80% of CEOs think their company is customer-centric, only 8% of customers agree. This gap underscores the challenge businesses face in aligning their perceptions with customer realities. Van Belleghem enriches the narrative with over 100 practical, low-cost tips for instilling a customer-centric culture, emphasizing the importance of leader credibility, quick adaptation based on feedback, and innovative loyalty strategies that prioritize customer value from the outset.
I have yet to meet a company that does not have good intentions for customer experience; (almost) everyone has the intention of getting it right. Yet, most companies remain diamonds in the rough in terms of customer experience: their customer experience potential is not fully exploited.
Highlights from over 100 tips to building a strong customer culture.
Top Gun Effect
When you communicate externally, always make it a positive message. Even if it’s bad news, make sure there is a positive story attached.
Never bother you customers with your own problems. They couldn’t care less.
Your Circle of Influence
Look for what your company can do on a social level that also fits the sector in which you are active.
Believe
Have your own way of communicating analyzed. How do you motivate or demotivate employees to be customer-oriented? Learn to better understand your own communication in order to become a better leader.
Have the courage to opt for the customer in the event of a conflict of interest and let your team know that “we accept the short-term pain to build long- term trust.”
Believe in the 95%-5% rule and make decisions for the 95% ‘normal’
customers.
Trust your team. Give them the tools to make customers happy and the
freedom to decide what is best.
Customer Loyalty Flywheel
Find a way to bring customers together around a common interest that also links back to the core of your business.
Involve your customers in content creation and sharing.
List the most common customer questions. Then make videos or articles where you answer those specific questions. This increases efficiency for the customer and reduces the workload of the contact center.
Effective Empathy
Create a feedback system that requires little effort from the customer but still provides you with sufficient information.
Provide quick action based on customer feedback: choose the easiest things to solve first.
Share customer feedback with as many employees as possible in a quick and easy format.
When Digital Becomes Human
Experiment with new technology as much as possible, then consider the customer benefits before making your decision.
Mirror your customers’ communication channels. If the customer prefers Whatsapp, then you use Whatsapp. If the customer prefers to use the telephone, then you use telephone.
Visit your own website on your mobile and surf to every page. Deal with the frictions.
Culture
A CX strategy should be felt throughout the entire company, not just at C-level. Each individual employee should understand their role in the larger CX whole, down to what the exact impact would be if they per- formed their task just a little differently.
Ask all employees to come up with one idea to improve customer service. Then give them the responsibility to implement their own idea. The leader’s job is to help them succeed in that project.
Don’t sell big, complicated theories but give people something they can work with.
💎 3 CX Gems
Micro decisions foster credibility: Beyond grand visions, it's the daily choices that reflect a company's commitment to customer-centricity. Leaders must model the prioritization of customer needs through consistent "micro decisions" that align with the proclaimed CX values.
Rapid implementation of customer feedback: Shifting focus from monumental changes to swiftly enacting small improvements based on customer feedback can significantly enhance the customer experience. This approach demonstrates a genuine commitment to listening and responding to customer needs.
Redefining loyalty: Moving away from transactional loyalty programs towards creating immediate value for customers fosters genuine brand loyalty. Initiatives that offer benefits upfront, rather than as rewards for past transactions, can cultivate a more engaged and loyal customer base.
A Diamond in the Rough serves as both a critique and a roadmap for businesses aiming to bridge the gap between self-perceived and actual customer-centricity. Through a blend of insightful research, practical advice, and real-world examples, the book challenges companies to reflect on their current practices, embrace rapid and responsive improvements, and fundamentally rethink loyalty. Embracing these strategies can transform companies from rough diamonds into polished gems, shining brightly in the eyes of their customers and achieving the coveted goal of true customer-centricity.