Jan 10, 2017 04:38 pm | Tema Frank

Does The Government Really Care About Your Opinions? - Frank Reactions

Who hasn’t stood in a lineup trying to access a government service?

Trying to access a government service. Be patient!

It’s so easy to bash government service departments, especially when you’ve spent an hour in a lineup only to be told you are missing something and have to start all over.

Or you are filling in an online form and it glitches and you have to start all over.

Or you’ve been on hold for half an hour only to have the line go dead.

Today’s podcast guest, Micheal Martino, is trying to change all that. The government agency he works for has about 5,000 staff, spread over 14 cities, serving 3 major customer groups.

Shrinking Budgets & Rising Citizen Expectations

In the past, many governments have felt that it was just fine to have citizens waste their time, but, as with customer service in other types of organizations, people just won’t put up with that any more. At least not in the countries most Frank Reactions podcast listeners and readers live in.

Apart from public pressure to improve service, governments are looking for ways to streamline service and be efficient.

That’s one of the great things about customer experience improvement: making it better for customers often makes processes more efficient and cheaper to deliver.

As Martino put it, “Where the biggest effort is for a citizen is also your most inefficient process.”  

Improving service for #customers often makes processes more efficient & cheaper to deliver.

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That said, there’s a big up-front investment to get all the systems in place, and in the short run at least, you can’t just replace your other government service delivery channels, like phones, with online only. Complex problems still need help from a person.

But a well designed website can significantly cut the number of people who need to call or line up at the same time as making citizens happier. Most of citizens want to do the simple things online.

User Experience is Key

Note the words “well designed” in the paragraph above. Coming from a UX (user experience) background himself, Martino knew that key to getting it right was really understanding the customers and their needs.

So his staff hit the road and spent 150 hours doing 50 ethnographic interviews, spending entire days with customers and learning what they really needed from his agency, and how it would fit in with their work and lives.

He made a few discoveries that might surprise some anti-government cynics.

The Surprising Truth About Government Service

Their customers told them that they really want to help make the government agency work better. They are willing to spend hours giving feedback and participating in research studies. Customers care! 

They actually spoke positively about the call center staff! It was call center time pressures, not people, that were destroying the relationships.

“Your people are really good on the phone but it always seems that you want to get us off the phone,” they told the researchers.

As in so many organizations (private sector too), call center reps are pressured to keep the “average handle time” low. So they start out being friendly and empathetic, but as their systems signaled that they’d been on the phone too long with a customer they’d rush to cut the call off, even if the problem hadn’t been solved.

Think about it from a call center rep’s point of view: If their average time on a call goes up, they’ll get punished. If they fail to solve the problem and somebody else has to deal with it, it is the next rep who has to take the long call. (Mind you, immediate post-call surveys can help offset that pressure. They don’t want a bad evaluation from the customer.)

Another surprise to some: the government service reps really want to provide better service. “People want to change, its just that the right direction needs to be given to them,” says Martino. (Read more about the government service providers wanting to feel pride in their work in this interview with government employee Donna Crooks.)

So his agency has created a cross-divisional governance committee, with decision-making-level staff on it, to drive the change. The goal of that committee is straightforward: improve customer experience.

Figure out “what an effortless experience would look like and then reverse engineer that,” urges Martino. OK, so “effortless” may be unlikely, but you can sure get a lot closer than many government departments are right now.

Also in This Interview

• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores versus Customer Effort scores. Not always the same.
• Barriers to improving government service.
• How customers are partnering with government to make improvements.
• The importance of real-world user testing.
• The risk of going for quick wins instead of staying focused on the bigger goal of consistenly great customer experiences.
• The value of personas.

Resources/Links Mentioned in the Interview

Amazon Go store. An experimental shop without any customer service staff.

The Effortless Experience. Fantastic book by Matthew Dixon.

The Circle, by Dave Eggers. A fictional but not so far-fetched look at how companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook could ultimately destroy freedom and democracy even while they think they are doing good, not evil.

Active Inbox and HubSpot CRM. Two free or inexpensive tools that let you schedule emails so that you can write them whenever you want without your staff feeling pressured to respond in the middle of the night.

The post Does The Government Really Care About Your Opinions? appeared first on Frank Reactions.

Jan 08, 2017 09:43 am | Tema Frank

52 Customer Experience & HR Quotes From A Year of Frank Reactions Podcasts - Frank Reactions

Part of my January ritual is looking back over the past year of Frank Reactions Podcasts on Customer Experience and picking out some of the best quotes from my guests. Here goes.

