CRMI Salutes Companies Fighting Spread of Coronavirus

CRMI Salutes Companies Fighting Spread of Coronavirus
NorthFace ScoreBoard Award℠ (NFSB) Certificates issued to companies
that have performed extraordinarily in the fight against COVID-19

by Bill Bradley
VP Marketing, CXDNA Stakeholder Communications

The Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI), an independent third party and an expert in the field of CX (customer experience), has announced a special honorary certification – the NFSB COVID-19 Service Certificate – to recognize companies and their supply chain partners that have been acknowledged by President Trump’s COVID-19 Task Force and/or Forbes Magazine for exceptional service in helping to defeat the coronavirus.

“It’s inconceivable how much our world has changed since March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John Maraganis, president & CEO of CRMI. “Scores of companies have either stepped up their traditional work in life sciences and related fields to focus on the pandemic or retooled their businesses to focus on this global challenge. We felt it was important to salute these firms with an honorary COVID-19 NFSB Service Certificate and to provide the opportunity to earn recognition for achieving world-class customer service-” based on their actual CSAT survey results.

All companies engaged in fighting COVID-19, and their supply chain partners, shall receive a NFSB COVID-19 Service Certificate confirming their voluntary contribution to fighting the virus. They may also apply for the NFSB Award for customer service excellence and receive a special COVID-19 NFSB discount.

Now in its 20th year, the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award is presented annually to companies who, as rated solely by their own customers, achieved excellence in customer service during a full calendar year. Further, all NFSB recipients who have met the criteria for five (5) consecutive years shall receive special SUMMIT category – status denoted on their award and in their NFSB certification letter/deliverables.

 

COVID-19 NFSB Honorary 2020 Recipients:
(View Forbes Grace Chung and Giacomo Tognini business tracker article)

 

Testing

Abbott Laboratories Carbon Ipsum Diagnostics
Alphabet Cellex Mammoth Biosciences
Amazon Cepheid Mesa Biotech
Aytu BioScience Copan Diagnostics Puritan Medical Products
Ava Credo Diagnostics QIAGEN
BioIQ DiaSorin Siemens Healthineers
BioMérieux Henry Schein

 

Treatments

AbbVie CytoDyn Merck KGaA
AIM Immunotech Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Mesoblast
Aldeyra Therapeutics Eli Lilly Mylan
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Emergent BioSolutions OncoImmune
AlloVir EUSA Pharma Panoptes Pharma
Amgen Faron Pharmaceuticals Partner Therapeutics
Ampio Pharmaceuticals Fujifilm Pfizer
Apeiron Biologics Gilead PharmaMar
Apeptico Green Cross Pluristem Therapeutics
Applied Therapeutics Grifols Pulmotect
ARMS Pharmaceutical Harbour BioMed Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Ascletis Hope Biosciences Relief Therapeutics
AstraZeneca Humanigen Ridgeback Therapeutics
Bausch Health I-Mab Biopharma Roche
BeiGene Incyte Roivant Sciences
Belleron Therapeutics InflaRx Synairgen
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Innovation Pharmaceuticals Takeda
CalciMedica ISR Immune System Regulation Teva Pharmaceuticals
Can-Fite Kamada Union Therapeutics
Capricor Therapeutics Karyopharm Therapeutics Vault Health
Celltrion KD Pharma Group Vir Biotechnology
Celularity Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals XBiotech
Cocrystal Pharma Laurent Pharmaceuticals Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceuticals
CSL Behring Livongo Mateon Therapeutics

 

Vaccines:

Advent-Irbm ExpreS2ion Moderna
AJ Vaccines FluGen Novavax
Altimmune GeneOne Life Science Sanofi
Arcturus Therapeutics GeoVax Sinovac Biotech
Biocad GlaxoSmithKline SK Group
BioNTech Greffex Sorrento Therapeutics
CanSino Biologics Heat Biologics Takis Biotech
Cel-Sci Corp. Hoth Therapeutics Themis Bioscience
Codagenix iBio Tonix Pharmaceuticals
CureVac IMV Vaxart
Dyadic Inovio Vaxil
Dynavax Johnson & Johnson Vaxine Pty Ltd
EpiVax Medicago VBI Vaccines

 

Protective Equipment and Sanitizer:

Anheuser-Busch InBev Dickies
Ansell ExxonMobil Menarini
Aria Designs Fanatics Miroglio Group
Armani Fiat Chrysler Automobiles O.C. Tanner
Bacardi Fippi Pernod Ricard
Barbour GelPro Prada
Bauer Hockey Gojo Industries Procter & Gamble
BrewDog González Byass Quicken Loans
Bulgari GVS Reliance Industries
Calzedonia Group HP San Miguel Corporation
Canada Goose IKEA Seamus Golf
Cantabria Labs Ineos Siemens
Charoen Popkhand Group Jockey Stanley Black & Decker
Colgate L’Oréal Starkey Hearing Technologies
Consomed LVMH Top Glove
Decathlon Massaflex Volkswagen
Diageo Medline Voodoo Manufacturing

 

Ventilators and Beds:

Airbus Inspiration Healthcare SIARE Engineering
BAE Systems Mahindra Group Smiths Group
Bloom Energy Malvestio SpaceX
BreathDirect Medtronic Tesla
Dyson Meggitt Thales Group
Ford Penlon Ultra Electronics
General Motors Philips Vyaire Medical
GKN Aerospace ResMed Xerox
Hill-Rom Rolls-Royce

 

Supporting Healthcare Workers and First Responders:

Airbnb First Due NeuroFlow
Alibaba GlobeKeeper Palantir
Anaplan GoPuff Rave Mobile Safety
Apple Headspace Speetar
Byju’s Hyundai Tencent
Carbyne Inditex Uber
EverBlock Systems Intel UiPath
Facebook Manna Aero Vista Land Group
Faculty Medallia Zoom

 

Asia:

Asia Coatings MetroResidences Yili Group
Enterprises Suncity Group

 

Asia Private Sector:

Ansell GeneOne Life Science Ping An
Ascletis Green Cross Seegene
Biolidics HDFC Bank Shiseido
CanSino Biologics Healthmatch Takeda
DBS Bank I-Mab Biopharma Yuchengco Group
Envision Group JN Medsys Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceuticals
FPT Group Mesoblast
Fujifilm Pan Brothers

 

About CRMI:
Since 1999, the Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI) has promoted that CX is the most critical component of company’s DNA. Further, that consistently exceeding customer expectations builds customer loyalty and requires competent-engaged employees. As a membership-based resource, we provide “One-Stop Shop” for “everything CX.” Whether you are new to CX strategies or a veteran practitioner, you will join thousands of like-minded professionals eager to share their CX experiences.

For more information on how to qualify for the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award, visit www.crmirewards.com or call (978) 710-3269 and ask for Diane Rivera, drivera@crmirewards.com.

