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25.01.2022 Teams are not that different from your customers. In the same way you would research your customers to understand the health of your business, you should also undertake research into the health of your team. Researching your team should be conducted independently to encourage staff to be open and know their voice is protected and their responses are confidential.... One of the key questions we ask when we are conducting independent research is Would you recommend this company to your friends and family?. This question often uncovers the health of the business. If your staff are willing to recommend, then your company is in pretty good condition. Other answers from the research may raise some questions that have never been asked before. Overall, the research should uncover what drives your employees, how the team is feeling and what the most important improvements the company and its leaders can implement. When leaders are engaged, your team will be engaged, and when your team is engaged, your customers will be engaged. Have you undertaken research into the health of your team? What was the outcome? Share in the comments below. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

24.01.2022 There is a science and an art to developing service standards. Customer experience is largely subjective and based on feelings. This means that you cant be too prescriptive and specific with your service standards, because they will sound artificial and scripted. And you cant make them too loose and vague, because they wont be useful enough for your people. I have worked with many companies to help them to develop and deliver their service standards. ... A very small handful of companies will have a powerful service standard in place, and these are the exception. Many do not define their service standards at all and for the minority of companies that have developed service standards, most are not based on customer research at all. If you dont know what your customers want, you cannot possibly develop relevant service standards.

24.01.2022 One of the things I enjoy seeing is staff members who are given the freedom to inject their personality into their work rather than going through the motions. I recently experienced some exceptional customer service on one of my flights overseas, they were completely in the world of me, it made such a difference. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2qS54hy Get your aces in the right places. Put your best people in the frontline to deliver the 10/10 experience for your customers. T...hese are the people who will create those moments most talked about. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

23.01.2022 Many businesses will have some form of research, but the problem is that its usually only measuring the customers satisfaction not their experience. The research questions are too long and customers ignore it or the research asks the wrong questions. The NPS starts with a single question, and it takes very little effort for customers. The question is - How likely is it that you recommend your business to a friend or colleague, on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being Definitely... and 0 being Definitely Not? As a customer, youre much more willing to answer a simple question. Customers fall into three zones, these are promoters, passives and detractors. Promoters had a great experience and will sing your praises to other people. Passives received what was expected but the experience did not stand out to them and will be easily wooed by your competitors. Detractors are unhappy with their experience and will spread negative word-of-mouth and complain to others about you. Are you measuring your customers satisfaction or their experience?

23.01.2022 Businesses can provide exceptional customer experiences when they put themselves in the world of the customer. How are you getting into the world of your customers?

22.01.2022 When staff members in your organisation are loyal, your organisation will perform well. Sounds simple right? And you might be thinking, Wouldnt that be nice. You dont know my team, theyre hopeless! I tell them how important service is but no matter how hard I try it doesnt sink in! Measuring your organisations performance starts with measuring your staff word of mouth. ... Just as you would conduct a survey with customers, perform a brief and anonymous staff survey. Its important to have an independent person perform this research in a private setting so only the most honest conversations are captured. Staff will not open up and tell the truth if they feel like they will be targeted for their feedback. Then read what they have to say. It might be hard to swallow but the value of this research is worth its weight in gold. In many ways, this type of staff research is like your canary in the mineshaft; it will be a gauge for how the company is really doing.

22.01.2022 For many leaders, their motivations are different from the teams they lead. Leaders want to lead, they push themselves out of their comfort zones, to be stretched, to learn and grow, that is their mentality. Their team will think differently and have other motivations. Some will be motivated to progress their careers and others are okay where they are, theyre not looking to move up the ladder or into a senior role, theyre happy doing the job they do. And that is okay.... Teams are not that different from your customers. Customer loyalty and employee loyalty go hand in hand and in the same way you would research your customers to understand the health of your business, you should also undertake research into the health of your team. The answers may raise some questions that have never been asked before. Overall, the research should uncover what drives your employees, how the team is feeling and what the most important improvements the company and its leaders can implement. How has research benefited your leadership and team? Share in the comments below. If youd like to know more about undertaking research in your business, send me a message here and lets continue the conversation

21.01.2022 When a company takes value from its customer instead of adding value, the result is a bad profit. An example of bad profit is the story of a major car rental company in the US. Most car rentals have a 59 minute grace period for the customer to return the car before they are charged another day. On average, customers at this rental company brought the car back 45 minutes after the car was due to be returned. Knowing this, the company changed the grace period to 30 minutes th...inking theyd be able to make a lot of money from late returns. Rather than making an announcement for the change, the company placed a sign on the service counters only. Within 2 weeks the impact was felt from 6 of their largest clients who threatened to sack them. Good profit benefits both the customer and the business, this occurs when a business creates value to the customer and they keep coming back for more. These customers become your promoters and create good profit and growth that is sustainable. Are you loyal to a brand or business? What did they do well that earned your loyalty? Share your positive experience in the comments below. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network When a company takes value from its customers instead of adding value, the result is a bad profit.