From How Can You Help Your Customers & Prospects? (Jay Baer)

Haters are not your problem. Ignoring them is. @Jay Baer on Frank Reactions #podcast #cx

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From Clever! Here Are Some Interesting Ideas About How to Improve Customer Experience (Eric Esguerra)

I want to hear the pain points bec. I can’t fix something I don’t know about. #custexp  #podcast

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From This Results Focused Strategy Can Make 2016 Your Company’s Best Year Ever (Dennis Malacek)

If emailing yr employee at 9 pm don’t expect an answer til next day. If expect an answer, call.

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From What To Do When You Get a Horrible Review (Daniel Lemin)

Take good care of your #customers, & give them a chance to take care of you back. @daniellemin

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From How To Convince 35 Brand Managers To Focus on Customers, Not Brands (Martin Aubut)

“Technology we can manage… 70% of transformation challenges is human beings” @martyboy008 #HR

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From Why Your Sales Reps Have To Get Better at Cold Calling (Mari Ann Vanella)

“Put your best resources on the front lines” @VanellaGroup #sales #customerservice

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From This guy bought a restaurant with a bad reputation. Then what happened? (Kevin Sembaliuk)

“We’re not order takers; we’re experience makers.” K Sembaliuk #cx

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From Do You Love Your Car Dealership? Didn’t think so. (Joseph Michelli)

“Delight every single customer every time; no excuses” @josephmichelli #customers #cx

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From How Can a Bank Convince Customers It Really IS Different? (Dave Mowat)

Serving customers…isn’t something you do on a good day…Do [it] every day. @atbfinancial #cx

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From How to Change Culture in High-Risk Organizations (Bea Bohm-Meyer)

“Culture happens with or without you” B. Bohm-Meyer #management #HR

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From How to Keep Customers Happy After a Merger: Travelocity & Expedia (Martin Gurth)

“The customer needs to love us… not because of a #loyalty program…” @GetGurth #cx

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From Does Employee Happiness Really Matter? (Dan Lok)

“I don’t like to motivate people; I like to hire people who are already motivated” @danthemanlok

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From  Do You Worry About Your Business Being Attacked on Social Media? (Jay Baer)

Never…reply to a customer, good or bad, more than twice in a public forum” @JayBaer #haters

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From Is it Time for a Revolution in The Workplace? (David Burkus)

“Hiring [is not] a sales process.…It’s a courtship” @davidburkus #jobinterview #cx

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From How To Deal With Customers Who AREN’T Always Right (Adam Toporek)

In a customer dispute the point is not to try to prove who’s right @AdamToporek #complaints #cx

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From Do You Love Your Car Dealership? Didn’t think so. (Joseph Michelli)

“There’s a fine line between cult and culture” @josephmichelli #quotes

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From The Challenge of Culture Change in Improving Customer Experience (Curtis Kopf)

“Innovation is critical to customer experience.” @ckopf1 #change #cx

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From How to Launch a Customer Experience Program in a Big Company (Marie Soprovich)

Communication is … key, & some clients need more than others. @MarieSoprovich #cx

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From  Do You Worry About Your Business Being Attacked on Social Media? (Jay Baer)

Increasingly #CustomerService is a spectator sport. @JayBaer on Frank Reactions #podcast #cx

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From How To Convince 35 Brand Managers To Focus on Customers, Not Brands (Martin Aubut)

We need to be relevant to win the share of heart. @martyboy008 #marketing on Frank Reactions

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From How to Make Your Mobile Strategy Really Suit Customer Needs (Renee Cacchillo)

[Be] aligned on who you serve…shareholders, employees, or #customers? R. Cacchillo @safelite

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From How to Launch a Customer Experience Program in a Big Company (Ben Easaw)

Customers’ expectations keep skyrocketing bec. competition keeps closing the gap @thomsonreuters

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From How To Present Market Research So It Will Be Acted On (Mark Ryski)

“A great customer experience is one that ends in a sale.”@markryski #custexp #quote

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From Add People Focus to Your Product Focus for Customer Satisfaction (Phil Wright)

#JourneyMapping opened eyes to how complex our relationship is w. customers. #cem

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From Is Your Association Really Listening To Its Members? (Member Engagement in 2016) (Matthew D’Uva)

“People want to be heard!” Matthew D’Uva  on Frank Reactions #podcast #customers #cem

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From How to Change Culture in High-Risk Organizations (Bea Bohm Meyer)

“When you feel that you belong, you start to contribute more” Bea Bohm-Meyer #HR  #cx

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From Is it Time for a Revolution in The Workplace? (David Burkus)