Groundbreaking Customer Satisfaction Award Marks 20th Anniversary

Groundbreaking Customer Satisfaction Award Marks 20th Anniversary

NorthFace ScoreBoard Award℠ Established Defining SBI Metrics for
Creating World-Class Excellence in Customer Service and Support

 

By Bill Moore

VP Client Services CXDNA Playbook Strategy

Customer Relationship
Management Institute LLC (CRMI)

By Bill Bradley

VP Marketing, CXDNA Stakeholder Strategy

Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI)

 

In 1984, IBM’s annual report was dedicated to the “Year of the Customer,” the first recognition that superior customer service/support (CX) is the company’s true competitive differentiator.  Over the years, IBM would be joined by many other service thought leaders: Lexus, Ritz-Carlton, Walt Disney, L.L. Bean, Nordstrom, et. al. who made the transition making customer service/support their strongest and most critical competitive advantage.

This vision was counter to George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” that imagined a society where individualism and independent thinking were regarded as “thought crimes” instead of “thought leadership.”

This turnaround towards service thought leadership would continue with the impact of an award that was the first (2000) to recognize organizations that consistently exceeded customer expectations for service/support – and that CX must be the most critical component of a company’s DNA, (CXDNA).  That award –NorthFace ScoreBoard Award℠ — marks its 20th anniversary in 2020 (NFSB Recipients Press Release).

The NorthFace ScoreBoard (NFSB) Award created the structure necessary to objectively measure and validate the quality of the customer experience in all interactions with a company.  Before the NFSB Award, measuring customer satisfaction was largely an ad hoc, reactive activity performed periodically by service organizations.

But the NFSB Award contributed to changing the subjectivity and marginal importance of the customer experience.  Since 2000, the award has been presented annually to organizations that — based solely on survey responses from a company’s own customers — consistently exceeded customer expectations for service/support for a full calendar year.  To ensure objectivity and absence of bias, the survey and results are audited by Customer Relationship Management Institute, LLC (CRMI), an independent third party and an expert in the field of CX.

 

NFSB Award Delivers a Clear Competitive Edge for Recipients (above Haemonetics)

The business world has come to understand that customers – not products and services – are the source of all revenue and profits.  This means that companies cannot afford to turn a blind eye to CX and just rely on product features and benefits, which had been the standard before the NFSB Award helped in the transition to CXDNA culture.  In truth, while there are clear differences in product performance among direct competitors, no vendor has a distinct advantage for a long period of time, and consistent problems with product installation, usage and service/support will quickly prompt a customer to choose another supplier.  In other words, customer loyalty must be earned – not just assumed by product performance and technology vision.

The NFSB Award was innovative in establishing universal survey measurement standards’ (SBI – 1992) that use a five-point weighted average scale to measure both customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by using Level 1 as the lowest rating and level 5 as the highest rating.

 

Customer Satisfaction:

  1. Failed all customer expectations
  2. Performed below customer expectations
  3. Met customer expectations
  4. Performed above customer expectations
  5. Exceeded customer expectations

Customer Loyalty:

  1. Definitely would not recommend
  2. Highly unlikely to recommend
  3. Maybe recommend
  4. Highly likely to recommend
  5. Definitely would recommend

 

The weighted average formula, referred as the ScoreBoard Index (SBI), provided a much more accurate measurement of customer sentiment (clear customer intelligence) than the traditional percent satisfied /loyal metrics.  For the first time, the service executive could clearly see customer metrics that directed priorities for critical corrective action and which overtime could be re-measured to see the impact of the corrective action taken. The five-point scale made survey responses more accurate/ easy to understand and the weighted average calculation resulted in any ratings below 4.0 as simply not good enough to retain / grow customers, rather, over time would lead to customers defections. The NFSB Award five-point criteria was extended to include other rating scales (such as 3-6-7-8-9-10 point / Net Promoter Score NPS).

Example: SBI Formula (based on weighted average):

Assumption: satisfaction and recommend responses were identical

Please rate your overall satisfaction with our customer service?

  1. Failed all customer expectations
  2. Perform below customer expectations
  3. Met customer expectations
  4. Perform above customer expectations
  5. Exceeded customer expectations

 

Value
Level 5 (18 responses) x 5 points Subtotal A / 90
Level 4 (14 responses) x 4 points Subtotal B / 64
Level 3 (3 responses) x 3 points Subtotal C / 9
Level 2 (3 responses) x 2 points Subtotal D / 6
Level 1 (2 responses) x 1 point Subtotal E / 2
Total (40) responses divided by Total point value (171)= 4.28 SBI

 

Please rate your overall willingness to recommend our customer service?

  1. Definitely not recommend
  2. Highly unlikely to recommend
  3. Maybe recommend
  4. Highly likely to recommend
  5. Definitely would recommend
Value
Level 5 (18 responses) x 5 points Subtotal A / 90
Level 4 (14 responses) x 4 points Subtotal B / 64
Level 3 (3 responses) x 3 points Subtotal C / 9
Level 2 (3 responses) x 2 points Subtotal D / 6
Level 1 (2 response) x 1 point Subtotal E / 2
Total (40) responses divided by Total point value (171) = 4.28 SBI

 

SBI Formula:

Select each question and multiply each level responses (5-4-3-2-1) by their associated point values (5-4-3-2-1) = subtotals (90-64-9-6-2) then divide sum of all subtotals (171) by the total responses (40) = SBI 4.28 rounded 2 decimal. When viewing the above results over a minimum three (3) month window, market research shows that continuous superior customer service is the key metric in retaining / upgrading customers. Also, that 4.0 and above rating for service and loyalty is clear customer intelligence evidence that the competitor barrier has dramatically increased to win these accounts. Further, these accounts are excellent candidates for marketing testimonials to be used to acquire new accounts and / or winback lost accounts. Lastly, SBI measurement is key to providing clear customer intelligence data to conduct the critical corrective action necessary to provide continuous superior customer service that results in long term customer loyalty.

To receive the NFSB Award, a company must achieve a minimum 4.0 rating (or equivalent) over a full calendar year.  Again, the survey instrument and the customer responses are audited for accuracy and absence of bias by CRMI.  For this reason, earning the NFSB Award is objective proof that a company consistently provides superior customer service / support that competitors who have not received the award simply cannot match.

“NFSB Award recipients have proven that excellence in customer service /support has delivered measurable CX ‘Big 4’ bottom line results,” said John Maraganis, president & CEO of CRMI.  The CX “Big 4” includes: 1) attracting new customers; 2) retaining customers; 3) growing wallet share; 4) winning-back lost customers.

 

NFSB Award is Powered by CXDNA Playbook StrategySM

CRMI’s revolutionary CXDNA Playbook Strategy (launched in 1994) acts as a roadmap for companies to maximize the value of their products/services to customers by accurately measuring the impact to their customers.  CXDNA strategy makes it possible, for the first time, for organizations to measure, analyze, act on and assess their efforts to establish a CX culture as a business strategy just as they’d always done for sales, engineering, manufacturing, finance and other traditional operating areas.  There are four phases to the Playbook: Measure, Analyze, Act, Assess with 12 component practices within those phases.