20.01.2022 As leaders, giving feedback and is critical to enhancing performance with staff. People want to know how they can improve and that they are doing a good job. The same can be said for leaders. ... In their article Being a great leader means giving and receiving feedback, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman researched over 50,000 executives, they found that "Leaders who ranked at the top 10% in asking for feedback were rated, on average, at the 86th percentile in overall leadership effectiveness." Read here: http://bit.ly/34FFHxq Receiving feedback can be hard to accept at times, but it can uncover areas of our leadership we can improve on. What are your tips for receiving feedback? Share in the comments below.

20.01.2022 I recently stayed at an Art Hotel in Bendigo and they left a note on my bed saying jump on the bed, you know you want to! In all my years staying in many hotels, Ive never been invited to jump on the bed. What this hotel did was completely different from any other hotel I have stayed at, of course, I was not going to jump on the bed, but this note stuck with me. Other hotels have left a generic letter in my room which is expected once you have stayed with the same hotel be...fore. On occasion, I have received a handwritten letter instead, or a note in my morning paper saying hope you enjoy your day! Every interaction is an opportunity for the customer to form an impression. A business may have systems and procedures to be followed, but you can also allow some flexibility and give staff the freedom to inject their personality into their work. These experiences stood out for me and exceeded my expectations. How are you exceeding your customers expectations?

19.01.2022 Your customers hold the key to unlocking the ways you can improve the customer experience, it starts with asking the right question. Customers fall into three zones, these are promoters, passives and detractors. When you identify who your promoters, passives and detractors are, you can move on to understanding why the customer gave you those scores.... Of course you will always get detractors, but the goal is to get as few detractors as possible, because they will actively harm your business. Even vitriolic detractors can become your greatest advocates if you address their problem well. The group in the middle, the passives, theyre the most at risk. Sure they may be satisfied but their experience did not stand out, theyre not promoting you to their family and friends and are easily wooed by your competitors. You have a chance to learn from their experience and turn them from passives into promoters. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone How are you identifying your net promoters?

18.01.2022 Receiving feedback can be hard to accept at times, but it can uncover areas of our leadership we can improve on. Many years ago as a teacher in Primary School, a young boy from my class came up to me and said: Mr Cherry, you havent spoken to me for two weeks! As a person who prided myself of having good relationships with all kids in my class, I was surprised to hear this. I started to measure all of the interactions, I found that I only had one on one interaction with 2/3... of my students. These were the kids who loved sports, liked a bit of a joke and fun or kids that needed additional help with their work or had learning difficulties. What really made me sad was realising the other 1/3 of my class received the least amount of my attention, they made my job easier and just got on with their work. It was one of the biggest lessons I learned about being a teacher and ensuring I was interacting with everyone equally. I now apply the same principle within my own leadership and I dont hope that my staff will give me feedback, I ask for open and honest feedback in the areas I can improve. What steps can you take to encourage a feedback-rich environment?

18.01.2022 Checking in with your team is a great way for leaders to gain a clear understanding about their people. It provides the time to discuss any questions, concerns or ideas and problem solve on the spot. In last weeks update (http://bit.ly/2wr5y0q) we explored ways to set your team up for success through asking key questions before the working day, these questions establish the game plan and each team member understands their role in the game. The next step is to check in with y...our team. Like a sports game, how do you know youre winning while you are playing? Quite often in business, we spend large sums of money and recruit people and we dont find out the score until the game is over, by then, its too late. How are you checking in with your team throughout the working day?

18.01.2022 When companies dont understand the difference between good and bad profits, growth suffers, and you lose customers. Bad profits are those profits that might increase revenue but at the expense of the customer. Good profit benefits both the customer and the business, this occurs when a business creates value to the customer and they keep coming back for more. These customers tell their friends and family to also do business with you, they become your promoters and create goo...d profit for the company and to create growth that is sustainable. The key is to perform an overall evaluation of your business and identify the areas that bring harmful returns and then create the steps to change and improve those behaviours. Re-evaluating the business and making changes whether big or small, will bring in good profits and ensure you are in business for a long time to come. If youd like to know more about ways to create good profit with your business and teams, send me a message here and lets continue the conversation.

