19 June 2014
Customer Experience is Everybody’s Business
Alan Steel, Cheerleader-in-Chief, Jacob K. Javits Center
Laurie Lutz, Vice President, CES Operations, Consumer Electronics Association
Susan McSorley, Director, Convention & Meeting Services, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Katy Wild, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience, Freeman [moderator]
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Treating People with Kindness
“One theory says that if you treat people
well, you're more likely to encourage
them to do what you want, making all the
effort pay off. Do this, get that.
Another one, which I prefer, is that you
might consider treating people with
kindness merely because you can.
Regardless of what they choose to do in
response, this is what you choose to do.
Because you can.”
-Seth Godin
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
What is Customer Service vs. Customer Experience
Customer ‘satisfaction’ is not enough. People
want to be ‘wowed’ by the entire experience
Understanding customer expectations are
different for attendees, exhibitors, and
sponsors
Association management models:
membership service, attendee service and
exhibitor service all create the customer
experience
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The Business Case for Customer Focus
Companies that focus on service outperform
their largest competitors – outperforming them in
a 1 year period by 26% gross margin and 85% in
sales growth
Organizations whose customer engagement
scores place them in the top 25% of comparable
industries tend to outperform in profit, sales and
growth by 2:1
Companies that strive to engage employees grow
their earnings per share (EPS) at 2.6 times the
rate of those who do not
SOURCE: Human Sigma – John H Fleming, Ph.D and Jim Asplund
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Creating a Culture of Customer Experience
Why culture/vision/values matter
Growing from grassroots up
Ensuring everyone is engaged
Understanding what the customer wants
and needs
Communicating early and often
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
© 2011 Freeman. All rights Reserved. Proprietary & Confidential.
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Engaging Suppliers and Vendors
Understanding every phase or touch point
affects the customer experience
Making thoughtful selections—taxi service,
hotels, F&B, etc—that affect the event
experience
Offering a first-time exhibitor program to
ensure personalized service
Balancing big expectations with big labor
rules
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Huddle US (Uncompromising Service)
Quick 5-10 minute team talk on how to motivate
outstanding customer service
Content in the form of a “playbook”
Delivers face-to-face customer service
reinforcement
First focus is on front-line employees and union
labor
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
thinking ALOUD
How are you engaging your
suppliers and vendors to create
a consistent customer
experience?
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Turning Complaints into Compliments
Why planning and training matters
Setting and managing expectations
Developing customer trust
Saving the experience even when things go wrong;
service recovery
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Consistent Customer Service Training
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Tracking and Measuring Performance—and Setting New Goals
Why satisfaction/experience surveys matter
Using feedback to make immediate changes
Identifying future areas to improve
Developing a Customer Service Index
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thinking ALOUD
What are your biggest
challenges in tracking
customer service—and steps
for improvement?
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Providing Acknowledgements and Recognition
Why internal/external recognition matters
Acknowledge model behaviors
Tell team members what they are doing right
Seek feedback from team to improve programs
Charting a course to the JD Powers Award
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
thinking ALOUD
Open Forum
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Customer Experience: Best Practices
Establish vision and values/standards
Communicate roadmap with internal stakeholders
Engage suppliers and partners
Providing ongoing training
Create a ‘first-time’ program for attendees and
exhibitors
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Customer Experience: Best Practices
Resolve customer discrepancies quickly—and escalate
when needed
Track and measuring success—and areas for
improvement
Recognize individual contributions and
accomplishments—and highlight behaviors you want
others to emulate
Create “job shadow” days for cross-functional training
Empower team members to make suggestions—and
provide issue resolutions
Providing a high-quality Customer Experience is a
journey…not a destination
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
Additional Resources
Jeff Toister , author, “Service Failure: The Real Reasons Employees Struggle with Customer
Service and What You Can Do About It”
Seth Godin blog www.sethgodin.com
Mac Anderson, author, “Customer Love” and “212o of Service – 10 Rules for Creating a
Service Culture”
Chip Bell and John Patterson blog http://www.taketheirbreathaway.com/
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
19 June 2014
Customer Experience is Everybody’s Business
Alan Steel asteel@javitscenter.com
Laurie Lutz llutz@ce.org
Susan McSorley mcsorley@aaos.org
Katy Wild katy.wild@freemanco.com
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs
@FreemanCo #DCThinkThurs