  • Measure: CX Governance, CX Account Management, CX Technologies
  • Analyze: CX Business Intelligence, CX Analytics, CX Benchmarking
  • Act: CX Corrective Action, CX Employee Engagement, CX Change Management
  • Assess: CX Stakeholders Communications, CX Win-back Strategy CX Return on Investment (ROI)

The CXDNA Playbook strategy continues to evolve over the years including leveraging social media and communicating CX results thru a comprehensive stakeholders communication campaign (press release – annual report – report card – webcasts – etc.) targeted to customers, partners, employees and prospects.

NFSB Award Background and Evolution

The award was created by CRMI’s founder and first presented in 2000.  CRMI’s founder was a pioneer in the field service industry, introducing the first automated service management software (fieldwatch) that improved customer experiences in the field service marketplace.  From this pioneer came the CXDNA Playbook Strategy that embraces employee engagement as its founding principle.

The Playbook provides the knowledge and strategy to create a customer-centric culture that includes overall CX governance and employee engagement to raise the awareness of, commitment to, and competence in, continuously delivering superior customer experiences.

Since 2000, more than 500 recipients have earned the NFSB Award — many have done so multiple times and often in many consecutive years.  Prominent recipients include Avaya, Boston Scientific, CA Technologies (now part of Broadcom), Citrix, Fresenius-Kabi, Haemonetics, Hologic, Kronos, NETSCOUT, Oracle, Pitney Bowes, Sony, Wolters Kluwer and many others.

CRMI added a new Summit category presented to organizations that that have truly transformed into CXDNA culture. The Summit CXDNA criteria includes organizations that have received the award for five consecutive years, implemented customer relationship training focused on engaging employees to provide consistent superior customer experiences, and have an annual CX strategy review process.  The new physical NFSB Award includes a Summit classification with a gold circle of stars surrounding the number of years the company has earned the award along with “World Class Excellence” exclusive classification.

In 2020, CRMI added a special NFSB COVID-19 Service Award to recognize companies and their supply chain partners who have been recognized by President Trump’s COVID-19 Task Force and/or Forbes magazine for exceptional service in fighting the deadly pandemic. “We choose to recognize these companies as the volunteer army for the battle against COVID-19 via our NorthFace ScoreBoard Customer Service Excellence Award with an honorary NFSB COVID-19 certificate that will memorialize their contribution,” Maraganis said.  Not since World War II has the United States and other countries seen a shift to produce hand sanitizers, masks, ventilators and other critical healthcare items. This is a time that will live in the history books, and the NFSB COVID-19 Honorary Certificate will record those companies who contributed to winning this epic battle.  These companies may also submit their customer survey results for customer service/support to see if they qualify for the actual NFSB Award.

Since implementing effective CX principles is vital to sustaining consistent growth in revenue and profits, sharing stories of companies’ CX successes is crucial.  The stories should allow the company to provide a review of its CXDNA strategy and measurable results, include customer testimonials and case studies.  The vehicle to tell this story is a powerful webcast that clearly communicates the company’s journey to making CX the most critical component of the company’s DNA.  Companies invite their customers, prospects, business partners and employees to the webcasts and post the content on their websites as well as using it in other marketing activities.

The CXDNA Playbook Partner program extends the NFSB award criteria to 3rd party vendors (EFM – CRM – CX Consultant – CX Educational training – CX Market Research) with the opportunity to bundle the NFSB Award with their products / services.) To qualify for the partner program, these organizations must be identified as an significant contributor to improving CX as described in the CXDNA Playbook Strategy. Partners receive NFSB co-brand license that includes their logo and the specific Playbook component (s) on the physical NFSB award delivered to their customers who meet the NFSB criteria. The NFSB co-brand award provides an “added value service” to their products / services (above – Marketii CXDNA Analytics).

 

Conclusion

Twenty years is not a very long time in the business world.  But since the introduction of the innovative NFSB Award in 2000, the very substance of a successful business model has changed.  Rather than being product/technology driven, today’s successful companies have embraced the wisdom and logic of putting customers at the center of everything they do.  Having a proven, verifiable reputation and culture for providing excellence in CX is key to customer acquisition, retention, growth and win-back for any company.

Moreover, as companies move increasingly to online/virtual business models, achieving and sustaining optimal levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty have become even more critical factors of success.  Physical and voice contact with a company’s customers and other key external stakeholders has largely been replaced by electronic and other web-based interactions.  This means that, increasingly, while companies conduct heavy email and web marketing programs to attract new accounts, potential customers often find you before you identify them.

This trend has made it even more important to measure and understand the true “voice of the customer.”  Since the NFSB Award criteria is unique in both measurement metrics (SBI rating or equivalent rating system) and that only customer survey responses are used to determine the level of CX excellence a company provides, the NFSB Award is the ultimate VoC measurement.  That’s why recipients are so proud to earn the award and take full advantage of the service, sales and marketing opportunities they have to deliver a clear competitive advantage to the marketplace.

 

To learn more about the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award, the CXDNA Playbook Strategy and other programs mentioned here, contact Diane Rivera, CRMI’s director of corporate membership and sponsorship services.  She can be reached at 978/710-3269 or via drivera@crmirewards.com.  Also please visit CRMI’s website: www.crmirewards.com.

 

CRMI and Marketii Honors 39 Companies for Delivering ‘World-Class’ Customer Service; 6 Cited for Certification in Employee Customer Relationship Training

CRMI and Marketii Honors 39 Companies for Delivering
‘World-Class’ Customer Service;
6 Cited for Certification in Employee Customer Relationship Training

– Recipients of CRMI and Marketii 2019
NorthFace ScoreBoard Award℠ and CRMI’s CEMPRO Award℠ have consistently
exceeded customers’ expectations with highly engaged employees –

Chelmsford, MA: May 21, 2020 – Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI) specialists in driving companies’ revenues and profits by implementing Customer Experience (CX) strategies that increase customer satisfaction and employee engagement AND their strategic partner Market Intelligence International (Marketii) a leading customer satisfaction and service quality research and consulting firm announced today that 39 companies have qualified to receive the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award 2019 for superior customer service.

Also, CRMI recognized companies for engaging employees to meet the rigorous customer relationship training requirements needed for CEMPRO Award certification. The certified Customer Experience Management Professional (CEMPRO) program was established in 2010 to provide best-in-class training curricula for organizations who want to ensure that their customer-facing groups (CFG) have mastered the skills needed to deliver consistently exceptional customer service. The award criteria require the entire applicable CFG to receive the training and 90% must achieve a minimum test score of 80% within the calendar year.

Now in its 20th year, the NorthFace ScoreBoard (NFSB) award is presented annually to companies who, as rated solely by their own customers, achieved excellence in customer service during the calendar year. Further, all NFSB recipients who have met the criteria of being a recipient for five (5) contiguous years shall receive special SUMMIT category with the number of contiguous years, denoted on their award, in their NFSB certification letter/deliverables and in their marketing rights.