16.01.2022 Businesses that provide value know that their customers will keep coming back. These customers tell their friends and family to also do business with you, they become your promoters and create good profit for the company. For me, Im loyal to an airline in Australia. I may not always get a perfect experience on every flight but Im very loyal to them as a brand. Airlines provide great loyalty programs, its big business for them and aspirational too. Airlines know the numbers... and that it will pay off. Its not just a fancy card and great lounges, it comes with much more benefits than that, and overall you know your customer loyalty is valued and you will be well looked after. How are you rewarding your loyal customers? If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

15.01.2022 In their article Being a great leader means giving and receiving feedback, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman researched over 50,000 executives, they found that "Leaders who ranked at the top 10% in asking for feedback were rated, on average, at the 86th percentile in overall leadership effectiveness." (Article Link) This week I shared a story about feedback I received as a Primary School teacher many years ago now. I admit I was surprised, but soon discovered the young boy wh...o gave me the feedback was right and I was able to take action and be a better teacher to all of the 35 kids in my class. You can read more on this story in my latest update here: URL LINK Although feedback can be hard to accept at times, but it can uncover areas of our leadership we can improve on. How has receiving feedback improved your leadership? Share in the comments below. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

15.01.2022 Hearing the words Can I give you some feedback? can send us into a panic. This is because when we receive feedback, its usually when things are going wrong. Im certain you can recall many times in your career where you have been given feedback in some form, whether positive, negative or constructive. ... Giving feedback to your people is critical to getting the job done, but a typical mistake many leaders make is to focus on the negative, to catch people doing something wrong, and then correcting them. How often are you catching people doing something right, and giving positive feedback?

15.01.2022 Setting your team up for success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a daily occurrence of the team working together and being clear about the goals you want to accomplish. A manager or owner of a business is motivated to see the business succeed. Other people that work within the business may not be as motivated or driven like you, and that’s ok, but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to do a good job. ... As a leader, it’s your role to manage and guide and your team so they are motivated and productive in their roles. What are you doing to make sure your team is fired up and ready to go?

14.01.2022 Giving feedback to your people is critical to getting the job done, but a typical mistake many leaders make is to focus on the negative, to catch people doing something wrong, and then correcting them. Instead of focusing on what people are doing wrong, how often are you catching people doing something right, and giving positive feedback? In the HBR article Give Your Team More-Effective Positive Feedback, Christine Porath writes highlighting an employees strengths can hel...p generate a sense of accomplishment and motivation. A Gallup survey found that 67% of employees whose managers focused on their strengths were fully engaged in their work, as compared to only 31% of employees whose managers focused on their weaknesses. As a leader, make your focus on catching people doing something right, and you will be building a team that feels confident, appreciated and valued. It helps people to understand and develop their skills. And all this has a positive impact on individual, team, and organisational performance. What positive feedback techniques have you used or seen others use, was it effective? If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

13.01.2022 In the workplace, employers dont need to motivate their staff in the areas they are already motivated in. Natural motivation is the outcome of doing something you really like to do. You can stay motivated for long periods of time, and time passes by very quickly. There are of course other areas that require willpower and forced motivation. There is nothing natural or motivating about this. We all have things that we dont enjoy doing, and time seems to stand still. ... But it doesnt mean the task is not important, its usually something you dont enjoy doing as much. Identifying these task can allow your employer to put structures in place to help motivate and support you. The people in your team can also support and motivate you. This week weve been looking at things we enjoy doing, natural energisers, and the things we dont enjoy doing, these things require some willpower and added support to complete. What are some things you are naturally energised and motivated in? Share in the comments below.

12.01.2022 Staff loyalty is the secret ingredient to success in any business. When a staff member is not loyal to your organisation, they will kill your customer service performance. Service standards will slip, complaints start to escalate, staff lateness and sick days are common place, organisations are in a state of chaos and staff are leaving in droves.... In contrast, a staff member who is loyal to your organisation knows exactly how to go above and beyond without being restricted by the system. The organisation that is buzzing with staff loyalty are providing amazing experiences and customers are continuing to return to the business. This maxim is true for staff as it is for customers: Its not about the money, its about the experience. To impact and improve your staff members experience of working with you, this is your secret ingredient. What have you found to be the secret to building greater staff loyalty in your organisation?

