TLF Gems: Recent Episodes
TLF Research
Stephen talks to Greg about his webinar on the insight to be gained from talking to customers (especially in B2B relationships) when they first sign up or when they’re on their way out.
You can watch the webinar on demand here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/b2b-onboarding-acquisition-and-exiting-customer-surveys/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep73+-+OnboardingExitAcquisition.mp3
Greg talks to Stephen about his recent webinar “Closing the loop with customers”.
They talk about the different loops that need to be closed, some ways to do it, and agree that every customer deserves feedback if they want it.
You can watch the webinar here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/essentials-closing-the-loop-with-customers/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep72+-+Closing+the+loop+with+customers.mp3
Stephen and Greg chat about arguably the most important part of customer insight – using what you learn from customers to improve the customer experience.
You can download the action plan template mentioned in the episode here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/downloads/cx-tools-and-templates/action-plan-template/
And if you want more detail, we also run an online course on action planning: https://www.tlfresearch.com/training-events/on-demand-action-planning-from-customer-insight/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep71+-+ActionPlanningFromCustomerInsight.mp3
In September we held our first conference since the pandemic, and it was really good to be back.
Greg and Stephen talk through the speakers and discuss some of the highlights of the day (not just the food).
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep70+-+TLF+Conference+2024.mp3
Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar “5 ways to make more impact with your charts and reporting” (which he is beginning to realise is a title that could do with some editing!)
They discuss the different hats that you need to wear to turn data into a story, how the needs of your audiences vary, and how a few simple principles can level up your data visualisation and reporting.
The webinar is available to watch on demand here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8370348262845712218
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep69+-+HowToMakeMoreImpactWithYourCharts.mp3
The construction sector is fascinating from a customer experience and insight point of view. So many stakeholders, so many relationships, so many opportunities to build understanding and make things better!
In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss some of the challenges of using customer research in the construction sector, and the benefits of focusing on depth of insight rather than just tracking a score.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep68+-+ConstructionCustomerInsight.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss some of the things that make business to business (B2B) customer research different from business to consumer (B2C), based on Greg’s webinar.
Is survey fatigue a red herring? We think it is!
If you missed the webinar you can find it here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/b2b-sampling-methodology-and-battling-response-rates/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep67+-+B2BSamplingResponseRates.mp3
For the past few years we’ve run an annual webinar looking at trends affecting the CX landscape that organisations need to be aware of for the year ahead.
We shared some stats for context in terms of consumer sentiment, satisfaction, AI adoption, and sustainability; made some gentle predictions about the future; and outlined some choices that organisations should be making now.
You can watch the recording here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/the-customer-experience-landscape-2024/
In this episode Greg chats to Stephen about his research for the webinar, his predictions, and how it all comes back to customer loyalty.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep66+-+CXLandscape24.mp3
Greg and Stephen both attended the Spark 23 conference in Birmingham at the end of October. It’s an annual conference and awards dinner for the Service Desk Institute, and as you can hear in the discussion, they really enjoyed their first visit.
What does it tell us about where the IT Services sector is going, when it comes to Customer Experience?
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep66+-+SDI+Conference.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss how to make sure a research project delivers value for money, based on Greg’s webinar.
Some keys are: thinking in advance about what you’re going to do with the results, proving the value of investing in customers, and making sure your survey basics are sound.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch it on demand here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/does-your-research-provide-value-for-money/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep64+-+DoesYourResearchProvideValueForMoney.mp3
Greg and Stephen, with a little help from ChatGPT, discuss the impact of AI on the customer experience. What are the potential benefits and risks? How important is it to get the fundamental data capabilities of your business right first? What will the impact be on jobs?
Stephen and Greg talk about Greg’s recent webinar, the first of a series, on customer satisfaction in the IT Services sector. It’s an industry with huge enthusiasm for surveys, but is it always getting the most out of the research it does?