“The NorthFace ScoreBoard Award is widely recognized as the most prestigious award for customer service excellence due to its unique customer only vote criteria. The award recognizes organizations that not only offer exemplary customer service but those who have chosen to make their CX strategy the critical component of their company’s DNA”, said John Alexander Maraganis, President & CEO of CRMI and Duncan Heal, CEO of Marketii. Each year thousands of companies, both domestic and international, are invited to apply for the NFSB Award. In 2019, more than 1000 companies were invited to participate in NFSB Audit Program – over 300 projects, many international in scope, were audited. CRMI conducts a review/confirmation of their clients CSAT survey results and requires written verification of CSAT survey results/processes by the company’s CX executive management. All NFSB strategic partners are required to review/confirm their clients CSAT survey results/processes submit results to CRMI for approval. All approved strategic partner clients NFSB awards shall contain strategic partners logo and CRMI’s logo as a Co-branded NFSB Award.

CRMI/Marketii methodology measures customer satisfaction with services on a 5-point scale (or an equivalent rating system) in such categories as technical support, field service, customer service, account management, professional services and other customer facing functions. The 39 companies/business units achieved a 4.0 or above out of a possible 5.0 or an equivalent rating system.

Due to its unique ‘customer-only vote’ criteria, the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award has been viewed from its inception in 2000 as the only objective benchmark for excellence in customer service,” Maraganis/Heal said. “CRMI and Marketii defines ultra-customer loyalty as customers who continuously purchase from the same vendor – even though other choices may offer significantly better pricing – because the vendor consistently exceeds its customers’ expectations via team of highly engaged employees.”

 

NFSB Award 2019 Recipients: Cobrand Partners
Twentieth-time recipients: Summit Status
Haemonetics Corporation: Braintree, MA Marketii
Kronos Incorporated: Lowell, MA CRMI
Nineteen-time recipients: Summit Status
ZOLL Medical Technical Service: Chelmsford, MA Marketii
Eithteen-time recipients: Summit Status
Alfa Wassermann LLC: West Caldwell, NJ Marketii
Seventeen-time recipients: Summit Status
Boston Scientific Corporation: Natick, MA Marketii
Sixteen-time recipients: Summit Status
FLIR: North Billerica, MA Marketii
Fifteen-time recipients:
None
Fourteen-time recipients:
None
Thirteen-time recipients:
None
Twelve-time recipients:
None
Eleven-time recipients: Summit Status
ACIST Medical Systems Inc: Eden Prairie, MN Marketii
Ten-time recipients: Summit Status
NETSCOUT: Westford, MA Marketii
Nine-time recipients: Summit Status
Diagnostica Stago Inc: Parsippany, NJ Marketii
Pitney Bowes Software, Worldwide Software Support: Troy, NY CRMI
Wolters Kluwer Health, Learning, Research & Practice: Norwood, MA CRMI
Wolters Kluwer – UpToDate: Waltham, MA CRMI
ZOLL Medical Customer Support: Chelmsford, MA Marketii
Eight-time recipients: Summit Status
CA Technologies / A Broadcom Inc company: Washington DC CRMI
ERT: Philadelphia, PA Marketii
Yaskawa America Inc: Waukegan, IL CRMI
Seven-time recipients: Summit Status
Avaya Inc: Santa Clara, CA CRMI
Nutanix Inc Support Services: San Jose, CA CRMI
Six-time recipients: Summit Status
Alfresco Software Inc: San Mateo, CA CRMI
Five-time recipients: Summit Status
Citrix Systems Inc: Ft. Lauderdale, FL CRMI
Deltek Inc: Herndon, VA CRMI
Fresenius Kabi USA LLC: Lake Zurich, IL CRMI
Wolters Kluwer Health Individual Member: Hagerstown, MD CRMI
Four-time recipients:
Rubrik Inc: Palo Alto, CA CRMI
Kongsberg Digital Inc: Asker, Norway CRMI
Cohesity Inc: Santa Clara, CA CRMI
Three-time recipients:
Cengage Learning Inc: Independence, KY CRMI
Hologic Domestic Service: Marlborough, MA Marketii
Hologic Technical Service EMEA: Manchester, UK Marketii
InterVision Systems LLC: Chesterfield, MO Marketii
Nutanix Inc Consulting Services: San Jose, CA CRMI
Veritas Technologies LLC: Santa Clara, CA CRMI
Zeus Industrial Products Inc: Orangeburg, SC CRMI
Two-time recipients:
Braze Inc: New York, NY CRMI
Druva Inc: Sunnyvale, CA CRMI
Hologic Customer Support EMEA: Manchester, UK Marketii
REPLIGEN Corporation: Waltham, MA CRMI
Thycotic Software Inc: Washington DC CRMI
First-time recipients:
Bracco: Spring Valley, CA Marketii

 

CEMPRO Award 2019 Recipients: CRMI Employee Engagement Certified Customer Relationship Skills

First-time recipients:

  • REPLIGEN Corporation: Waltham, MA
  • Yaskawa America Inc: Waukegan, IL

Two-time recipients:

  • Nutanix Inc Suppport Services: San Jose, CA
  • Rapiscan Systems: Torrance, CA

Three- time recipients:

  • Rubrik Inc: Palo Alto, CA

Four- time recipients:

  • Fresenisus Kabi USA LLC: Lake Zurich, IL

Note to Editors: City and state denotes either company headquarters or principal location where CX strategy work was conducted.

About CRMI:

Since 1999, Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI) has promoted that CX is the most critical component of company’s’ DNA. Further, that consistently exceeding customers’ expectations builds customer loyalty and requires competent-engaged employees. As a membership-based resource, we provide “One-Stop shopping” for “everything CX”. Whether you are new to CX strategies or a veteran CXDNA practitioner, you will join thousands of like-minded professionals eager to share their CX experiences.

About Marketii:

Market Intelligence International (Marketii London-Boston) is a leading international market research company that specialises and dedicates itself to helping companies increase customer satisfaction and loyalty whilst improving operational efficiency and service quality. We work with many global organisations such as HP, Dyson, Toshiba and help them better understand their customers’ needs and wants before turning this valuable feedback into real time reporting, detailed analysis and consulting. We conduct telephone and e-mail market research studies in 25+ languages across the globe.

For more information on how to qualify for the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award – CEMPRO Award, visit www.CRMIREWARDS.com or call (978) 710-3269 and ask for Diane Rivera, drivera@crmirewards.com.

 

Utilizing Employee Soft-skills Home Training through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Now more than ever as we navigate times of uncertainty, at home employee soft-skills training will produce long-term positive customer experiences. Are your employees armed with the necessary soft-skills training to deliver exceptional customer experiences?

Many companies are reviewing @ home employee work plans and as you look at the possibilities, one is the opportunity to train your staff’s soft-skills to improve the customer experience.

Often in the past, it may have been difficult to provide your staff with the time to train and provide them with the opportunity to improve their skills.  Much research has shown that employees with soft-skills training significantly improve customer satisfaction, their productivity and lead to long-term customer loyalty. Also, at the same time by improving their soft-skills to effectively deal with customers, especially during these unprecedented times, builds the road to “Trusted Advisor” which is the key component to long term profitability.

