Heart&SOLE

5 TIPS FOR CREATING AND KEEPING

CUSTOMER LOYALTY Inspire yourself with these 5 essentials

steps to creating loyal customers >>> page 12

w w w.thecustomersshoes.com ISSUE 04 - Dec 2013

HOW MUSIC CAN RADICALLY EFFECT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCEHas your organisation harnessed the power of music yet? >>> page 26

SUPPORTING GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

INSIDE JOHN LEWIS Hear what a former Customer

Experience Manager has to say about their practice

>>> page 20

10 WAYS TO CREATE A GREAT CUSTOMER CULTURE Forget your dull missions statement and learn how to create a corporate culture your organisation is passionate about>>> page 22

TRUST ME I 'M A SHOPPER!

Cher yl Gregor y - MD & Editor

A p e r s o n a l t a k e o n t h e t r u s t t h a t l i e s b e t w e e n a b u s i n e s s a n d i t s c u s t o m e r s .

thought for the issue:

“Do you trust me?” I t ' s a reasonable enough quest ion, and an

impor tant one. At some point i t wi l l crop up in most of the re la-

t ionships we forge in l i fe. A few weeks ago I was in France. Now

don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore French culture, the scen-

er y, i ts people and the language. From the moment my easyJet

f l ight touches down, I am always in my element and I don’t mean

to spoi l my seamless ly per fec t French ‘bubble’, but my latest

exper ience in a French supermarket went far below my idea of a

great customer exper ience! E .Leclerc, the supermarket in ques-

t ion, i s a French hypermarket chain with more than 500 locat ions

throughout France and 116 in other European Countr ies.

As you enter the French supermarkets, you wi l l f ind a l l the t rol -

leys are chained together and without the mandator y Euro coin

to set them loose, you are in for a non-star ter f rom the outset .

But my real negat ive exper ience occured when enter ing the store.

As I walked through the doors, a secur i t y guard glanced at me

INDEX

p2 Trust me I 'm a shopper

p4 7 Strategies for Successful

Cultural Change in Your Organisat ion

p6 John Lewis ' Customer Journey

p8 I ntroducing OurTrainingCloud

p10 How Do Our Emotions Play Such a

Huge Par t in the Customer Exper ience

p12 5 Tips for Creat ing and Keeping

Customer Loyalt y

p14 Ex treme Corporate Team Bui lding

p16 On The Shel f

p18 20 Ways to Create a D ynamic and

Motivated Team

p20 I ns ide John Lewis - An I nter v iew

p22 10 Ways to Create Great A Great

Corporate Culture

p24 Be Remark able

p26 I nner Sole - How Music Can

R adical ly Ef fec t the Customer

Exper ience

HEAR T & SOLE is

publ ished quar ter ly by

The Customer 's Shoes Ltd

w w w.thecustomersshoes.com

Issue #4 - December 2013

Al l r ights reser ved © 2013

2 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E T R U S T M E I ' M A S H O P P E R

with host i le eyes. “Madame, No bags a l lowed”

he br ist led with sel f - impor tance in French,

look ing down at my exist ing shopping bag

f rom another shop. Tak ing my bag f rom me,

he proceeded to wrap i t completely in c l ing

f i lm by machine, as one would f ind back at the

a i rpor t to wrap suitcases in order to protec t

them against thef t and damage. Ac t ions speak

louder than words : “ We just don’t t rust you” is

ac tual ly what the store was saying. “ I n fac t we

distrust you so much that we are going to seal

your bag as we think you are going to steal

something!”

M y feel ings at this point - ex tremely bel i t t led!

L i f t ing my lowered head f rom the depths of

my empt y t rol ley, I fe l t I was being accused of

a s in . I t was as i f I had a l ready done my shop

and lef t the store with a ‘Saucisson’ stuf fed up

each s leeve and a couple of pumpk ins hidden

in each cup of my bra! I cont inued my food

shop feel ing unsett led.

So, you may ask ; the point of your rant? Wel l ,

th is ra ises a ver y impor tant quest ion in a cus-

tomer ’s exper ience; do you trust me? The way

we treat our customers c lear ly demonstrates

your levels of t rust in them… but imagine

posing this ver y quest ion to your own busi -

ness customers, what do you think their reply

would be? Customers are both caut ious and

sav v y to market ing tr icks, and businesses

are constant ly faced with the chal lenge of

‘del ight ing’ of ten c ynical consumers.

Emotional t rust i s fundamental to the success

of any business, giv ing your customer a

feel ing of being valued and cared for. This

emotional t rust can sometimes c loud consum-

er ’s objec t iv i t y so i t real ly i s a power ful and

impor tant force to harness correc t ly. Under-

standing which touch points are most

impor tant to your customers is key to bui ld-

ing this t rust . How are your brand opinions

f ramed, and what speci f ica l ly dr ives your

customers desi re to use you or not?

Only once these quest ions are answered,

can the programmes, systems and processes

be bui l t to del iver a great customer expe -

r ience. I n general the supermarket sec tor

of fers a good customer exper ience with

competit ion being so intense nowadays.

