Editorial
The Gist
- Core principles. Tiffani Bova's book underscores that customer experience best practices are inextricably linked with people, culture, processes, and technology.
- Tale of two. A real-world comparison of two airlines reveals the dramatic impact of customer experience best practices, or the lack thereof, on customer satisfaction.
- Fix fundamentals. To drive better customer experience, businesses should prioritize fixing people and processes over implementing new technologies.
Recently, I had the privilege of reviewing Tiffani Bova's new book, "The Experience Mindset." In it, Bova links customer experience best practices with people, culture, processes and technology. She emphasizes that employees are the daily torchbearers of a company's values and mission. Bova also presents research illustrating a causal link between customer and employee experience.
As my story about two airlines will demonstrate, people often are the deciding factor between good and poor customer experiences. Let's take a look at customer experience best practices.
When examining the characteristics of customer experience best practices, Bova identifies these terms: "efficient," "personalized," "predictive," "proactive," "flexible," "responsive," and "value-based." I'll revisit these later in the article. Bova asserts that great customer experience isn't determined by what you offer, but by how customers feel when interacting with your products, services, employees and brand.
Customer Experience Best Practices: A Tale of Two Airlines
The First Airline Story: Unnamed Once Great Airline
Last February, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit New Zealand for an extended stay. As the trip drew to a close, I realized during check-in that my wife and I were not in the exit row seats we had purchased. Even worse, we were separated for our 14-hour flight.
No Callback Available
I promptly called the airline and endured a three-and-a-half-hour wait for an answer, with no callback service available. Both the agent and their supervisor informed me that due to an equipment change, nothing could be done at that late hour to accommodate us. Despite our having purchased exit row seats together, we were simply reassigned, and they couldn't seat us together.
Nothing Can Be Done
Next, I was informed that a refund would be issued for the additional cost of the exit row seats. I was also advised to arrive early at the airport and consult the service desk. This was frustrating, given the amount of time already spent on the phone. At the airport, the desk agent cited the equipment change. I mentioned that I was aware but had been told to come early for assistance with seating. Both the agent and their supervisor claimed they couldn't help us; it was too late. When I questioned why we were separated, the supervisor blamed their operations group, which wasn't located at the airport. The supervisor said there was nothing to be done and walked away. When I reiterated what the phone agent had told me, the supervisor retorted that they were wrong and that no one could assist us.
Repeat Performance
To compound the issue, our neighbors experienced the exact same problem a few days later. However, they had to fill out a claim form and wait 90 days for reimbursement. Thus, the unnamed airline delivered a customer experience that was inefficient, reactive, inflexible and not value-based.
Related Article: The Secret Sauce: Must-Haves for Exceptional Customer Experience
The Second Airline: Alaska Airlines
Last weekend, I received a notice from Alaska Airlines indicating a flight change. I called the airline and spoke to an agent within 15 minutes. The agent immediately apologized for the inconvenience and informed me that they could cancel my flights at no cost. However, they asked me to call customer service the next day, Saturday, for further assistance. Remarkably, Alaska's customer service operates on Saturdays.
Making It Easy on the Customer
The customer service agent began our conversation by stating it was her job to "make me whole." Frankly, I'd never heard an airline employee express this sentiment before. She was clearly empowered to assist, an essential factor that Bova highlights in her book for excellent customer service. The agent then said, "I'm going to make this easy for you." She assured me that the ticketing department would refund the amount I'd paid within a few days and would also compensate for the additional costs incurred when rebooking with another airline. She concluded, "I'm going to send you an email." No form to fill out? All she required was an image of the new tickets I'd purchase. Simple!
The Way It's Done
This trip holds significant importance, as the flights are for my daughter's wedding next February. To my surprise, just two days later — sooner than promised — I received an email from Alaska Airlines confirming they had reimbursed the original ticket cost. The following day, I received two more emails. The first announced a check was on its way to cover the extra money I had spent on new tickets, even describing the envelope so I wouldn't mistake it for junk mail. The second email was from Alaska's planning and scheduling department, offering an apology for the travel change. To retain my business, they sent a voucher for future travel with Alaska Airlines. Who does this?
Related Article: Why Great Employee Experience Leads to Great Customer Experience
Customer Experience and the Lifetime Value of a Customer
In Kimberly Whitler’s book, "Positioning for Advantage," she quotes Kevin Keller who said, "In order to build a strong brand, you must shape how customers think and feel about your product. You have to build the right type of experiences around your brand so that customers have specific, positive thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions, and perceptions about it.”
So what set the two airlines apart? Both made changes that affected me as a customer. The key difference was that one airline used customer experience best practices and took responsibility for the change and actively worked to improve my customer experience.
People and Culture
This confirms Bova's assertion: people and culture are paramount in driving customer experience. Alaska Airlines understands this perfectly. Their employees were zeroed in on me and committed to making me whole. They acted in a manner that was "efficient," "personalized," "predictive," "proactive," "flexible," "responsive" and "value-based." In essence, they grasp the lifetime value of a customer. As a result, I've already shared my exceptional experience with Alaska Airlines with half a dozen people. (And now here on CMSWire).
Related Article: The Art of Balancing Employee Experience and Customer Experience
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Parting Words: A Message for Customer Experience Leaders
I love technology. Clearly there is amazing potential for new technology and customer experience through automation, elimination of data silos and even generative AI.
But if you want to drive better customer experience, fix your people and processes first. Empower your people to do great, and they will work around any flawed processes.
As David Aaker emphasized in "Managing Brand Equity," the cornerstone of building brand equity is treating the customer right. While Aaker lists other factors, this one is paramount. In closing, I may be an American Frequent Flyer, but I'll choose Alaska Airlines whenever possible from now on.
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