Here are four (4) basic training content for any organization:

Customer CARE is the basic employee training for building long-term strong customer relationship skills. Learn the keys to what customers value – drives behavior – causes dissatisfaction. Learning how to become a “Trusted Advisor” NOT “Vendor” is the key to building customer loyalty.

  • Learn about Customer CARE and why customer satisfaction and loyalty are important
  • Understand that effective customer relations is essential to individual and organizational success
  • Understand that Customer CARE is not just the job of the service organization
  • Understand how your job ties into the mission of the company
  • Experiential exercises in understanding your encounters with good and bad Customer CARE
  • Understand the drivers of good and bad Customer CARE
  • Learn how to deliver exceptional service, why customers quit and what they really want
  • Learn how Customer CARE ties directly into bottom-line profitability

 

Dealing with Difficult Customers provides skills for diffusing heated customer complaints. Teaches customer empathy while providing a resolution to the customer’s irate complaint. Turning a bad situation into a memorable favorable solution is the road to “Trusted Advisor”.

  • Understand why we need to deal with difficult customers
  • Learn why a difficult customer is a precious gift and a great opportunity
  • Understand why customers are difficult and the three levels of customer expectations
  • Understand the qualities of a good and bad listener
  • Understand your listening style and how it meshes with your customers styles
  • Understand the importance of listening and learn how to become a better listener
  • Learn a 5-Step process to successfully deal with difficult customers
  • Learn how to turn that dissatisfied customer into an advocate
  • Learn how to deal with your fellow employees, customers and others to get better results

 

Problem Solving Skills teaches employees how to use their skill sets to resolve various problem situations. Learn how to ask the right questions, connect problem symptoms and utilize technology to quickly resolve customer issues, again is the road to “Trusted Advisor”.

  • Learn the difference between problem solving and decision making
  • Evaluate situations and determine the correct process
  • Learn the importance of early identification and resolution of problems
  • Learn the importance of gathering and recording the correct information
  • Learn a 10-Step process for Successful Problem Solving and Decision Making
  • Know how to formulate and implement problem solving plans
  • Know how to formulate and implement decision making plans
  • Understand how these processes provide a common language and approach that enhances teamwork and provides better results

 

Time Management teaches skills to increase employee productivity. Customers greatly appreciate those service providers who can resolve multiple issues in a reasonable timeframe. You can add time management to the requirement list to become a “Trusted Advisor”.

  • Definition of Time Management
  • How to prioritize your tasks to be more effective
  • How to manage time and reduce deadline stress
  • Understanding major time wasters and how to deal with them
  • Understand the evolution of time management and the current fourth generation
  • Understand why setting reasonable expectations that can be exceeded is essential
  • Learn techniques to increase your efficiency while improving customer satisfaction

 

These are four basic soft-skills needed for all organizations. Now is the time to invest in employee engagement that will pay recurring dividends in exceeding customer expectations. Use these unprecedented times to invest in your @ home employees soft-skills training.

 

 

Bill Moore Vice President of Employee Engagement
Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI)
Telephone: 617 803-1639 | Email: bmoore@crmirewards.com

CRMI launches new NorthFace ScoreBoard (NFSB) Summit-class award

Chelmsford, MA: January 30, 2020, – Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI), specialists in driving companies’ revenues and profits by implementing Customer Experience (CX) strategies that increase customer satisfaction and employee engagement, announced today that its NorthFace ScoreBoard Award for superior customer service will add its Summit-class for those organizations who have minimally been NFSB recipients for 5 consecutive years – Implemented formal CXDNA Playbook Strategy – Implemented annual Employee Engagement softskills training.

Now in its 20th year, the NorthFace ScoreBoard (NFSB) award is presented annually to companies who, as rated solely by their own customers, achieved excellence in customer service during the calendar year.

“The NorthFace ScoreBoard Award is widely recognized as the most prestigious award for customer service excellence due to its unique customer only vote criteria. The award recognizes organizations that not only offer exemplary customer service but those who have chosen to make their CX Strategy a key component of their company’s DNA, said John Alexander Maraganis, President & CEO of CRMI”.

Each year thousands of companies, both domestic and international, are invited to apply for the NFSB Award. In 2019, more than 90 companies participated in NFSB Audit Program – over 500 projects, many international in scope, were audited. CRMI conducts a review/confirmation of CSAT survey process/results and requires written verification of CSAT survey process/results by the company’s CX executive management. The majority of NFSB award companies are repeat recipients, which confirms that investing in a CX strategy is a reliable, proven way to achieve business success.

CRMI is pleased to announce the new NFSB Award Summit status recognizing those organizations who have met the following criteria:

• NFSB Award recipient – 5 minimum consecutive years
• Implemented formal CXDNA Playbook Strategy with annual review
• Implemented annual Employee Engagement softskills training

The NFSB Summit Award annually features the number of years, on top of Mount Everest Summit, that the summit status has been achieved. A special press release to the leading CXDNA media outlets and special stakeholder’s communication services are included in the summit services.

CRMI and Service Strategies Corp Partner to Drive World-Class Customer Service

Customers of Service Strategies Corp can qualify to receive the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award? (NFSB) for customer service excellence and customers of CRMI can qualify to receive Service Capability & Performance (SCP) certification for meeting service performance standards.

Boston; San Diego; October 1, 2019 – The customers of Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI) (www.crmirewards.com/), specialists in implementing Customer Experience Management (CEM) strategies; and customers of Service Strategies Corp (SSC) (http://servicestrategies.com/), a leading provider of service improvement programs, now have the opportunity to earn both CRMI’s NFSB Award and SSC’s Service Capability & Performance (SCP) standard certification. This unique strategic partnership combines two leading pioneers (35 + years) in the customer service industry that specialize in helping service organizations worldwide deliver world-class service.

SSC’s customers who meet the criteria for measuring customer service / loyalty will be eligible to receive CRMI’s prestigious NFSB Award, which has been presented annually since 2000 to top performing service organizations. Recipients have included companies such as Avaya Inc., Acist, Alpha Wasserman, Alfresco Software Inc., Analog Corp., Boston Scientific, Bruker BioSpin, Citrix, Cohesity Inc., Corning Optical, CA Technologies, Deltek, Diagnostic Stago, ERT, EMC, Flir Systems, Hologic Inc., Haemonetics, Hewlett – Packard, Illumina, IBM Companies, KVH, Kronos, Masimo, Mouser Electronics, Micro Focus, Nutanix Inc, NetScout, Oracle, Pitney Bowes, Rubrik, Sony, Veritas Technologies, Wolters – Kluwer, Yaskawa America Inc.,  Zeus Industries, Zoll Medical and many others.

The NFSB award program has become the service industry’s recognized benchmark because it is the first award for customer service excellence voted exclusively by the recipient’s own customers. The NFSB proprietary methodology measures customer satisfaction / loyalty levels on a 5-point scale (or equivalent) throughout the calendar year in such categories as technical support, field service, customer service, professional services, self service, account management and other areas. Those organizations that utilize NPS rating are also eligible and have been recipients of the NFSB Award.