Greg talks to Stephen about his annual webinar on the Customer Experience Landscape. There’s lots of uncertainty on the horizon, but Stephen argues that resilience and long-term thinking is the key to surviving and thriving in 2023.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch it on demand: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/the-customer-experience-landscape-2023/
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep61+-+CX+Landscape+2023.mp3
In this episode we feature an interview between Stephen and Irina Poddubnaia of Trackmage, a company which specialises in helping E-commerce organisations with their “post purchase experience” — delivery tracking, communication, and reviews.
Stephen and Irina talk about the missed opportunities in post-purchase communications, why organisations value new customers over existing customers, and where customer journeys begin and end.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep59+-+IrinaPodubnaia.mp3
In the second part of his interview with Albert Evans of ContactEngine, Stephen asked Albert for some more detail on how behavioural science can play a part in the customer experience. They talked about the importance of testing, the power of details in the experience, and how to know when to stop. You can read… Continue reading The Interview – Albert Evans, Part 2
Greg and Stephen discuss customer loyalty, based on Stephen’s recent webinar. Customer loyalty is much misunderstood (it’s about far more than retention and “loyalty programmes”), but used in the right way it can be the key to linking the operational focus of customer experience to your organisation’s strategy. If you missed the webinar, you can… Continue reading Understanding customer loyalty
Can you believe Net Promoter Score is 18 years old? Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that NPS has been the most successful movement in the history of customer research. NPS has become a de facto standard, but like its inventor Fred Reichheld, we have reservations about the way in which it’s used.… Continue reading How NPS is Used
Stephen quizzes Greg about his recent webinar “Using the Voice of the Customer to Change Your Organisations’ Culture“. It’s not about “voice of the customer” research programmes, but about ways in which the actual voice of the customer (captured in audio, video, or in the flesh) can be used to make an impact.
We now have over three years’ worth of data about consumer sentiment in the UK from our Index of Consumer Sentiment. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss why TLF Research started measuring consumer sentiment, what the trends show, and why it matters. You can download the free white paper to explore the findings in… Continue reading The Index of Consumer Sentiment
Greg talks to Stephen about his annual webinar on the Customer Experience Landscape, and the five themes he identified for the year: The New Normal, Trust, Ownership, Systems, and Experience. One of Stephen’s recommendations was to sign up for Purple Tuesday, which we mentioned on the last episode. You can do that here: https://purpletuesday.org.uk/ If… Continue reading The Customer Experience Landscape 2022
Greg talks to Stephen about his annual webinar on the Customer Experience Landscape, and the five themes he identified for the year: The New Normal, Trust, Ownership, Systems, and Experience.
One of Stephen’s recommendations was to sign up for Purple Tuesday, which we mentioned on the last episode. You can do that here: https://purpletuesday.org.uk/
If you missed the webinar, you can watch it on demand: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/the-customer-experience-landscape-2022
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep54+-+TheCustomerExperienceLandscape2022.mp3
Every year Purple Tuesday reminds us of the importance of creating good experiences for disabled customers. The next is on 3rd December, which gives you plenty of time to prepare!
Last year we teamed up with Purple Tuesday to survey disabled customers on our panel in order to better understand their experiences. We learned along the way that UK businesses lost over £400 million during the pandemic alone due to inaccessible websites. You can find out more about the research in this article: https://www.tlfresearch.com/purple-tuesday/
In the episode Greg and Stephen discuss some of the key themes, reflect on whether a better disabled customer experience means a better experience for all customers, and ask what more we need to be doing.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep53+-TheDisabledCX.mp3
Every year Purple Tuesday reminds us of the importance of creating good experiences for disabled customers. The next is on 3rd December, which gives you plenty of time to prepare! Last year we teamed up with Purple Tuesday to survey disabled customers on our panel in order to better understand their experiences. We learned along… Continue reading The Disabled Customer Experience
In this episode Stephen spoke to Albert Evans of ContactEngine to chat about the role of behavioural science in customer experience.
Albert is writing a series of articles on behavioural science for Customer Insight (starting with this one), and it was really good to talk it all through, compare notes, and share a few bugbears!