Make sure the #hiring team represents the #diversity you aspire to. @davidburkus

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From How To Convince 35 Brand Managers To Focus on Customers, Not Brands (Martin Aubut)

We have to adapt. The consumer is in the driving seat” @martyboy008 #change #cem

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From Can a Bank Make You Fall in Love? This One’s Trying! (Tawnya Crerar)

If we’re not … thinking from the customer’s perspective, we’re going to lose our shirts. #cx #bank

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From How To Deal With Customers Who AREN’T Always Right (Adam Toporek)

We still need phones… Some things are just maddening to deal with digitally. @adamtoporek #cx

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From What Happens to the Call Center when People Stop Calling? (Tema Frank & Kevin Krempulec)

Internet of Things (#IOT)will dramatically change how we sell to/serve customers. @temafrank @Genesys

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From What To Do When You Get a Horrible Review (Daniel Lemin)

“When a bad review happens, don’t panic” @daniellemin #reviews #customerservice

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From Do You Worry About Your Business Being Attacked on Social Media? (Jay Baer)

You have to answer #customers quickly bec. we’re living in a right now world. @JayBaer

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From Does Employee Happiness Really Matter? (Dan Lok)

If [#employees] think like you, they won’t be working FOR you. @danthemanlok #business

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From Why Your Sales Reps Have To Get Better at Cold Calling (Mari Ann Vanella)

“Your #customer decides when they want to engage” @vanellagroup #sales

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From This guy bought a restaurant with a bad reputation. Then what happened? (Kevin Sembaliuk)

“Anybody can put food on a plate & serve cold beer. But…what’s the experience?” KSembaliuk #cx

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From Cyber Attacks Knocked Out Huge Sites Last Week; Is Yours Safe? (Saar Cohn)

“It takes a second to ruin a reputation” Saar Cohn #cybersecurity #cx

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From How Better Web Accessibility Can Boost Your Sales (Joanne Pires)

“People working in #accessibility haven’t made their message accessible” @WordOnTheJo #UX

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From How To Convince 35 Brand Managers To Focus on Customers, Not Brands (Martin Aubut)

To [become] consumer centric …collect info the right way & analyse it real time. @martyboy008 #data

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From How Can a Bank Convince Customers It Really IS Different? (Dave Mowat)

If I know what makes you happy … I’m in a way better position to serve you. D.Mowat @atbfinancial #cx

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From How Upping Their Customer Service Led to Growth in a Recession (Craig Nadeau)

“Always be looking where [you] can make a difference to the client.” C.Nadeau #cx

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From Should You Make The Scary Switch To ESOP (Employee Share Ownership)? (Dan Ohler)

Employee owned co’s get 3.5X more applications…Turnover down up to 200%…Customer loyalty up 2X

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From Is it Time for a Revolution in The Workplace? (David Burkus)

Even though their workplace is trying to #pay fairly, most people assume it’s not. @davidburkus #HR

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From Is Customer Journey Mapping A Waste of Your Time? (Ian Williams)

Doing customer sat. research & doing nothing w results is worse than doing nothing @CustExpMan

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From Is Your Association Really Listening To Its Members? (Member Engagement in 2016) (Matthew D’Uva)

Building customized experiences [is] critical to success in the future. M. D’Uva #personalization

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From Should You Make The Scary Switch To ESOP (Employee Share Ownership)? (Tema Frank & Dan Ohler)

Want your employees to act like owners? Make them owners! @temafrank #ESOP

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From How To Convince 35 Brand Managers To Focus on Customers, Not Brands (Martin Aubut)

Make sure your databases are talking to each other” @martyboy008 #tech #marketing

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From Does Employee Happiness Really Matter? (Dan Lok)

Help employees accomplish thr personal #goals & you’ll have good productive #employees. @danthemanlok

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From How to Change Culture in High-Risk Organizations (Bea Bohm Meyer)

Cultural change is a journey, not a project. @temafrank & B.Bohm-Meyer #leadership #HR

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From Should You Make The Scary Switch To ESOP (Employee Share Ownership)? (Dan Ohler)

Employee-owned companies are more likely to survive tough times. D.Ohler #smallbiz

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From Do You Love Your Car Dealership? Didn’t think so. (Joseph Michelli)

“Incentivise the handoff instead of celebrating success in the silo” @josephmichelli #management

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From How To Deal With Customers Who AREN’T Always Right (Tema Frank & Adam Toporek)

What most customers want more than money is understanding & empathy. @temafrank #custserv

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The post 52 Customer Experience & HR Quotes From A Year of Frank Reactions Podcasts appeared first on Frank Reactions.