12.01.2022 If youre a loyal customer, youre often on a worse deal than a new customer. You only have to check your letterbox or answer the front door and you will be offered a better rate than the one you are currently on. You may even contact the current company youre with and ask for a better deal, it usually works, and if not, youll find a better deal elsewhere.... In her 2018 Forbes article, Jia Wertz discusses the marketing efforts and money that is spent on driving traffic to business can cost five times more to attract a new customer, than it does to retain an existing one. https://lnkd.in/fGcsgc2 Knowing this, it makes sense for a business to focus more efforts on rewarding their loyal customers. Id love to know a time when your loyalty to a business was rewarded. What did they do?

11.01.2022 The concept of 10 out of 10 or nothing is about doing something perfectly. Its not just an empty saying. Its a focus, a belief, a way of living, and a way of operating your business. One of the first steps to deliver a 10 out of 10 service is to research your customers and know what they are saying about you. Its a crucial first step.... Do they love the experience? Are they recommending you to their friends? Are they planning to return? If you dont know what your customers are saying about you, how can you make improvements?

11.01.2022 Natural motivation is the outcome of doing something you really like to do. You can stay motivated for long periods of time, and time passes by very quickly. Each of us has our own passions and interests, we dont need encouragement to get motivated as we are energised naturally. For me, I dont need to be motivated to be energetic when facilitating a group of people, thats who I am and Im passionate about the work that I do. I love this aspect of my work and can do this da...y in and day out, its my passion and it comes from my heart. What are you naturally motivated in? Share in the comments below.

10.01.2022 If you dont know what your customers are saying about you, how can you make improvements? Most businesses dont know: -How many customers promote them to their friends -How to drive that kind of word-of-mouth referral... -How many customers will return Even if the business is growing, they dont realise how much growth theyre losing because they are not measuring the customer experience. Customers can provide insights into the health of your business. It starts with research and understanding what your customers are saying about you. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

10.01.2022 When we are naturally motivated, time passes very quickly and we can stay motivated for long periods of time. This week weve been looking at things we enjoy doing, natural energisers, and the things we dont enjoy doing, these require some willpower and added support to complete, your employer can help to put the supporting structures in place. Employers are certainly not exempt from needing motivation, and staff can also put structures in place to support their employers an...d motivate in the areas theyre not as strong in too. When you start to get to this kind of place with your employees, youre in a strong place with your people. I am grateful my staff are able to support me through the areas I need more motivation in. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone How is your team motivating you? Share in the comments below.

10.01.2022 Setting your team up for success doesnt happen overnight. Its a daily occurrence of the team working together and being clear about the goals you want to accomplish. A manager or owner of a business is motivated to see the business succeed. Other people that work within the business may not be as motivated or driven like you, and thats ok, but it doesnt mean they dont want to do a good job. ... As a leader, its your role to manage and guide and your team so they are motivated and productive in their roles. What are you doing to make sure your team is fired up and ready to go?

09.01.2022 Developing service standards in business starts with researching and understanding what your customer wants. Many companies do not define their service standards at all, some companies may have developed service standards but theyre not based on customer research at all. When I started working for a major retail fuel company in Australia, I discovered they had a service standard that staff must use at least four words when greeting a customer. Why four words? Nobody knew, it... was buttock research. The staff hated the four-word greeting standard and when I started to work with them, I asked them to show me the research where customers wanted to be greeted with at least four words. Of course, that research didnt exist, so we removed the nonsense standard and changed to when you greet a customer, look at them when you speak, their results improved exponentially. Dont leave your service standards to chance, research your customers, know what your customer wants and create the expectation for your people to provide consistent service each time a customer interacts with your business. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

09.01.2022 Price is often the primary consideration when customers make a purchase, but cutting prices isnt the best way to stand out from your competition. It seems like a simple solution but the reality is it creates a damaging cycle of discounts and sales that keeps businesses stuck with slim margins. You cannot hope that people see the value, you need to tell them.... Apple is a great example of standing behind the value of their products. You wont find Apple slashing prices at the EOFY, Black Friday or in the lead up to Christmas. In fact, youll almost certainly pay more - sometimes a lot more than you would for a competitors version of the same product. Apple understands its customers needs and tells you the value and quality of their product, how it works and how it will fit into and enhance your lifestyle. Customers can only make decisions based on what they know, if youre not giving them information about the product, then they can only make a decision on price alone. What information are you giving your customers? Are you selling the value or hoping people will see the value? Share in the comments below. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

09.01.2022 Customers can provide insights into the health of your business. It starts with research and understanding what your customers are saying about you. Most businesses dont know: -How many customers promote them to their friends -How to drive that kind of word-of-mouth referral... -How many customers will return Think of it like playing sport and not knowing the score until the game ended. That would be ridiculous, and its just as ridiculous for a business. Doing research is not a one-off exercise. Like all the other measurements in business, you should repeat this research regularly. With our clients, we typically do this research every 3-4 months so they can measure, act and review in a reasonable time. If youd like to know more about undertaking research in your business, send me a message here and lets continue the conversation.

