Don’t Let Your Customers Tell a Story Where You’re the Villain

When your customers review your brand online, it’s either because they had a really good experience or because they were badly let down. Jonathan Sharp, Director of Britannic Technologies, here talks to CEO Today a little about being the hero of that story, as opposed to the villain.

Customer advocacy is what every company is striving to achieve; positivity breeds positivity and it is vital that businesses get it right from the offset and tell a good story, through their interactions and service with customers. If your customers experience poor service, then they will tell their story online and your brand will suffer as a result.

Customers that have experienced a unified and impressive service will tell their friends, colleagues and family of their good experience. The power of a positive story is your most valuable tool for your business and brand, as it builds momentum in the market being shared via word of mouth and across social media.

In today’s fiercely competitive and technology driven market you often only get one chance to make a good impression. Seamless customer service is only delivered if a company invests in communications technology that makes it easy for customers to effortlessly move through the different channels of communication.

Back to the Story Board

Businesses need to get back to basics and work out what their objectives, strategy and vision is, and how can communications technology can help them achieve their goals. One of the biggest challenges is that business and IT leaders are often unaware of what is possible with communications technology. It’s often a case of “you don’t know, what you don’t know,” which is where Solution Providers can help in guiding them on what they need and explaining the art of the possible.

On the Same Page

Often, IT decision makers come to a halt in getting approval for communications technology because they do not articulate their pitch to the Board effectively and the gap between the business and IT language engulfs them, losing key messages in translation. Essentially, they haven’t told a persuasive story or had the tools to explain the benefits to the Board in a compelling and effective manner. This is where the art of storytelling or scenario setting comes in and is an effective way of breaking down these barriers by moving through the process.

Own Your Story

CEO’s and the Senior Management team must create an environment that people can identify with and understand where they want to get to and why. They need to set the vision for the company, the way forward, and the benefits that it will deliver to the staff, the customers and the other stakeholders.

By working with the IT team and a Solutions Provider you can drive the customer experience agenda. A Solutions Provider will hold discovery workshops with its customers to ensure that they can guide you appropriately through the process, developing a personalised story for your customers. To have a seamless and successful customer experience, businesses need to adopt the right strategy, roadmap and execution to constantly meet the evolving needs of customers.

Empowering Your Employees

As part of the discovery process Solution Providers will work closely with your different business units to understand what technologies they are using now and which technologies they think would improve their jobs and customer service. It’s about listening closely to people’s needs, involving them and empowering them to do their jobs more effectively, and to design and deploy technology that will best serve these needs.

It is a good idea to select innovators to champion the technology and evangelise it internally. The art of connecting is about listening to employees, involving them and working together as a team so they believe in your plan and your vision.

Connecting Ideas with People

It is important not only to embrace change but to also encourage an innovative culture in your business where employees and customers feel they are listened to and their ideas are being taken on board. After all they are the main characters in your story and success will ultimately rest with them.

Structure your Story

Take time to get back to basics and plan your objectives and strategy with the assistance of a solution provider. By involving and listening to your employees and customers you can design a technology solution that will deliver improved communications, business processes and a superior customer experience. So you will tell a good story.

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