Choose Wisely – There are Pretenders Out There

by Robert A. Kobek, President

Ten, yes 10, years ago our company created a seismic shift in our business universe and made the conscious decision to enter into the world of online enterprise feedback management (EFM). You can get our definition of EFM by downloading our white paper.

Since that time, we have faced competition from, among others:

• Email marketing and technology companies that happen to have survey because they should;
• Call center technology companies that happen to have a survey because they should;
• Reputation management companies that happen to have a survey because they should;
• Research companies that happen to have a survey because they should;
• Online rating companies that claim to have surveys but will cream you if you are “bad”; and
• Social and digital media companies that don’t have surveys at all, but make you think their stuff is measurable.

But there are very few true EFM companies that exist purely for the purpose of creating process improvement while creating and keeping customer engagement leading to customer loyalty.

For example, among the most important Key Performance Indicators you can measure in a call center is the CES, Customer Effort Score. The CES is a 1-7 scale question and it measure how hard or easy it is to do business with your company. The lower the score, the more attention to process is required. But, where? Is it only a function of fixing a process inside the contact center, if so , where? Training, QA…? Or, are the other systemic processes that cause this. By measuring the CES and fixing what is broken you might actually take what is a 5 call resolution to a 2 or 3 call resolution.

Now, imagine the money you just saved, the sustainable customer loyalty you just created and information that everyone one in your enterprise can use, from marketing to service. And, if, for example, you are in the hospitality business, not only are your process getting fixed, but your online ratings will improve.

So, remember, if it is feedback you want, make certain what you are getting is measurable and actionable data that will have a positive impact on your complete enterprise …. Your social ratings will take care of themselves.