07.01.2022 If youre in business, you may have found yourself researching strategies to make your business stand out. You may even have searched on the internet and found results like 7 steps to stand out from your competitors or 30 ways to stand out from the crowd. The biggest problems for businesses in Australia is that 68% of all consumers are passive about the experiences they get, it doesnt stand out for them.... Put your customer shoes on and think of all the interactions you have with businesses. Im sure you could identify the bad ones pretty quickly, but what about the great experiences youve had? Every interaction a business makes is an opportunity for the customer to form an impression. What impressions are you making?

06.01.2022 From the moment you interact with a business, there are multiple touchpoints that occur. These touchpoints are called moments of truth. Moments of truth are interactions that occur that leave a lasting positive or negative impression on a customer. ... If you think about an airline for example: you arrive at the airport, check-in, go to the gate or lounge, use retail services, have your boarding pass scanned and walk to the plane. Youre then greeted at the plane and have more interactions on the plane before you depart and collect your bags. There are over 7 touchpoints from the moment you set foot into the airport to landing at your destination, each of these touchpoints are opportunities for the airline to create positive moments of truth. Its important to know where your moments of truth are. These moments are not huge gestures, they do not require large budgets, theyre small yet they have a big impact. A business may have systems and procedures to be followed, but you can also allow some flexibility and give staff the freedom to inject their personality into their work. Every interaction is an opportunity for the customer to form an impression. Do you know your moments of truth?

06.01.2022 Customer experience is one of the hottest buzzwords in business these days. And it should be. If you dont know what your customers are saying about their experience with you, how can you make improvements?... At the Loyalty Zone, were certified providers of the Net Promoter Score (or NPS) and use this for our customer research. The NPS was developed by Frederick Reichheld, Bain & Company, and Satmetrix. The purpose of the NPS is to measure customer experience and predict business growth. How are you measuring your customers experience?

03.01.2022 In business, the person serving you influences 78% of the buying decision. This means its imperative that good communication is instilled as a cultural value in the organisation. This week weve looked at the 7 ways you can improve your communication and influence with customers, you can read more in my latest update here > http://bit.ly/2M8e6Pk One of the 7 ways is remembering and using peoples names. In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegies bo...ok talks about the power of using peoples names. When you use someones name, you get their immediate attention. Why? Because names are important. It shows that you care and its a way of building stronger relationships, especially if you use the customers name when they return to the business. If you want a stronger link with customers, remember and use their name, its so simple but it speaks volumes. Businesses thrive when every member of the team is able to communicate and influence effectively. Have you provided the necessary training and tools for your team to thrive and interact with your customers? Share your tips in the comments below. If you found this update valuable, sign up to my network http://bit.ly/TheLoyaltyZone

03.01.2022 What are you doing to make sure your team is fired up and ready to go? Does your team have the correct information and tools to do a good job? Or are they set up to do a poor job? A sports team does not show up to play and expect to win games if the coach has not set the expectations for the team. Sure the goal is winning but there is so much behind winning the game. Ultimately the team needs to work together towards accomplishing the goal. ... I work across many venues and restaurants across the hospitality industry. We teach their leaders to gather the team before each shift starts to check in and see how the team is going. We dont know what is going on their lives but we can check-in and see how they are going and set the expectations before they start serving. As a leader, its your role to manage and guide and your team so they are motivated and productive in their roles. What do you do to make sure your team is fired up and ready to go?

01.01.2022 Whenever customers feel misled, mistreated, ignored or coerced, the result is a bad profit. Essentially, it means that the company takes value from its customers instead of adding value. Good profit benefits both the customer and the business, this occurs when a business creates value to the customer and they keep coming back for more. These customers tell their friends and family to also do business with you, they become your promoters and create good profit for the company and to create growth that is sustainable. As a customer, have you had a positive experience with a business that you became a raving promoter? Share in the comments below and why.