The Tribune

By Scott Farrington

The three ‘Cs ‘of customer satisfaction are: Consistency, consistency, consistency. Here’s how to get simple and straight to the point.

1. Customer-journey consistency

The journey a customer goes through with your business should be mapped out. Without a map, how can your customer arrive at the destination they wish to arrive at? I guess another word to use could be flow. Many companies have flow charts. Flow charts are supposed to chart a flow of work /direction.

In this same manner, companies should create their own flow chart/map with regards to the journey and experience they wish for their customers to go through. There will, of course, be several steps, and each step should have its own map, steering the customer in the direction in which they can experience and acquire the products/services being offered.

Implementing a map or flow chart enhances the company’s ability to be consistent.

1. Emotional consistency

Developing a feeling of trust is key with any business, as it creates a positive customer experience.

In a survey I read about customer experience, emotions were the biggest drivers of satisfaction and loyalty in a majority of the industries surveyed. The survey also found that consistency was particularly important in forging a relationship of trust with customers. Having a road map/flow chart helps develop this.

What is also striking is how valuable the consistent emotional connection is for customer loyalty. For customers, a brand they feel close to and a brand they can trust were the top drivers for differentiation on customer experience. Ensuring consistency on customer journeys to build trust is important for long-term growth.

Again, this can be achieved by implementing a map or flow chart.

1. Communication consistency

What is critical is ensuring customers recognise the delivery of promises you have for them (what your product /service does etc, etc), which requires proactively shaping communications and key messages that consistently highlight these promises.

Becoming a company that delivers a customer journey/excellence promise requires many things to be done well. For companies wanting to improve the customer experience/journey, it often touches different parts of the organisation.

Companies need to rewire themselves to create teams that are responsible for the end-to-end customer journey. This can be done by creating and implementing flow charts/maps for each team to use and implement.

Each team can communicate their message through training and service to address specific customer issues/experiences, and do this through role playing and script guidelines. Script guidelines are part of the map/flow chart guidelines you wish for the client to see, hear, touch, feel (the experience). This communicates the message or messages that should be mapped out.

Having a map is all part of the marketing and sales process of a business. Process, process, process equals consistency, consistency, consistency.

All of these marketing strategies are certain to keep your business on top during these challenging economic times. Have a productive and profitable week.

• NB: Scott Farrington is president of SunTee EmbroidMe, a promotional and marketing company specialising in uniforms, embroidery, silk screen and promotional products. Established over 27 years ago, SunTee EmbroidMe has assisted local businesses from various industries in marketing themselves. Readers can contact Mr Farrington at SunTee EmbroidMe on East Shirley Street, or by e-mail at scott@sun-tee.com or by telephone at 242-393-3104.