Under this strategic partnership, SSC is making available to CRMI’s customers, their Service Operations HealthCheck Snapshot program. The program provides a snapshot review of an organization’s performance with recommendations for areas of improvement. The world’s leading service providers, including industry leaders such as Advent Software Inc., Epicor Software Corp. and many others have certified their operations against SSC Service Capability & Performance (SCP) Standards (http://servicestrategies.com/scpstandards/). The HealthCheck Snapshot program provides a snapshot view of how companies may compare against these standards.

CRMI is making available to SSC’s customers their NFSB Quiz which provides a prelimary CX review to determine if an organization qualifies for the NFSB Award.

“Today’s service executives face three key objectives: the need to develop strategic goals, improve operational efficiencies and drive world class levels of performance, said John Hamilton, president of Service Strategies Corp. CRMI’s CXDNA Playbook Strategy supports and drives these three objectives. The NFSB Award provides service executives independent 3rd party review of the success of their company’s CX strategy, which is critical in achieving their key objectives.

“The NorthFace ScoreBoard Award recognizes organizations (since 2000) that makes continuously exceeding customers’ expectations the most critical component of their company’s DNA,” said John Alexander Maraganis, president & CEO of CRMI. Service Strategies Corp shares this vision, and their SCP standards are an integral component of any world-class CX strategy.”

Additionally, customers from both organizations may receive the industry’s unique co-branded NFSB Award (CRMI for superior customer service and SSC for superior support operations) with use of the award – logo – taglines and marketing rights in all print and electronic media.

 

About Customer Relationship Management Institute LLC (CRMI)

Since, 2000, CRMI has been a recognized expert in developing and implementing customer and employee engagement management strategies (CEM) programs that drive product / service revenue and profits. Services include CXDNA Playbook Strategy Audits, CEMPRO Award, NFSB Award, softskills on-line training, customer –  employee surveys, employee engagement strategies employee recognition / reward programs, benchmark research, CX Analytics, key account retention strategies, win-back analysis, and marketing CX results to stakeholders. In addition, thousands of CX professionals have received certified training in CXDNA Playbook Strategy thru CEMPRO-Advocate and CEMPRO-CFG training. Visit www.crmirewards.com or email driveria@crmirewards.com

 

About Service Strategies Corp

Service Strategies Corp advances service excellence by helping companies deliver the highest quality service and support to their clients. The world’s leading service providers have adopted Service Capability & Performance (SCP) Standards as their roadmap to service excellence and benchmark measure of success. In addition, thousands of service professionals around the world have enhanced their skills through participation in the company’s training and certification courses, while its strategic advisory and consulting services are helping service organizations optimize business operations and achieve substantial performance gains. For more information about SSC success, www.servicestrategies.com or email info@servicestrategies.com (mail: info@servicestrategies.com) .

 

Develop an Engagement Strategy That Prioritizes Employee Satisfaction and Recognition

Whether your company actively recognizes this notion or not, one fact’s for sure – your employees are your greatest asset by far. From those who operate along the frontlines, to those who maintain systems behind-the-scenes, your employees are the cornerstones of your brand’s existence. They interact with customers on a daily basis, making them the face of your brand. Success lies within their will and ability to deliver consistent, superior customer service at every touchpoint along the path to purchase. Yet, in many instances, leaders take their employees for granted, as they neglect to consider their insights and needs in pursuit of the elusive, almighty dollar.

Despite the fact that most leaders declare “our people” as one of their company’s prime competitive differentiators, not every brand has the proper engagement strategies in place. Actions speak louder than words and, in such cases, what these leaders say doesn’t always align with what they do. Brands that merely “talk the talk” offer employees little room for growth or feedback. But, for those companies that truly value their employees—the brands that also “walk the walk”—said individuals have ample opportunity to communicate and grow alongside the brand itself.

An effective employee engagement strategy requires emphasis on both satisfaction and recognition, as it’s not enough to simply provide these individuals with a generous benefits package and send them on their way. More than anything, today’s employees crave purpose. They wish to counter the world’s negative energy by making a positive impact one customer at a time, and that starts within the bubble of your business. After all, as a leader, you have the power to empower your employees to speak up and speak out against injustices within their ranks and throughout the organization, as they fight for what’s right for the customer day after day. You have the authority to enact programs and protocols that enable these employees to excel. You have the right to reward those whose performance elevates the customer’s brand experience.

But, at their core, what elements do such strategies command? What does it take to convey that your company cares for its employees like family? Here are the four building blocks every brand must use as its foundation for engagement:

 

Listen

First and foremost, your company must establish a forum that empowers employees to speak up and share constructive feedback without the fear of retaliation. In many instances, employees are afraid to share their concerns because they might face backlash from their colleagues or superiors. But such an air of trepidation can create a toxic work environment that permeates the ranks. Employees must feel free to share insights and opinions in an atmosphere that begets respect. For engagement to truly take hold, employees must know that their voice carries value.

If there’s any doubt, employees might flee to the competition. But, as on the customer front, it costs far less to retain your staff than to hire and onboard new employees. Thus, it’s imperative that you institute the processes necessary to amplify the complaints and criticisms of your current employees.

 

Change

Once your company’s leadership team turns its ears to the voices of its employees, you must also bring this influx of insight to action. It’s one thing to gather feedback, but it’s another to use this data to fuel change across the enterprise. Employees want to feel safe and supported when they share feedback, but they also want to know that their suggestions will influence improvements and adjustments in the way the company operates. Communicate how you plan to use their ideas and keep them up-to-date at every stage of development. Not only will this promote trust and transparency throughout the entire company, but it will also establish a precedent for how leaders handle employee feedback in the future.

 

Recognize

While employees might be motivated by a desire to provide the best possible customer experience at the start, they’ll inevitably become fatigued if their efforts go unrecognized. Company leadership must constantly be on the lookout for top performers so they may recognize and reward these employees for going above and beyond expectations. Ideally, leaders will set balanced goals based upon achieving key performance indicators (KPIs) for customer satisfaction and loyalty. It’s also important for leaders to recognize and reward both groups and individuals for their customer experience efforts, as some successes are collaborative, while others result from the actions of one lone individual. Companywide awards offer leaders the opportunity to declare their appreciation publicly, but employees should also be compensated for attaining measurable customer satisfaction gains.

Not sure what steps your team should take when launching your company’s own recognition program? Learn more about CRMI’s Employee Rewards Program here.

 

Educate

If your company’s truly invested in its employees, leaders will also be eager to invest in their continued education. In an era where technology evolves at breakneck pace, it’s often difficult for employees to remain knowledgeable about every possible twist or turn on the customer’s path to purchase. Thus, by committing to a continuous CEM training program, which includes both soft, people skills and technical or job-based competence, leadership demonstrates its desire to help staff members be the best they can be. Plus, advanced-level instruction can ultimately pay big dividends for your company and provide career advancement opportunities for employees, which benefits everyone involved.

