Research Magazine published an interesting article in this month’s issue about ‘How customer insight drives customer experience’. The article lists the top ten UK brands for customer experience, taken from market research company Nunwood’s top 100 league table.
The three brands that interested us most were firstly First Direct, who constantly talk to their customers about how they can improve, and measure performance as a way to making business improvements. According to Natalie Cowen from First Direct, “It’s about creating an effortless and enjoyable process – which are ideas that don’t always go with banking.”
Marks & Spencer very clearly listen to customer feedback, addressing concerns and displaying in store progress they are making with issues identified as customer concerns, for example their commitment to reducing packaging as part of their Plan A Commitments.
Topping the league for customer experience is Amazon. Amazon’s use of customer insight to improve the customer experience with its ‘recommendation engine’ is truly exemplary, and they do not disappoint in any of the other customer touch points either, making great use of customer reviews, all with the aim of improving the customer experience.
It will be interesting to see which new customer experience champions will emerge in 2011.
Keith, thanks for pointing out the article in Research Magazine.
As a loyal Amazon customer (about 30 books per year), your post and the article resonate with me!
Their “recommendation engine” has a very direct impact on my loyalty, and their revenue, as I use the recommendation engine to validate my selections – when I’m considering buying a specific book, I look back at the recommendations that Amazon has given me in the past. If I see the book listed, I buy it. If I don’t, I think twice.
I think that if more companies focused more on delivering value to the customer, and less on selling to the customer, the selling would take care of itself.