In response to this article: Does CEM Replace CRM?

Interesting- but more acronym speak for “forcing customers” to use the web…

Do you know anybody who says- Hey, Joe, I really love it when I call my bank and they make me press 4 options before I can talk to someone? Or, over dinner conversation, someone says, you know Mary I called my local pizza joint last week, and placed my order without ever speaking to someone- it was awesome! I have been in the contact center, and CRM space for over 15 years, and have never personally used an automated system I liked via the phone. So, now, we are to assume that CEM (Customer Experience Management) is IVR (Interactive Voice Response) for the web- Use the word IVR, and most people first say- huh? You respond with “You know those automated press 1, press 2 systems you use at your bank- that.” The customers first response is, “Ooohhh those, I hate those!” Now tell them, “Hey, how about if we put this on the web for you, wouldn’t that make it cool?”

What we all have to realize is customers don’t dislike IVRs- the technology… They don’t like being forced to do anything, follow somebody else’s logic to get to what they want, abide by your internal rules, use certain channels for specific activities etc.. They simply want to find what they want, and move on. We should never assume we know what the customer wants or needs when a customer contacts your company. My favorite is when the phone rings, and the helpful person on the other end says, in their most pleasant phone voice, “Did you know you could find your answer on our website.” Translation- are you stupid, or are you lacking a computer or the brains to find this answer or buy this product on your own, we really don’t want to talk to you. Well guess what, if I am any indication of most customers, I don’t call, or ask for help on your website, unless I really cannot find the answer or complete my transaction without your help. I, like most customers prefer to do it myself, let’s face it, it is just faster to do it yourself.

So, if your company is thinking of translating your IVR to your web processes and customer experience, you should consider how much negative baggage your customers have with IVRs, not just your IVR specifically, but every company, and, in this case, throw out the baby with the bath water and start from scratch. Try some new tactics, like asking your customers what they want to see, and what they want to do on the web, and what they want to call you directly for. Try following your customers home or to the store, and see what barriers exist, what frustrates them. In the end you will learn a ton about your customers behavior, and ultimately stop forcing or managing your customers experience. Anytime, you force your customers to do something you are more than likely forcing them to your competition. If you allow your customers choices that meet their needs, they will choose to spend their $$ with your organization.

It has been interesting for me to watch the faces of the visitors as they come to the Infusion office.

The second they walk through the Infusion doors, they get hit with one of two things. If they somehow avoid being pelted by one of the many Nerf basketballs or darts that seem to always be in flight, then they will likely be “hit” with a feeling of energy and excitement and passion that permeates the entire atmosphere.

We call this the process of “getting infused”. In fact, this process of “getting infused” (coming to Infusion and catching on fire) is now a regular part of Infusion vocabulary. We jump at every opportunity we get to invite customers, prospects and vendors to come to Infusion.

I have heard so many prospects, customers and employees comment about this energy and passion, that for a period of time I almost became desensitized to it. One day, Clate had to make a visit to some kind of government office for some reason. When he came back, he had this half-depressed, half-excited look on his face.

He told me that he walked into this government office and immediately had the life sucked out of him because of the draining, dry, void-of-life, innovation-free environment. He came back more excited and thankful than ever, realizing that what we’ve been able to create here is remarkably different than most places.

I’ve thought a lot about how the Infusion culture has developed and progressed over time. We have always prided ourselves in having passion and enthusiasm for solving small business problems… but where does it all come from? Why have we been able to take “normal” people (without MBAs or extensive training) and turn them into effective small business problem solvers (i.e. consultants) that have an unusual passion and excitement that spills over like a contagious airborne disease?

The complete analysis deserves much more treatment than a single blog entry, so I plan to give my analysis in chunks. For now, the question in our minds should be: how can we each create a culture where innovation, creativity and passion fill the air to the point that no employee, vendor, or customer can escape without filling their lungs with a couple good whiffs of “the good stuff”.

I recently read Seth Godin’s mini-book called “The Dip“. It’s a book about knowing when to quit, “strategic quitting”. Similar to Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing The Chasm“, the ‘dip’ appears to be the chasm that we often get stuck in when trying to make a new venture happen. It’s that period of time (often fairly long) where the product or service just doesn’t seem to take off. It’s the really tough time. The time when you think you should just bag the whole thing… or continue to push through the darkness. Fortunately, those that survive the dip benefit from the length and severity of the darkeness they experienced because it #1) makes them stronger & #2) creates barriers to entry & success for competitors.

Here are a handful of phrases and key points I pulled out of the book:

“In a free market, we reward the exceptional.”

“Strategic quitting is the secret of successful organizations.”

“Successful people don’t just ride out the Dip. They push harder, changing the rules as they go. Just because you know you’re in the Dip doesn’t mean you have to live happily with it. Dips don’t last quite as long when you whittle at them.”

“The Dip creates scarcity; scarcity creates value.”

“In a competitive world, adversity is your ally.”

“In almost every field, the competitor that’s first with a big, aggressive sales force has a huge advantage.”

“Selling is about a transference of emotion, not a presentation of facts. If it were just a presentation of fats, then a PDF flyer or a Web site would be sufficient to make the phone ring.”

“Only a tiny portion of the audience (market) is looking for the brand-new thing. Most people are waiting for the tested, the authenticated, and the proven.”

So, how do you tell the difference between a ‘dip’ and a death spiral? When should you pull the rip cord? Do we have the guts to bail out? Unfortunately, the book isn’t long enough to go into those details… we’re on our own.

In preparation for our last momentum conference, we spent 1/2 hour in a VP meeting debating whether we could pull off a field trip to the Infusion offices as part of the event. Why on earth would we care so much about that? During the Marketing Excellence event last year, we loved having our customers here, with us. Our customers appreciated it too. I think everyone likes to know that the people they are doing business with are REAL people.

For many of our customers, catching a glimpse of the Infusion team let’s them put a “real face” on Infusion. Otherwise, the only thing they think about is the “interface” that they see when they log in to the software every day.

What do your customers think about when they think of your company? Do they see a “real face” or do they see a box, or a website, or a product? In my experience, one of the most effective tools in keeping a customer loyal is a personal relationship. I have seen countless of examples, in many different businesses, of customers being willing to forgive quickly or ignore all together–because of a personal relationship.

So back to the field trip…

Logistically it was going to be a nightmare, so we took a risk and decided to have a video created with the specific purpose of replicating what people feel when they come to the Infusion office. If having your customers come to be with you physically is not an option, perhaps a well-made video will do the trick.

We were thrilled with the results, and I think our customers appreciated avoiding the 1-hour bus ride on a warm May afternoon! Check it out here:

http://www.infusionsoft.com/company/general/overview.html

Scott