Not sure how to boost your employees’ customer relationship skills? Learn more about CRMI’s certified CEM Professional (CEMPRO) training here.

Destructive data mistakes in customer experience

CX Network looks at two data mistakes that hinder customer experiences: Data silos and the big data myth.

It is a fact of business that poor data practices have the ability to do real damage to customer relationships. After all, as Emmanuel Obadia , VP of Marketing at Oracle, states: “Data is the foundation upon which you can build the entire customer experience (CX) effort. It’s blood to CX. If you don’t have data, you can’t go anywhere.”

When customer data resides in several isolated pockets in a portfolio, the conflicted customer view can trip up multiplay providers when they attempt to identify a customer across multiple lines of a business. If a brand fails to recognise that a customer is simultaneously subscribed to various products they could send communications that are anything but targeted: For instance, sending a customer an enticing offer for a product they already have at a lower price point than they paid for it. During a time where people expect convenience and personalisation, this sort of insulting mistake can do real damage to a customer’s perception of a brand and even push them to switch to a competitor company.

It’s not just a lack of data integration that can be harmful; too much integration can be damaging when you have several groups in a company capturing data. Flimsy governance procedures could result in customers suffering from “creepy” experiences where they are unsettled by unexpected preemptive actions. This can occur when data is borrowed or cross-referenced between divisions in a company. Safeguarding procedures are needed to ensure that customers retain control.

Poor data practices like these will hold companies back from progressing to providing sophisticated predictive customer experiences. A truly unified view of customer data is integral to unleashing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), or more specifically, machine learning in a compliant manner.

In this article we look at two data mistakes that are hindering customer experiences: Data silos and the big data myth.


Data silos

Data silos were labelled as the top customer experience challenge by CX Network members in our latest research. Many organisations across the world struggle to bring innovation into their businesses because of legacy systems. A lack of interoperability between systems results in data being trapped within individual sections of the tech stack. This forces companies to compromise on the quality of the end product and experience due to antiquated (but well-embedded) technology. Despite it being a tall challenge, especially in larger companies, it is a mistake for brands to ignore the value of breaking down data silos.

 

How to overcome silos 

Betty Chuah, senior manager of EMEA retailer consumer insights at Volvo Cars, notes the importance of having a global CX team with the global responsibility to govern the CX vision and battle silos.

“In many companies the IT department was founded many years ago to handle all the information from customers and today they are in separate departments,” she explains. “I [have] seen some companies have combined digital and customer experience departments and are striving towards having one customer dataset to have the complete customer journey map out and control all the data.”

Darya Vselubsky customer success manager at travel software start-up Triptease, agrees that transparency is vital to defeating data silos and innovation blocks.

“Transparency is the key to overcoming any data silos and listening to the customer needs,” Vselubsky remarks. “Customer success teams in general are really crucial as they’re the glue that will connect customers to data to product.

“Product teams may have an idea of customer needs and some of the things that they can do with data. But unless there is transparent communication, which is of course nurtured by customer success teams, there will be misunderstandings that could lead to product development that’s not easy to use or necessary, which will lead to churn and product failure.”

 

Overcoming silos 

In the eyes of James Alexander, Decisioning Director at London based media company Sky, the key to enhancing the digital customer experience for connected customers starts around the concept of identity, gluing together all the different interactions as much as possible into an actionable profile.

Alexander explains: “First of all, it allows you to get much better visibility of what’s going on with your customers. In particular, how they interact with you on your websites, your apps, your call centre and other channels across all of those silos in the organisation. Combining this with key bits of core customer data provides an incredibly rich asset that allows you to really understand your customers.

“Typically, as you integrate the data and marketing technologies to construct the customer profile, it also allows you to go in the other direction and execute a tailored experience at the individual account level.”

 

Big data myth

Another data mistake that causes fragmented experiences is the misconception that quantity is more important than quality. ‘Big data’ as a phrase isn’t as prevalent as it was a few years ago. As mentioned by CX expert Shep Hyken in The Big Book of Customer Insight, Data and Analytics 2018: “Big data is really another way of saying too much data, and when you have too much it gets confusing.” In fact Sherif Mityas, Chief Experience Officer at TGI Fridays, believes the quantity-over-quality viewpoint is perhaps the biggest data mistake a company can make.

Mityas says: “The biggest mistake is thinking you need to have all the data. When we first started TGI Fridays, everyone told us: ‘You have to collect all the data, create the data links and put all the data into one system.’ There was the assumption that more data was better, but this is false. More data is just more noise; it’s not relevant and it’s expensive.

“Instead, it’s about collecting the right data, the data that will create a difference in the action you want to deliver. Data that will inform your AI tools to create a better, relevant and more personalised message.”

A blind focus on data quantity over quality could have damaging results when it comes to AI. Thierry Derungs, Chief Digital Officer at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, acknowledges that AI is always starving for data and “its hunger is gastronomic”, but he maintains that data quality is still compulsory.

“[The classic phrase is] garbage in = garbage out, but with AI it is even stronger because it’s garbage in = total mess out,” remarks Derungs. “You really need to understand what your intelligence is doing, especially if you have machine learning or deep learning. If you cannot be sure that your data at the entry is of the top quality, then understanding what your intelligence is indicating or building as a model will be very difficult.”

 

The power of data quality over quantity

Shep Hyken notes that the best people in marketing analytics will be aware that they only need a few select, but crucial, pieces of data to complete their objectives.

“You’ve got to look at who are we going after and what data is important, and recognise that you can’t be all things to all people,” Hyken explains.

“Systems today are more powerful than ever and have made it easier than ever to understand your different customer segments,” he adds. “Most companies typically have four to six main types of customers. When you understand what those four to six are, then you recognise you don’t need to be everything to everybody, but be as much as you can to those four to six groups of customers and split them up, market to them appropriately and service them appropriately.”

Interested in conquering your data mistakes? Join hundreds of other CX practitioners at CXN Live: Customer Insights and Analytics for exclusive data strategies from the likes of Paypal, TGI Fridays and start-up Triptease. 

Want to Capitalize on Customer Service Excellence? These 14 Key CX Marketing Activities Can Help.

Of the three primary disciplines in business—marketing, sales, and service—customer service has the power to make your company stand out amongst the competition. After all, a recent American Express survey stresses that seven out of 10 U.S. consumers say they have spent more money to do business with a company that delivers great service. Yet, while countless companies offer excellent service, few take the time to tout their CX strategy, thereby leaving them to blend with their competitors.

“Customer service is of critical importance to your business because it’s key to retaining the customers you close and extracting more value from them,” Swetha Amaresan writes for HubSpot. “By providing top-notch customer service, businesses can recoup customer acquisition costs and cultivate a loyal customer base that will refer friends and colleagues, serve as case studies and testimonials, and write customer reviews.”

Amaresan adds that, not only are happy customers more understanding and less sensitive, but they’re also your brand’s best advocates, as they can convince prospective new customers of your company’s merits more effectively that your own marketing materials and salespeople ever possibly could.