But brands must keep up with what custom-

ers real ly feel and want – and f ind a way

to demonstrate to customers that they can

trust they are work ing with these desi res in

mind, at a l l t ime.

‘ The real i t y of ‘my ’ shop made me feel as i f

I looked as ‘dodgy ’ as hel l , a l though I k new

darn wel l I wasn’t ! At that moment I fe l t l ike

the gui l t iest women on the planet ! Yes, I

would have been embarrassed to have been

caught with a camember t stuf fed into my

middle pocket , but feel i t was a bit unfai r

I had to go about the supermarket with a

the face of a beetroot with nothing to be

ashamed of ! Do your customers t rust you?

I t ’s a lways a good star t to show them that

you trust them too!

Enjoy this I ssue of 'Hear t & Sole’ Happy

Reading!I S S U E 0 2 3

T R U S T M E I ' M A S H O P P E R H E A R T & S O L E

7 Strategies For Successful Culture Change I n Your Organisat ion

The cont inuing rate of change in our organisat ions is unprecedented, and managers are look ing to re invent their cultures to achieve opt imum results in their markets for success.

‘ I Can See Clearly Now!’

4 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E S T R A T E G I E S F O R S U C C E S S F U L C U L T U R E C H A N G E

Strategies For Successful Culture Change I n Your Organisat ion

1. Create A Sense O f Urgenc y Share the need to ac t now rather

than later. Develop a c lear sense of urgenc y.

2 . I nspire and Grab Attent ion People get disor iented and fear

res istance when change is suggested. Communicate a

compel l ing and inspir ing v is ion to grab stakeholder attent ion.

3 . Quick Wins Seek easy wins ear ly to help over-

come the inevitable res istance you’ l l come across.

4 . Be Pass ionate About Change

New cultures need rule changes and to people who make those rules. Be pass ionate ; surround

yoursel f with people who are wi l l ing to stand up to res istance.

5 . Reward On I nvestment People l ike to be rewarded for being chal lenged in ways they

are unfamil iar with . Reward new ideas and changes to prevent

res istance. Reward champions chosen to promote your cause.

6 . Fol low Up, Check Results ; Keep Reminding

Hold people in your team accountable for mak ing progress

toward the v is ion. People wi l l rever t to their o ld ways i f they

lose s ight of i t . Keep a f i rm gr ip on progress, reac t

to where res istance l ies.

7 . E l iminate Old Think ing And Patterns

G ain credibi l i t y and respec t by e l iminat ing the diehard

behaviours and old organisat ional thought

patterns. People f ind i t a problem to progress i f they feel

surrounded by others with the old thought processes.

What have you found to be effect ive in your organisat ion with your culture change in it iat ives?

I S S U E 0 2 5

S T R A T E G I E S F O R S U C C E S S F U L C U L T U R E C H A N G E H E A R T & S O L E

Adver tis ing has a lways been notor ious in i ts des ign to manipulate i ts audience. With a lmost no f reedom of express ion adver t is ing direc tors are

pressur ised to produce forms of market-ing which wi l l lure i ts customers to buy. Lately, I watched the new J L Chr istmas adver t . Stunned by the length and ex tent producers had gone to this year to con-nec t with customers in their own homes, I learnt i t cost the reta i ler £1 mi l l ion to make and £6 mi l l ion to purchase a i r t ime in which to broadcast . Have you seen i t yet? Us ing a combinat ion of hand- drawn animation and 3D sets, th is i s the ta le of a specia l woodland f r iendship bet ween a bear and a hare. JL a lso createdTwitter accounts for the stars of the c l ip and there 's a downloadable eBook te l l ing the hear t-warming stor y to lure customers fur ther.

Then there 's L i ly Al len. Having recent ly taken the t ime out to star t a fami ly, she has marked her comeback to music in this Chr istmas adver t , in which she s ings a cover of Keane's smash hit 'Somewhere Only We K now ’ Andy Street , J L's CEO says of th is latest expensive T V adver t “i t pays t r ibute to a l l of our most memorable chi ldhood Chr istmases” Ad ’s are a way of gett ing away f rom the interrupt ion of pushing messages at people and instead us ing enter ta inment and ‘emotional ’ connec t ions, but has this gone a ‘budget ’ too far? An ad is a l l about engaging with custom-ers. Each brand has to f ind the best way to do that . Watching an Ad in the comfor t of your home por trays a ver y strong human message. A customer who watches an ad at Chr istmas is the same one who cal ls customer ser v ice, shops onl ine and ta lks with f r iends about produc ts they pur-chase. Success depends on brand abi l i t y to

Are they hitt ing the r ight touch points on the customer journey?

John Lewis

6 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E J O H N L E W I S - T H E C U S T O M E R J O U R N E Y

to inspire consumers with a promise and del iver excel lent per formance across ev-er y customer exper ience and ser v ice.

The impor tance of the out- of-box- expe -r ience stage of the customer journey is not to be taken l ight ly. Two -way inter-ac t ions are those that can be in-person (such as in a store) the phone, on web s i tes, b logs, socia l net work and so on.