Understanding what you can take from theory, how to blend it with the knowledge of people on the ground, and why it’s still important to test things with customers can make a big difference to designing new customer experiences.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep52+-+TheInterviewAlbertEvans.mp3
In this episode Stephen spoke to Albert Evans of ContactEngine to chat about the role of behavioural science in customer experience. Albert is writing a series of articles on behavioural science for Customer Insight (starting with this one), and it was really good to talk it all through, compare notes, and share a few bugbears!… Continue reading The Interview – Albert Evans
Like most suppliers, we’ve had some bruising experiences with procurement and tender exercises. Is it all bad, or does procurement have an important role to play? How can suppliers and their customers build closer relationships, and make sure they both get what they want out of a project? Greg and Stephen talk it through.
Like most suppliers, we’ve had some bruising experiences with procurement and tender exercises.
Is it all bad, or does procurement have an important role to play? How can suppliers and their customers build closer relationships, and make sure they both get what they want out of a project? Greg and Stephen talk it through.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep51+-+WhatIsProcurementGoodFor.mp3
What do we know about what’s changing in the way customers think, feel, and behave? The pandemic seems to have accelerated some trends that were already obvious, and introduced a few curveballs of its own. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss the evidence from consumer surveys, national measures of satisfaction and consumer sentiment, and… Continue reading Trends in Customer Attitudes & Behaviour
What do we know about what’s changing in the way customers think, feel, and behave? The pandemic seems to have accelerated some trends that were already obvious, and introduced a few curveballs of its own.
In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss the evidence from consumer surveys, national measures of satisfaction and consumer sentiment, and data about actual customer behaviour.
Some of the things referenced are TLF Research’s Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Institute of Customer Service’s UKCSI, and this article on Google search trends.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep50+-+TrendsInCustomerAttitudesAndBehaviour.mp3
We were really pleased to catch up with Cat Lewis, Head of Internal Comms & Employee Engagement at Reward Gateway, to find out more about the “work modes” model for hybrid working that she described in this Customer Insight magazine article.
This conversation really helped to put their model into context, and opens up a much wider context for thinking about culture, management, and the best ways to use office space.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep49+-+TheInterviewCatLewis.mp3
We were really pleased to catch up with Cat Lewis, Head of Internal Comms & Employee Engagement at Reward Gateway, to find out more about the “work modes” model for hybrid working that she described in this Customer Insight magazine article. This conversation really helped to put their model into context, and opens up a… Continue reading The Interview – Cat Lewis
At the beginning of 2021 we launched a new online course taking participants step by step through the always-popular topic of Customer Journey Mapping.
In this episode Greg quizzes Stephen about what the course covers, what learners can expect, and why we created the course.
If you’re interested, you can find out more at https://www.tlfresearch.com/online-customer-journey-mapping-course/ The next start date is 27th September 2021.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep48+-+CustomerJourneyMappingCourse.mp3
At the beginning of 2021 we launched a new online course taking participants step by step through the always-popular topic of Customer Journey Mapping. In this episode Greg quizzes Stephen about what the course covers, what learners can expect, and why we created the course. If you’re interested, you can find out more at https://www.tlfresearch.com/online-customer-journey-mapping-course/… Continue reading Online Customer Journey Mapping Course
The foundation of a loyalty strategy is that customer satisfaction pays, in the long term, but can we prove it? It can be difficult to come up with an overall number (like “5% more satisfaction equates to £1,000,000 more profit”), but what’s often easier is to isolate specific mechanisms by which satisfaction contributes to increased… Continue reading How Satisfaction Pays
The foundation of a loyalty strategy is that customer satisfaction pays, in the long term, but can we prove it? It can be difficult to come up with an overall number (like “5% more satisfaction equates to £1,000,000 more profit”), but what’s often easier is to isolate specific mechanisms by which satisfaction contributes to increased revenue (e.g. through higher retention and recommendation) or decreased costs (e.g. by reducing avoidable contact).
In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss a recent article that shows another mechanism by which satisfaction benefits the bottom line: it reduces the cost of capital for organisations.
They take that as a jumping-off point to talk about proving the business case, and why a loyalty strategy is better for everyone.
