It’s been another scorching month here in the UK, with more heatwaves expected across the summer.
Still, we’ve been up and down the country, catching up with clients and providing tailored consultancy and CX training to help our customers truly stand out in their field.
You can read all about it in this month’s newsletter.
What 46 years in Customer Service has taught me
Our Co-Founder Marie Cross’s journey started in a South London salon, where she earned tips four times her wages because customers could see she cared.
Decades later, and with FIT over 25 years old, Marie’s recent article for the Customer Experience Magazine shares what her career has taught her so far and why Customer Experience and Employee Experience are more closely linked than you might expect.
You can check out the article below, but we thought we’d share a few quick questions leaders should be asking themselves right now:
- Do our employees experience the same care we expect them to show our customers?
- Are our managers developing people, or simply managing performance?
- Are we recognising behaviours as much as results?
- Is technology helping our people become more human, not less?
- Would our employees describe working here using the words we hope customers use about us?
Let us know your thoughts and read the full article here.
Customer Experience Magazine discusses Employee Experience in further detail in their recent report, which you can see here.
Proud as punch
We love working with organisations who recognise that their people are their biggest competitive advantage.
Team Mixergy understood that investing in their Brand Ambassadors was key to delivering the Service Excellence they want their customers to experience.
Through their FIT journey, the team have discovered the big difference they can make through the small things they SAY, BE and DO every day.
A huge well done to the team for their openness, honesty and commitment to getting FIT.
We’re looking forward to continuing to support them through their 1:1 coaching sessions as they continue to STAND OUT.
A big shout-out to every organisation investing in their people. Your people are the difference that makes the difference – they’re the USP of your business!
Do I have to repeat myself?
According to McKinsey & Company, 76% of customers expect personalised experiences.
That’s not a trend – it’s the new standard.
Yet some organisations still treat every interaction like it’s the first!
Customers don’t want to repeat themselves or explain their situations several times.
They want to feel recognised, understood and valued.
You don’t need to reinvent your Customer Experience overnight.
Small changes in how your people listen, ask questions and use the information they already have can make a HUGE difference to how customers feel, respond and remember you.
Because when customers feel known, they’re far more likely to stay loyal.
Read more about our CPD-accredited Ultimate Customer Service Training Programme (UCSTP) and start setting the standard today!
Why the robots won't take over!
ContactBabel found that 92% of organisations believe customers move from self-service to live support because they want the reassurance of speaking to someone.
We spend a lot of time talking about efficiency. However, reassurance deserves just as much attention.
AI can answer questions brilliantly. But reassuring someone who’s worried, frustrated or confused? That’s still a very human skill!
As AI becomes an increasingly important part of how we work, it’s a welcome reminder that there’s still a place for us humans in this world!
See the full report, The Inner Circle Guide to Chatbots, Voicebots & Conversational AI, for free.
Need some inspiration?
As part of our rebrand, we’ve relaunched our Bitesize Training Tips on the FIT website.
Most of these tips are just a minute or two long and could be a great way for you and your frontline team to get inspired at the start of a busy week!
These short videos cover topics like active listening, developing a positive language of influence and even kissing your customers (it’s not quite as exciting as it sounds!)
Until next time
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this month’s newsletter. Do let us know if you have any contributions or suggestions ahead of next month’s edition.
Thank you, as always, for being part of the FIT community.
Until next time – take care and keep FIT! 👋