JL has done a superb job of bui ld ing hype around i ts Chr istmas ads in recent years ; 2012, 2011, 2007, 2008, but per-haps this year they have gone a l i t t le too far, how much more connec ted do you think they wi l l be with their customers compared to past years? Should you be look ing at how you connec t with your customers? What speci f ic touch points are you target ing for 2014?

• Are your touch points address ing cus -tomers’ motivat ions, and answer ing their quest ions or a l lay ing concerns? Are you work ing for your target customers?

• Are your touch points speak ing with a c lear tone, c lear message, and c lear words? Is your brand communicat ing ef-fec t ively and c lear ly?

• Are you address ing a l l your custom -ers’ under ly ing needs? Are these going unstated and therefore neither you nor your competitors are solv ing them?

• Do you di f ferent iate yoursel f f rom competitors and help reta in your customers?

• Are your customer champions c lear ly def ining the customer journey in your organisat ion? For a l l the cr i t ic ism J L may have, many of i ts customer ’s ‘do’ get into the Chr ist-mas spir i t . With the enormous pr ice paid are we intending to rush out and v is i t our nearest J L - or even do the bulk of our shopping there? I suppose the answer l ies with you!

And, f inal ly for fun. . .Here’s what Waterstones have recent ly t weeted, “ We spent a LOT of money on this total ly or iginal Chr istmas adver t . John Lewis? Never heard of h im”

Happy Shopping!

I S S U E 0 2 7

J O H N L E W I S - T H E C U S T O M E R J O U R N E Y H E A R T & S O L E

W E D E L I V E R YO U R S U CC E S S A N D FAC I L I TAT E W H O L E S O M E L E A R N I N GOur t ra ining is del ivered by our pro -fess ional team who are leaders in their f ie ld, with course content that i s based on a power ful combinat ion of prac t ica l industr y-speci f ic exper ience and the latest research.

We can del iver our of f the shel f open courses, modules or unique tra ining sess ions at a t ime and locat ion that suits you and your employees.

W E D E S I G N E N G AG I N G , CO S T E F F E C T I V E I N T E R V E N T I O N S T H AT D E L I V E R G R E AT R O IOur t ra ining courses are speci f ica l ly des igned to enable your delegates to take a struc tured approach to t ra ining design, us ing a competenc y based approach. Al l our course content is ta i lor-made by our team to suit the speci f ic needs of your organisat ion.

We combine industr y-speci f ic k nowledge with our profess ional teaching and tra in-ing exper t ise to design courses that wi l l accurately meet the t ra ining and development needs of your business

W E D E V E LO P CO M P R E H E N S I V E S O LU T I O N S T H AT L E A D TO M E A S U R A B L E R E S U LT SAl l our courses and tra ining programmes wi l l be a per fec t match to the sk i l l and profess ional development requirements of your organisat ion. We wi l l help by work ing a longside you and assess ing your business and tra ining needs as a bespoke ser v ice.

We wi l l provide your employees with t ra ining mater ia l of the highest qual i t y. We wi l l des ign a course speci f ica l ly to suit your needs or we may a l ready have an exist ing course that fu l f i l s your objec t ives, which may a l ready suit your company.

Welcome to ‘OurTrainingCloud’ a new studio for a l l your t ra ining

course design, development and del iver y needs.

I ntroducing. . .

8 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E O U R T R A I N I N G C L O U D

W E D E L I V E R YO U R S U CC E S S A N D FAC I L I TAT E W H O L E S O M E L E A R N I N GOur t ra ining is del ivered by our pro -fess ional team who are leaders in their f ie ld, with course content that i s based on a power ful combinat ion of prac t ica l industr y-speci f ic exper ience and the latest research.

We can del iver our of f the shel f open courses, modules or unique tra ining sess ions at a t ime and locat ion that suits you and your employees.

Here are a few of our of f the shel f courses we of fer, for you to peek

at . . .

HOW TO BECOME A GREAT L ISTENER Communicat ion sk i l l s are at the hear t of ever y-thing we do each day, whether at home, at work , or at p lay.

This one - day workshop shows par t ic ipants how to become a great l i s tener and help them develop and prac t ice their ac t ive l i s tening sk i l l s .

M OT I VAT I N G YO U R W O R K F O R C EOur 3- day workshop is des igned for par-t ic ipants who want to develop their team leadership sk i l l s and unleash the ta lent of their indiv idual team members and i t shows par t ic i -pants how to go about developing high per formance teams.

H O W TO D E V E LO P H I G H P E R F O R M A N C E T E A M SOur one - day workshop on motivat ing your workforce wi l l help super visors and man-agers create a more dynamic, loyal , and energized work place.

w w w.our tra iningcloud.com

I S S U E 0 2 9

O U R T R A I N I N G C L O U D H E A R T & S O L E

How Do Our Emotions Play Such A Huge Par t I n The Customer Exper ience?Emotions have a huge role to play in our personal l ives, yet in the

business arena managers st i l l of ten turn a bl ind eye to this impor tant

fac t and the ef fec t i t has on their customer ’s behaviour and att i tude.

