Customer experience experts from around the country descended on the Waldorf Hilton hotel in London last month for Customer Focus Live 2016 – a conference bringing together the sector’s best and brightest to discuss best practices and new ideas.
Opening the day’s sessions, the Institute of Customer Experience’s director of customer experience Graham Heald explained how customer service is not only improving in the UK, but also undergoing a period of huge change.
“The brands that are being successful are moving away from mass marketing to a more personal approach, understanding what drives the customers and what does not,” he said.
Later, American Express’s director of customer experience Daniel Haden explained why it is important for businesses to develop emotional connections with their customers.
“Relationship care is our ethos and every interaction is an opportunity to develop a relevant and emotional connection with each customer and to deepen their engagement with us,” he told the audience.“Everything we do we put the customer first.”
This was a sentiment echoed by Royal Bank of Scotland leadership coach Andrew Johnston, who told the story of how a personal touch transformed his customer experience for the better when out buying power tools for a DIY project.
“Emotional intelligence becomes the difference between your customer buying in or opting out,”he said, before explaining how assertiveness and flexibility are key for staff.
The conference also featured speakers from luxury brands. Paul Sands, director of customer experience at high-end audio retailer Bang&Olufsen, told attendees how the business achieves a consistent and recognisable experience at its stores around the world.
“That kind of small thing where you can show a customer you’ve done everything you can to customise towards them, we think is gold dust,” he said of one part of its strategy.
And director of global marketing Simon Sproule gave an inside look at brand storytelling at Aston Martin, which needs to cater not just to its customers but to its fans, too.
“Being friendly is okay,” he said of interaction with those who may not ever be able to afford its cars.”The last thing we want is to make people feel uncomfortable. We want them to be able to come into the showroom and hang out with us, or come on the factory tour.”
For more from Customer Focus Live 2016, see the Business Reporter website.