Customer service, therefore, plays an increasingly pivotal role in your company’s continued success, as today’s saturated, fast-paced market leaves little room for error (or modesty).

“With consumers facing so many choices with who to do business with, you need to set yourself apart from the rest,” R.L. Adams explains for Entrepreneur. “What makes you different? What added value do you bring to the table? Why should a customer work with you rather than your competitor? We’ve all heard the horror stories of people dealing with poor customer service. Yet, we seldom hear the raving-fan stories.”

But your brand has the power to highlight these stories and share its successes. By embracing these 14 key CX marketing activities, your team can use its own history of superior service to support its legacy of satisfaction and loyalty

 

 1.  Customer Satisfaction Annual Report

Much like your company’s annual fiscal report, this summary allows you to convey the results of your customer experience strategy with your stakeholders and customers.

 

2.  Voice of the Customer Video

Interview your top executives to provide the public with high-level insight into your CX strategy and what you are doing to sustain customer loyalty.

 

3.  Case Studies & Customer Testimonials

Allow your stakeholders and customers to shine the light on your success by sharing their own stories and experiences with your brand and expertise.

 

4.  CX Certified Report Card

By partnering with an outside analytics organization, your brand can provide customers and prospects with a third-party audit of your company’s exceptional customer satisfaction data.

 

5.  Intelligent Visual Communications

Project your CX content in real time via dynamic, multimedia LED dashboard displays and handheld devices to promote and improve transparency.

 

6.  CX Infographic

Share the story behind your CX strategy and how you serve your customers through engaging graphics that clearly highlight your brand’s continued efforts to satisfy and delight.

 

7.  Public Relations

Make sure customers and prospects are sufficiently informed by sharing your successes through news releases, newsletters, white papers, and other such collateral.

 

8.  Social Media

Connect with your customers and prospects where they live by tapping into social networks, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to share your wins and announcements.

 

9.  Live Video Streaming

Create an online event that captures your CX story as it happens and reach your customers and prospects by embracing today’s most engaging, fastest growing medium.

 

10.  CX Podcasts

Participate in or develop a branded podcast that highlights your CX story so customers and prospects can listen to at their convenience.

 

11.  CX Webcasts

Join an established webcast or develop your own series so your company can tout its successes and your top executives can demonstrate their expertise in their industry.

 

12.  Competitive Satisfaction/Loyalty Analytics

Demonstrate your CX strategy’s effectiveness by illustrating its measurable business impact through competitive satisfaction and loyalty analytics that reinforce your success.

 

13.  Customer Events

Invite customers and prospects to come together so you can simultaneously show your appreciation and highlight your company’s countless CX success stories.

 

14.  CX Awards

Leverage industry awards, such as CRMI’s NorthFace Scoreboard and CEMPRO, to demonstrate and reinforce your brand’s customer service excellence within its industry.

Not sure where to begin? Reach out to CRMI directly for quickstart tips and successful hints that will help your brand stand out amongst the fiercest competitors in your industry.

You’ve Defined Your Brand’s Flaws and Foibles — Now You Need An Effective Corrective Action Plan

Much like your annual New Year’s Resolutions, the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) comes into play after you’ve taken stock of your brand’s faults and failures. After all, you’ve gathered business intelligence, implemented data analytics, and embraced the benchmark process throughout the past quarter, so you’re completely in-tune with what works (and what doesn’t) across your company. Now, however, it’s time to grab that metaphorical hammer so you can knock down what’s beyond repair and rebuild what needs to be fixed.

Whether you’re responding to direct customer feedback, or identifying weak spots within your strategy, corrective action plans empower your brand to restore customer service to its full potential. In return, these measures will ultimately influence your company’s preventive action plans, as you will be able to look ahead and remain aware of any problems that might be lurking underneath the surface of your present strategy.

According to OpenEI’s definition, both corrective and preventive action plans consist of improvements made to an organization’s processes in an effort to eliminate causes of non-conformities or other undesirable situations. “It is usually a set of actions that laws or regulations require an organization to take in manufacturing, documentation, procedures, or systems to rectify and eliminate recurring nonperformance.” While corrective actions are implemented in response to customer complaints, unacceptable levels of product non-conformance, issues identified during an internal audit, as well as adverse or unstable trends in product and process monitoring, preventive actions are implemented in response to the identification of potential sources of non-conformity.

But what goes into creating an effective corrective action plan exactly? Follow these five steps as you draft your strategy:

1.  Define the problem.

Before you can tackle the problem, you must define the problem. Be sure to remain clear and concise so all parties involved are on the same page. Once you understand what’s wrong, you can then begin to make it right. Determine what’s happening and how it contradicts your intention. From here, your team can develop a road map that leads your brand back to its ideal destination. If you can name the issue at hand, you can ultimately find its solution. Be sure to listen to your customers constantly, as they will be your most reliable source for insight into the issues that arise during their regular interactions with your company.

2.  Establish accountability.

Once you’ve determined the problem and developed the solution, you must establish accountability among those who are tasked with rectifying the issue. Each party must know what they’re responsible for in this scenario and how their actions contribute to the greater good of the project in question. They need to know the value of their role in detail to ensure that their performance remains consistent and strong. These team members must understand how to operate independently and jointly in order to comprehend how their specific role feeds into the bigger picture. By assigning small, more manageable tasks, you also empower more employees to become invested in the company’s overall success, as they now have the capacity to impact its future CX strategies.

3.  Create quantifiable solutions.

There’s no way to prove your actions will have the desired impact if you don’t create solutions that can be measured over time. You want to fix the problem for good, after all. However, companies have been known to implement changes they assume will remedy the issue, only to find that the problem persists. They neglect to map their approach and assess their progress. They believe they know what’s best and what will work even though their prior failures prove otherwise. Thus, when you finally decide to put the CAP into action, you need to understand which key performance indicators (KPIs) you plan to observe and measure so you can regularly evaluate its impact on CX.

4.  Set attainable deadlines.

While problems certainly don’t adhere to any sort of calendar, your solutions should. When you choose to implement your solution, you must also set up a timeline in order to measure your corrective action plan’s effectiveness. Some issues might take longer to resolve than others, so your deadline must allow your team enough time to address the problem and implement the solution. Each solution might also require multiple steps on the path to complete implementation, so your employees might benefit from a series of deadlines that afford them the freedom to proceed with diligence and care. Deadlines serve as check-ins, essentially, so these instances will provide your team with ample opportunity to examine its progress and realign their approach, if necessary.

5.  Monitor progress regularly.

Because the aforementioned deadlines give you and your team numerous opportunities to review your progress, everyone involved can easily monitor the solution’s success in real time. While it’s important to establish the baseline concept for the solution to your problem, the hypothesis driving your team’s work might not prove accurate over time. Customers can be unpredictable and how they react to your response might not be what you expected. Thus, it’s critical to continually monitor how the changes you’ve enacted are performing under the scrutiny of those for whom it was intended all along. How you feel about the solution and how customers feel about the solution don’t always align, so your CAP must account for their perspectives at every stage.