Here we have some examples of companies that have used emotions

and how Emotional I ns ights are impor tant as we move into 2014.

Do you have enough of an emo -t ional connec t ion with your cus-tomers to keep them? Are you communicat ing the r ight k ind of messages to attrac t new custom-ers?

To create emotional connec t ions with customers requires more than just good branding and market ing. Deep emotional connec t ions with your customers results in unwaver ing con-sumer loyalt y. A company engaged in emotional branding a lways puts the needs of i ts customers ahead of the produc t i t i s se l l ing.

Photos courtesy of FastCompany

1 0 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E E M O T I O N S A N D T H E C E X

How Do Our Emotions Play Such A Huge Par t I n The Customer Exper ience?Emotions have a huge role to play in our personal l ives, yet in the

business arena managers st i l l of ten turn a bl ind eye to this impor tant

fac t and the ef fec t i t has on their customer ’s behaviour and att i tude.

Here we have some examples of companies that have used emotions

and how Emotional I ns ights are impor tant as we move into 2014.

STARBUCKS GETS IT ON TRACK“I wonder sometimes that our customers won’t understand truly what this took, We all know Starbuck’s but do you know that you can enjoy a cosy coffee with a full Starbuck’s store inside a train?

“Our stores are made not just to have a won-derful drink, but to connect and have a won-derful experience. We wanted to make sure it feels like a club and that you could see a per-son across the room, so the train feels more spacious”

COKES NEW CAN - SOLVING A PROBLEM NO ONE HAS Coca-Cola has recently released a new design, a chill activated can which allows the consumer to see how cold their Coca Cola is by displaying a graphic of ice cubes when chilled. Surely for the customer it should be obvious, but for the most part, no one needs to be visually told when something is cold or hot?

NIKE USE HEROISM TO INSPIRE CUSTOMER LOYALTY Nike advertising is one of the most effective emotional branding examples today. Their customer loyalty is off the charts, all thanks to their brand strategy and application of emotional branding. They use the emotional technique of Heroism to inspire customer loyalty all over the world.

I S S U E 0 2 1 1

E M O T I O N S A N D T H E C E X H E A R T & S O L E

5 Tips For Creat ing And Keeping Customer Loyalt y Did you k now there are some fundamental pr inciples for going the 'ex tra mi le ' for your customers?

C ustomer loyalt y is both a mindset and physiological inc l inat ion to prefer one brand above others. This can be

down to sat is fac t ion with a par t icular produc t or ser v ice, the convenience or per formance to the customer or s imply being k nowledgeable with the brand they have bought f rom over a long per iod of t ime.

1 2 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E C U S T O M E R L O Y A L T Y T I P S

I n essence sat is fy ing a customer is s imply not enough; you need to cont inual ly del ight them ever y day in ever y way. Go the ex tra mi le so they te l l great stor ies about you and your brand.

I nvest heavi ly in t ra ining to shi f t the mindset and sk i l l s of staf f to create customer exper iences that lead to strong word of mouth buzz at the same t ime.

The best way to keep your customers coming back is outstanding customer ser v ice. I nvolve customers in ever y step of the buying process, ensur ing i t i s their decis ion and not your push that gives them the oppor tunit y to buy your produc ts. I t i sn' t about mak ing shor t monetar y gains today ; i t ' s about keeping a customer for l i fe !

To sum up. . .1 . Get Your Customers To Love Your Produc t - - Give them tremendous value, make the produc t a del ight to use and give them great suppor t .

2 . Recruit Pass ionate People - - These people must be inspired and motivated to go the ex tra mi le for their customers.

3 . Have A Great Team Responsible For Customer Success - - This success is key to the growth of your business.

4 . Send Success Stor ies To Your Customers - - Fol low your customers up regular ly and ask for feedback which you can use to recommend your great ser v ices.

5 . Continual ly I mprove The Exper ience For Current And Future Customers - - I f a customer does not return, f ind out what they dis l iked about their exper ience of doing business with you.

E X T R E M E CO R P O R AT E

T E A M B U I L D I N GIs i t t ime to get out of the cubic le farm and get to k now your co -workers? We’ve rounded up some unusual and ex treme corporate team-bui lding ac t iv i t ies. Whi le we are not sure i f we’d ac tual ly want to par t ic ipate in some of these, one thing’s for sure : They ’re a l l excel lent fodder for sub -sequent coffee break goss ip!

Ignite Team Fun!

‘F lash Mobbing’ th is team bui ld -ing event is a l l about surprise, engagement, cohesion, r isk taking and energy. Your group wi l l quickly unite as they take the concept of a F lash Mob and transform it into what we cal l a F lash Team.

The Stairway to Heaven

The Stairway to Heaven, a lso known as the Haiku Stairs , is a ser ies of approximately 3922 concrete steps c l imbing 2800 feet through lush jungle to the often c loud-covered peak of Pu'u Keahi A Kahoe in Hawai i . every week about 100 daring hikers ignore the 'No

inspire with

1 4 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E T E A M B U I L D I N G

S O F I N A L LY; What are your thoughts on mandatory team-bui ld ing act iv it ies?

