Page 41 - Delivering Authentic Customer Experiences

Principle 2 Delivering Authentic Customer Experiences

Keeping it real

Here’s an example provided by Jonathan Winchester, CEO of
Shopper Anonymous. He was asked to visit an SME that was
receiving poor online feedback from their customers, resulting in
lost revenue. On arriving at a packed business car park, he was
surprised to see four undercover spaces nearest the entrance
allocated to the company directors. It was the same story inside
the building, with four big, plush, name-plated offices for the
directors reinforcing the sharp division between them and the
rest of the team.

As the meeting began, a member of staff entered to offer
refreshments. These were ordered, without a please or thank you
from any of the directors. It seemed evident that these men were
more focussed on themselves than the team or the business.
During the meeting Jonathan asked this question. When was the
last time you spent any time with your team? The four men
admitted it had been years since they had any significant
interaction with their staff. As a result of their discussions, the
board agreed to undertake a company-wide, anonymous staff
survey.

The results of this survey were revealing, though hardly surprising
in the circumstances. Feedback highlighted the them and us
culture perpetuated by the behaviour of the company directors.
The team felt they were never told when they had done a good
job, were not rewarded for their efforts and when ideas were put
forward, they were quashed in favour of preserving the status
quo.

Thankfully, three of the four directors listened and responded.
The survey results were publicly displayed, comments were
acknowledged, and a ten-point plan established. Staff were
invited to a presentation where the directors made a commitment

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