Here’s the Igloo Energy article that Stephen mentioned.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep47+-+HowSatisfactionPays.mp3
It’d be pretty hypocritical if we didn’t survey our own clients, wouldn’t it? Every year we conduct our own survey to help make sure we understand our clients and are able to meet their needs, even (or especially) when events like the global pandemic change so much.
Greg and Stephen discuss the timing of the survey, what we learned (including how lockdown had affected their customer experience programmes and the future challenges they anticipated), and why it helps us empathise with our clients.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep46+-+TLF+Client+Survey.mp3
It’d be pretty hypocritical if we didn’t survey our own clients, wouldn’t it? Every year we conduct our own survey to help make sure we understand our clients and are able to meet their needs, even (or especially) when events like the global pandemic change so much. Greg and Stephen discuss the timing of the… Continue reading TLF Client Survey
In the latest edition of Customer Insight, our feature article is based on an interview that Stephen conducted with Tina Hobart and James Maguire from Mitie. In it they discuss the combination of customer research and account management, driven by top level commitment to the customer, that has led to a rapid improvement in Mitie’s… Continue reading Mitie’s NPS Success Story
In the latest edition of Customer Insight, our feature article is based on an interview that Stephen conducted with Tina Hobart and James Maguire from Mitie.
In it they discuss the combination of customer research and account management, driven by top level commitment to the customer, that has led to a rapid improvement in Mitie’s overall NPS.
Greg and Stephen talk about the lessons we can all draw from Mitie’s story, and mostly avoid getting drawn into a discussion about the questionable benefits of tender processes.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep45+-+Mitie.mp3
What is trust, can you measure it, and do you need to in order to understand your customer relationships properly? In this episode Greg and Stephen talk about the webinar “Measuring Trust” (which is running again in July: https://www.tlfresearch.com/measuring-trust/ ), and why trust is crucial to predicting how customers will react when things go wrong.
What is trust, can you measure it, and do you need to in order to understand your customer relationships properly?
In this episode Greg and Stephen talk about the webinar “Measuring Trust” (which is running again in July: https://www.tlfresearch.com/measuring-trust/ ), and why trust is crucial to predicting how customers will react when things go wrong.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep44+-+Measuring+Trust.mp3
Greg interviews Stephen about his new book Your Customer Survey: Using Research To Build A Distinctive Customer Experience. Who’s it for, what’s it about, and what makes it different to all the other customer experience books that are out there? If you’re interested you can buy the paperback from TLF Research and there is also… Continue reading Book Launch: Your Customer Survey
Greg interviews Stephen about his new book Your Customer Survey: Using Research To Build A Distinctive Customer Experience.
Who’s it for, what’s it about, and what makes it different to all the other customer experience books that are out there?
If you’re interested you can buy the paperback from TLF Research and there is also a Kindle version.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep43+-+Book+Launch+-+Your+Customer+Survey.mp3
Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar on “The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021”. What have we seen in 2020 which is going to lead to lasting change? Stephen argues that qualitative research is more vital now than it’s ever been, and that the three big themes for 2021 are Culture, Sustainability, and Empathy. If… Continue reading The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021
Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar on “The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021”. What have we seen in 2020 which is going to lead to lasting change?
Stephen argues that qualitative research is more vital now than it’s ever been, and that the three big themes for 2021 are Culture, Sustainability, and Empathy.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch a recording.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep42+-+TheNewCXLandscape.mp3
Greg and Stephen talk about turning research insight into action to improve the customer experience, based on Greg’s recent webinar.
Action is hard not because it’s unclear what needs to happen, but because of the power of the status quo. The decisions you make before and during your survey can be more important than what you do with it afterwards.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep41+InsightToAction.mp3
Greg and Stephen talk about turning research insight into action to improve the customer experience, based on Greg’s recent webinar. Action is hard not because it’s unclear what needs to happen, but because of the power of the status quo. The decisions you make before and during your survey can be more important than what… Continue reading Insight into Action
Greg and Stephen discuss the challenges of using customer journey mapping in business to business markets, based on Stephen’s recent webinar.
Are B2B relationships different, and if they are what does that mean for the journeys we map, and the tools we use to do it?