Do you think they’re awkward and a waste of t ime? Or have they proven to be helpful by increasing your motivat ion and product iv ity?

Have you ever part ic ipated in a b izarre or downright excruci -at ing team-bui ld ing act iv ity or retreat? Perhaps you could tweet us and let us know! Tweet us v ia @customers_shoes

E X T R E M E CO R P O R AT E

T E A M B U I L D I N G

Trespassing' s igns and avoid guards stat ioned at the base in order to walk a long the mountain r idge.

I t 's not l ike ly your team wi l l ever c l imb this amazing mountain range, but i t is a great team talk ing point!

Bl indfold dr iv ing

What at f irst looked l ike a dr ive in the park, soon becomes a crazy course of wacky dr iv ing, strange noises, and weird manoeuvres.

This is the ult imate 4x4 tests, check out the course, p lan your route, load your team in the back, and put your b l indfold on and away you go.

I f you’re p lanning a team-bui ld -ing event for your off ice, how can you avoid having it become an event that people dread and complain about? This next horr i fy ing team bui ld ing exer -c ise is certain ly not one to try!

The Naked Truth

“In Japan, an ‘ innovat ive’ company came up with the idea of taking a bath with the boss and supervisors (a lthough only of the same gender) . I t was cal led ‘naked relat ionships’ and was thought to bui ld trust . After showering and wash-ing their hair in a group faci l -i ty , they sat in a bath (which is a natural hot spring) together to ta lk and bond. The idea was being naked, everyone was equal and would feel free to d iscuss things and joke about things that you wouldn’t in the off ice sett ing! !

I S S U E 0 2 1 5

T E A M B U I L D I N G H E A R T & S O L E

Exper iences that f i t the customer per fec t ly .

Uncomfor table exper iences for the customer - companies that need a customer exper ience ref i t t ing!

A look at the good, the bad and the ugly in customer ser v ice over the last few months.

On the Shel f. . .Golden Shoe

21 E XC E L L E N T R E A S O N S TO F O L LO W WAT E R S TO N E S OX F O R D S T R E E T O N T W I T T E R @WstonesOxfordSt show ever yone else how to do socia l media whi le teaching their Customers ever ything they need to k now about books. 21 reasons here

One Odd Shoe

f l ick r : l i t t le blue hen

S O DA S T R E A M C U S TO M E R S E R V I C E “ F I N D S I T H I L A R I O U S T H AT I T S P R O D U C T S S E N D M E S T R A I G H T TO T H E TO I L E T ” I was given a Sodastream for Chr istmas. However, ever y t ime I used i t , and drank my soda, I have the worst d iarrhoea I have ever had. Almost instant ly ! Have you had others with this i ssue? Is i t the carbonat ion, the c i t r ic ac id? What do you suggest?” ‘Giant customer ser v ice faux pas’ A CSR or someone else within the company wrote : “ Wel l , she’s not shy, i s she?!”

1 6 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E O N T H E S H E L F

Exper iences that are completely lack ing! Ver y uncomfor table for the customer. . .

f l ick r : l i t t le blue hen

S O DA S T R E A M C U S TO M E R S E R V I C E “ F I N D S I T H I L A R I O U S T H AT I T S P R O D U C T S S E N D M E S T R A I G H T TO T H E TO I L E T ” I was given a Sodastream for Chr istmas. However, ever y t ime I used i t , and drank my soda, I have the worst d iarrhoea I have ever had. Almost instant ly ! Have you had others with this i ssue? Is i t the carbonat ion, the c i t r ic ac id? What do you suggest?” ‘Giant customer ser v ice faux pas’ A CSR or someone else within the company wrote : “ Wel l , she’s not shy, i s she?!”

' F R I E N D LY ' S ' B A R O F F E R S M O S T U N F R I E N D LY B I L LWhen a bar i s ca l led Fr iendly 's , one would expec t the atmosphere to be, how do you say i t , f r iendly?A recent customer thinks the water ing hole is anything but congenial , and has a receipt to prove i t !

S I D E O F S L I M E ’ C U S TO M E R C L A I M S H E F O U N D A W H O P P E R O F A S LU G I N H I S S A N D W I C HA Burger K ing customer bit into his food to discover an unwanted ex tra topping - a s lug.

G E T YO U R E X P E R I E N C E S F E AT U R E D H E R E !Where have you had memorable customer interac t ions, whether for the wrong or r ight reasons - let us k now! Emai l us now at : measureup@thecustomersshoes.com

I S S U E 0 2 1 7

O N T H E S H E L F H E A R T & S O L E

20 Ways to Create A D ynamic and Motivated Team

Across1. Team games3. To a l low for5. Bel ieve in your employees6. To g ive guidance7. Look forward8. Do not shy away from ideas9. Adherence to your team13. Aim towards an endeavour15. Expression of approval16. Possib i l i t ies r is ing l ike new mountains17. To do quest ionnaires, surveys

Down2. Share information and goals4. Employees development10. Give trust to your team11. To act or decide on one's own12. Responsive to change14. Chances of return from investment

Answers on page 25.

