Experts of Experience: Episode #49 - Why You Need to Be Easy to Do Business With
Host: Lauren Wood
Guest: David Avren, President of Customer Experience Advantage, Author of Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With
Release Date: September 25, 2024
Presented by: Salesforce Customer Success
1. Introduction to the Episode
In this insightful episode of Experts of Experience, host Lauren Wood welcomes David Avren, a renowned customer experience expert and author of Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With. The conversation centers on the critical importance of making businesses effortless for customers to engage with, especially in a competitive market saturated with high customer expectations and technological advancements like AI and GPT.
2. Understanding Ease in Business Transactions
David Avren emphasizes that many businesses mistakenly prioritize what works for them internally rather than aligning with customer preferences. At [02:27], he states:
"What businesses get wrong is the assumption that what works well for them works well for their customers as well."
Avren argues that while businesses often highlight qualities like commitment and trust as their competitive advantages, customers primarily value speed, simplicity, and convenience. He elaborates:
"Quality is the entry fee. You better be damn good at this or the world's going to figure it out. But at the end of the day, it's about speed and convenience and reducing friction in the process." [04:15]
3. Common Sources of Friction in Customer Experience
The discussion identifies key friction points that can frustrate customers:
-
Perceived Time Wasted: Long wait times, whether in queues or on calls, lead to customer frustration. Avren notes:
"The most common sources of friction is the perception of time wasted." [06:24]
-
Scripted Empathy Without Resolution: Customers dislike generic responses that don't address their specific issues. Avren critiques the use of scripted empathy:
"People get very, very frustrated with scripted empathy without resolution." [06:07]
Lauren shares her own experience where improving response speed significantly enhanced customer satisfaction:
"We weren't getting back to our customers fast enough... and then we just got back to them faster and everyone was happy." [04:46]
4. Internal Processes vs. Customer Pain Points
Lauren Wood and David Avren discuss how internal complexities can leak into the customer experience, causing delays and frustrations. Avren points out that despite businesses striving for cost efficiency through AI and chatbots, these solutions often fail to resolve issues effectively, leading to increased customer dissatisfaction:
"AI is just a glorified FAQ. AI is not to be deployed so you don't have to talk to your customers." [42:50]
He highlights the high turnover rates in customer service roles due to the stress of handling unresolved issues:
"Customer service personnel are taking a level of abuse like they have never in the past." [09:44]
5. The Global Perspective on Customer Experience
Avren shares his experiences traveling and observing how customer expectations vary globally. He notes that while cultural differences exist, the overarching expectation for speed and reliability remains consistent worldwide:
"There's cultural differences in terms of, how do I put this? Kindness... different expectations in terms of speed." [37:40]
He illustrates this with examples like the rapid delivery services of Amazon compared to other regions:
"80% of what we order, we get same day. It’s ridiculous." [39:54]
6. Leadership for a Customer-Centric Culture
Effective leadership is crucial in fostering a customer-centric culture. Avren advises that leaders must stay attuned to broader market trends and customer expectations beyond their industry:
"For leaders, not only having empathy but also being cognizant of what's happening in the broader marketplace." [32:51]
He underscores the importance of diversity in strategic planning to incorporate varied perspectives, ensuring that customer needs are comprehensively addressed:
"Talk to the millennials on your team... get that diversity of opinion, of experience, of perspective." [37:28]
7. Balancing AI and Human Interaction in Customer Service
The integration of AI in customer service is a double-edged sword. While it aims to enhance efficiency, Avren warns against over-reliance on technology that may not meet customer expectations:
"We're in the middle of a grand experiment... how effective can it be?" [41:15]
He advocates for using AI to handle routine inquiries, freeing up human agents to address more complex issues, thereby maintaining a balance between technological efficiency and personalized human interaction:
"Deploying AI to better predict and handle, not to avoid talking to your customers." [42:50]
8. Recommended Resources
For listeners eager to delve deeper into customer experience strategies, Avren recommends several key resources:
- His Own Book: Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With – A practical guide to minimizing customer effort.
- Roger Dooley’s Friction: Explores points of delay and unnecessary complexity in customer interactions.
- Jay Baer and Shep Hyken’s Works: Both authors have produced significant studies and books on enhancing customer experience.
9. Personal Experiences and Final Advice
In response to Lauren’s prompt about recent positive brand experiences, Avren praises Uber for its reliability and predictability, which align with his personal need for efficiency and dependability:
"The predictability, their visibility... such a high level of reliability and predictability." [46:55]
His key piece of advice for customer experience leaders is to prioritize preferability over mere competency:
"What works for you and has historically worked for you isn't necessarily preferable for your customers." [48:28]
He stresses the importance of continuous adaptation to meet evolving customer preferences and leveraging data to inform strategic decisions:
"Your competency doesn't make you preferable among your other competitors. So be very conscious of all of those touch points for all of your competitors." [49:28]
Conclusion
Episode #49 of Experts of Experience offers a profound exploration into why making it easy for customers to do business with you is paramount. David Avren provides actionable insights on reducing friction, leveraging technology wisely, and fostering a customer-centric culture through effective leadership. By prioritizing speed, convenience, and genuine issue resolution, businesses can distinguish themselves in a market where quality alone is no longer sufficient.
Notable Quotes:
- "Quality is the entry fee. You better be damn good at this or the world's going to figure it out." – David Avren [04:15]
- "What works for you and has historically worked for you isn't necessarily preferable for your customers." – David Avren [48:28]
For businesses aiming to enhance their customer experience, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing strategies that prioritize the ease and satisfaction of their customers.