1 8 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E Q U I Z

2. Who should come first your people or your customers?

Across1. Team games3. To a l low for5. Bel ieve in your employees6. To g ive guidance7. Look forward8. Do not shy away from ideas9. Adherence to your team13. Aim towards an endeavour15. Expression of approval16. Possib i l i t ies r is ing l ike new mountains17. To do quest ionnaires, surveys

Down2. Share information and goals4. Employees development10. Give trust to your team11. To act or decide on one's own12. Responsive to change14. Chances of return from investment

Answers on page 25.

I S S U E 0 2 1 9

Q U I Z H E A R T & S O L E

INSIDE JOHN LE WIS

Former Customer Exce l lence Manager talks about her exper iences . . .

W e r e c e n t l y h a d t h e p l e a s u r e o f i n t e r -v i e w i n g B i n a K a n t a r i a , f o r m e r C u s t o m e r E x c e l l e n c e M a n a g e r f o r t h e J o h n L e w i s Par tnership, about her exper iences work ing for the UK’s most revered provider of excellent service. Below we share some of her comments;

H o w l o n g w e r e y o u w o r k i n g f o r J L ? I w a s w i t h J L j u s t u n d e r t h r e e y e a r s

W h a t w a s t h e s c o p e o f y o u r r o l e ?I n t h e s u m m e r o f 2 0 1 0 J o h n L e w i s h a d p l a n n e d t o o p e n t wo n e w Co n t a c t Ce n t re s a s p a r t o f t h e i r s t r a t e g y t o c e n t r a l i s e c u s -t o m e r s e r v i c e . I w a s b ro u g h t i n t o e n s u re t h a t t h e c u s to m e r s e r v i ce d e l i ve re d by t h e Contac t Centres was of the same high stan-d a r d a s t h a t d e l i v e r e d b y t h e b r a n c h e s . I w a s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a l l c o m m u n i c a t i o n t h a t i s v o i c e , e m a i l a n d w h i t e m a i l . I w a s a l s o r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e M y s t e r y S h o p -p i n g p r o g r a m m e f o r t h e C o n t a c t C e n t r e s . S o o n I w a s a l s o p u t i n c h a r g e o f t h e t e a m t h a t m a n a g e d e xe c u t i ve c o m p l a i n t s , t h o s e that were sent to the MD Andy Street I t was r e a l l y e x c i t i n g t o g l e a n c u s t o m e r i n s i g h t f r o m t h e s e s o u r c e s t o u n d e r s t a n d w h a t

t h e c u s t o m e r w a n t e d a n d s h a r e t h e i n s i g h t w i t h t h e P a r t n e r s t o i m p r o v e t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e .

W h e n yo u j o i n e d t h e c o m p a ny w h a t w a s t h e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t h e c u l t u r e t h a t s t r u c k y o u t h e m o s t ?

S omething that most organisat ions st r ive for i s for f i rst c lass employee engagement. Fro m d ay o n e i t w a s e v i d e n t t h a t a l m o s t a l l Pa r t n e r s we re awa re o f t h e co m pa ny ’s v is ion and strategy to be the number one retai ler. The customer ser vice ethos was so e n gra i n e d i n t h e m t h at i t wa s i n fe c t i o u s .

W h a t w a s t h e b i g g e s t c h a l l e n g e y o u faced with an organisat ion that i s a l ready f a m o u s f o r i t s c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e ?

I w a s a l s o h e a r i n g a n e c d o t e s o f c o m p l a -c e n c y. Th e re we re p o c k e t s o f ove r c o n f i -d e n c e a b o u t t h e c o m p a n y a n d i t s l e a d -e r s h i p o f c u s t o m e r e xc e l l e n c e. T h e c h a l -lenge for me was to communicate to these groups that customers are no longer wi l l -ing to pay for good customer ser vice. Good s e r v i ce i s ex p e c te d o f e ve r yo n e. B u t c u s-t o m e r s a r e h a p p y t o p a y e x t r a fo r g r e a t

2 0 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E I N S I D E J O H N L E W I S - A N I N T E R V I E W

great customer ser v ice, and encourage them to f ind innovat ive ways of del iver ing great customer ser v ice. The bar keeps r is ing with ever y interac t ion with the brand.

How focussed on the customer exper ience are management meet ings within stores, i .e i s the focus pr imar i ly on targets or i s the agenda equal ly shared with the customer exper ience?

Meet ings were focused equal ly on sa les and ser v ice but ‘sa les as a result of ser v ice’ was the message.

What 's the one lesson that other organi-sat ions can learn f rom JL in developing an award winning culture?

Look af ter your employees and the employ-ees wi l l look af ter your customers. L isten to your customers and ta i lor your ser v ices to your customers’ needs.

How s igni f icant an inf luence on employee per formance is the 'par tnership' ar range -ment for employees at JL?

The Par tnership model i s key to the organi-sat ion’s success. Employees are fu l ly aware that their own per formance wi l l impac t the bottom l ine. Therefore ever y Par tner works towards the success of the company k now-ing that they have a stake in the business too and wi l l get rewarded accordingly at the end of the year.

How connec ted are the senior management teams with the exper ience of employees in the shop f loor in the stores?

Management and employees work hand in hand on the shop f loor. Each one is as committed as the other. The work ethos is based around del iver ing excel lent ser-v ice to the customer.

Which brands did JL look to for inspira-t ion and ins ights into how they could improve the customer exper ience?

Amazon and Apple

What are you look ing for in your nex t career chal lenge?

I am look ing to work for an organisat ion that i s ser ious about invest ing in their employees in order to improve their cus-tomers’ exper ience. You can have a fan-tast ic produc t but i f you don’t have the r ight people, process and technology, you cannot del iver the r ight exper ience. Companies a lways ta lk about being cus-tomer centr ic but ver y few s ign of f the budgets !

I f you would l ike to brainstorm or col laborate on any of these

perspec t ives, contac t me at b inak antar ia@yahoo.co.uk or

https : //t witter.com/binak antar ia uk . l inkedin.com/in/binak antar ia

I S S U E 0 2 2 1

I N S I D E J O H N L E W I S - A N I N T E R V I E W H E A R T & S O L E

quotes of the month

10 Ways to Create a Great Corporate Culture

The wi l l to win, the desi re to succeed, the urge to reach your fu l l potent ia l . . . these are the keys that wi l l unlock the door to personal excel lence.

CO N F U C I U S

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.

A L B E R T E I N S T E I N

Sign up for inspir ing CEX quotes at http://bit . ly/18blTni

01EMPHASIZE

YOUR COMPANY

CULTURE. Expla in

c lear ly your company ’s culture to

any new employee mak ing sure

they were hired in par t , because

of how they wi l l f i t in to your

c lose k nit team

Bor ing old miss ion statements never inspired anyone to ex tra hours on a projec t , no matter how great the weekend team-bui lding exerc ise was. Was the result just to get execut ives and employees to ‘buddy ’ up at lunch on Monday? No! !

The greater the ef for t to formal ize ‘cultural ’ away days and conf ine people to obl igator y ac t iv i t ies, the quicker the strength of a culture s l ips away.

Here are 10 ways you can introduce more process without smother ing your culture ;

02HIRE ONLY GREAT

PEOPLE. Remember

not to go with exper t ise

a lone. Choose great personal i t ies and

att i tudes to match your

company culture.

03GIVE CONTINUAL

FEEDBACK.

Col laborate l ike craz y.

Embrace a sense of purpose at

work . Measure your employees '

sat is fac t ion per iodical ly, and then

respond to their feedback . I f your

scores go up, convey your improve -

ments and give "credit" for i t .

2 2 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E C R E A T E A G R E A T C U L T U R E

03GIVE CONTINUAL

FEEDBACK.

Col laborate l ike craz y.

Embrace a sense of purpose at

work . Measure your employees '

sat is fac t ion per iodical ly, and then

respond to their feedback . I f your

scores go up, convey your improve -

ments and give "credit" for i t .

04GIVE CONTINUAL FEED-

BACK. Pr int day-to - day

operat ions on card i l lustrat-

ing the greatness of their impor tance.

Employees can hang the values at their

desks, mak ing them easy to share with work

col leagues.

05ALWAYS LOOK TO THE

FUTURE. Make sure you

a lways chal lenge your

business model . Ident i fy your business’s

"must- do pr ior i t ies" and then make sure

the management team is focused on these

goals . Without this set of shared pr ior i t ies

your company culture wi l l not take root .

06SHOW YOUR EMPLOYEES

YOU REALLY CARE.

Bui ld loyalt y among your

employees, show them you care about them

in ever y aspec t of their l ives. Find out their

interests outs ide the work ing environment

and then you can reward them in ways they

wi l l personal ly enjoy. Commemorate specia l

events with a card or a personal message.

07REINFORCE THAT WORK

SATISFACTION IS NOT ALL

ABOUT MONEY.

O f course ever ybody wants to earn great

money, but i t i s intr ins ical ly impor tant how

your employees feel when they are at work .

Ack nowledgement, respec t , recognit ion,

and a s imple " thank you." This wi l l go a long

way to bui lding this impor tant culture.08OFFER PROFESSIONAL

GROWTH AND DEVEL-

OPMENT Most of your

employees wi l l want to feel there is a

path to profess ional growth and a way

to better themselves in your

organizat ion. O ffer ing tra ining and

development programs that wi l l show

you are committed to their educat ion,

improvement, and advancement.

09CONVEY YOUR

COMPANY'S HIGHER PURPOSE

Your employees need to bel ieve

in something beyond just a " job." To bui ld a

successful company culture, s tar t s lowly. Any sol id

foundat ion wi l l take t ime to grow and f lour ish so

don' t rush. You’re here for the long haul !

10CULTURE CAN ALSO INCLUDE FUN

Make sure your employees k now they

can have some fun! I t ’s not about being

id iot ic , i t ’s about ac tual ly t r y ing to blur the l ine

bet ween personal and work l i fe in a profess ional

l ight hear ted way!

I S S U E 0 2 2 3

C R E A T E A G R E A T C U L T U R E H E A R T & S O L E

I ncreas ingly we use c l ichéd phrases

and metaphors in our work place to the

ex tent that they become rather i r r i -

tat ing and honest ly a bi t of a bore! A

Great Customer Exper ience requires cre -

at iv i t y and the abi l i t y to stand in your

‘ The Customer ’s Shoes’–whoops, here I

go Think ing ‘outs ide the box ’ i s an over-

used c l iché. But i t captures the idea

that you need to explore new think ing

and new poss ibi l i t ies.

To demonstrate this theor y, a group of

people sat ins ide a box whi lst others sat

outs ide. Results showed that the people

s i t t ing outs ide came up with more ideas

than those s i t t ing in , and that when

walk ing randomly you come up with

more thought processes than when

walk ing in a square.

B E R E M A R K A B L E.

Don’t Be Bor ing , Dul l And Life less! Put On Those Pink

Gloves And Start To

How much better would we be i f we

understood the meaning beyond these

metaphors and appl ied them to del iver

a Great Customer Exper ience?

Staf f at a hospita l in Amer ica did this .

They took the ‘outs ide the box ’ c l iché

ser iously and proved that they did not

need to be bor ing dul l and l i fe less, or

af ra id to take r isks for fear of being

seemingly unprofess ional . They showed

that you can exceed customer ’s expec-

tat ions, and yet have tremendous fun! 2 4 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E B E R E M A R K A B L E

Like a cast of ac tors in a play, some out-

per form others. But at the end of the day,

i t takes each one of us to play our par t .

I f you do not fo l low your scr ipt proper ly

you wi l l forget l ines and let your team

down.

Your organisat ion needs to make an

impor tant choice : wi l l you s i t i t out and

just read the c l ichés, or wi l l you learn

your l ines and step out with conf idence

and innovat ion l ike staf f in the glove

dance.

Can YO U make a di f ference when you are

told to step outs ide the box?

Whatever you decide I hope you can wear

those 'p ink gloves ' !

Answers to page 18 '20 Ways to Create A Dynamic and Motivated Team'

Across1. Act iv it ies

3. Considerat ion

5. Trust

6. Direct ion

7. Vis ion

8. Conf ident

9. Integrity

13. Goals

15. Praise

16. Opportunity

17. Assess

Down 2. Communicate

4. Train ing

10. Empower

11. Responsibi l i ty

12. F lex ib le

14. Risk

I S S U E 0 2 2 5

B E R E M A R K A B L E H E A R T & S O L E

I nner Sole. . .H O W M U S I C C A N

R A D I C A L LY E F F E C T T H E C U S TO M E R

E X P E R I E N C E

Organisat ions today are combin-ing the power of music to make authent ic connec t ions with their customers, and a lso see great benef i ts in their bottom l ine through a r icher shopping expe -r ience, deeper customer engage -ment, s t ronger af f in i t y and returning customers.

Here are some ways that music impac ts the shopping exper ience for brands and customers…

I N C R E A S E I N S A L E SSomething as s imple as se lec t ing music that has a s lower tempo of 73 beats per minute or less and managing the volume of the music wi l l l ike ly result in an increase in your bottom l ine.

O P T I M I Z E T H E E N V I R O N M E N TMany studies show the ef fec ts of music on emotional response, brand att i tude and purchase intent in an emotional adver t is -ing condit ion.

These studies show the re lat ion-ship bet ween music and customer feel ings.

I N C R E A S E B R A N D LOYA LT YMusic can be used to re inforce a posit ive exper ience and can lead to increased loyalt y to your brand. I n the batt leground for the hear ts and minds of custom-ers, music i s one of the most power ful tools that brands can use. Music has the power to make a brand instant ly recognised and loved. Here are some secrets !

And On A Final Note;

G E T YO U R C U S TO M E R S TO S I N G I N YO U R O W N F E E D B AC K C H O I R ! How about inspir ing your pros-pec ts and customers? What would be more of an inspirat ion than a bunch of your custom-ers s inging and te l l ing stor ies around your produc t? Al l you need to do is give them a voice to s ing in your feedback choir.

Af ter a l l , your ent i re custom-er ’s voice should be the compa-ny ’s organizat ional focus. I n any organisat ion customer feedback is your number one to market ing success.

2 6 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E I N N E R S O L E

Customer feedback is the most convincing and re l iable way to get more prospec ts into your sa les pipel ine. I s there more sol id proof than a real and personal success stor y on your website that val idates the usefulness and ef fec t iveness of your produc t? I f you have been watching the excel lent BBC programme ‘ The Choir ’ you can see the fabulous results of a customer- centred company.

Do you, your staf f or your cus-tomers s ing? Did you manage to take their voices and let them be heard? Go on, give i t a go!

I S S U E 0 2 2 7

I N N E R S O L E H E A R T & S O L E

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