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep40+B2B+Journey+Mapping.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss the challenges of using customer journey mapping in business to business markets, based on Stephen’s recent webinar. Are B2B relationships different, and if they are what does that mean for the journeys we map, and the tools we use to do it?
In the second of our episodes featuring Chris Barnham, Stephen and Chris discuss in more detail how to use “qualitative semiotics” to explore how customers understand brand meaning. They talk about the importance of identity and qualification, and how to use a propositional hierarchy to think about the way your brand is perceived.
Stephen and Greg pick up the discussion to consider the ways in which this theory, and this approach to qualitative research, could be used in customer experience research.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/ChrisBarnhamPod2.mp3
In the second of our episodes featuring Chris Barnham, Stephen and Chris discuss in more detail how to use “qualitative semiotics” to explore how customers understand brand meaning. They talk about the importance of identity and qualification, and how to use a propositional hierarchy to think about the way your brand is perceived. Stephen and… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 2
It’s another interview episode, the first of a two-parter with qualitative researcher and semiotician Chris Barnham.
In part 1 Chris gives an in-depth overview of the field, and explains his view that the theory of semiotics advanced by Charles Peirce can be be more helpful than Saussurian semiotics when it comes to understanding how consumers create brand meaning.
Focusing on individual customers, rather than cultural codes, means that semiotics combined with qualitative research can be used to understand how brand meanings are created, and how they change and evolve over time.
Next time we’ll discuss the applications of semiotics to customer experience.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/ChrisBarnhamEp1.mp3
It’s another interview episode, the first of a two-parter with qualitative researcher and semiotician Chris Barnham. In part 1 Chris gives an in-depth overview of the field, and explains his view that the theory of semiotics advanced by Charles Peirce can be be more helpful than Saussurian semiotics when it comes to understanding how consumers… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 1
Stephen and Greg chat about benchmarking customer survey scores, picking up on some of the points in Greg’s webinar on the subject. What is benchmarking good for? Is it a distraction, a vanity exercise, or can it be used as a source of improvement?
Stephen and Greg chat about benchmarking customer survey scores, picking up on some of the points in Greg’s webinar on the subject.
What is benchmarking good for? Is it a distraction, a vanity exercise, or can it be used as a source of improvement?
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep37+-+Benchmarking.mp3
Greg and Stephen catch up with TLF Research Client Manager Vicki Harris to talk about the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on customer experience and ways of working, with a particular eye on the social housing sector in the UK.
Along the way we talk about the power of “moments of kindness” in a crisis, wonder about how to make sure we remember to look for those moments when things return to a “new normal”, and discuss what the future may look like as ways of working change and customer priorities shift.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep36Covid19%26SocialHousing.mp3
Greg and Stephen catch up with TLF Research Client Manager Vicki Harris to talk about the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on customer experience and ways of working, with a particular eye on the social housing sector in the UK. Along the way we talk about the power of “moments of kindness” in a… Continue reading Social Housing, Covid-19 & Customer Experience
We got there! Thanks to anyone who’s been with us all the way from Chapter 1 (and if you haven’t, feel free to back and start at the beginning!) In the final chapter we discuss how getting your research design right makes your analysis and outcomes easier, why you still need to work hard to… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.18: Conclusions
We got there! Thanks to anyone who’s been with us all the way from Chapter 1 (and if you haven’t, feel free to back and start at the beginning!)
In the final chapter we discuss how getting your research design right makes your analysis and outcomes easier, why you still need to work hard to build bridges between insight and action, and how it changes as you rise up the league table. We wonder if it’s harder for public companies to take a long term view of the customer and, if so, what we might be able to do about that.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep35+-+Conclusion.mp3
It’s surprisingly common for organisations to gather information from customers through research, but never “close the loop” by communicating the results or actions being taken back to customers. It’s an essential part of the process, helping manage perceptions and making sure customers notice the changes you’re making. As Greg and Stephen comment, there’s no such… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.17: Involving Customers
It’s surprisingly common for organisations to gather information from customers through research, but never “close the loop” by communicating the results or actions being taken back to customers. It’s an essential part of the process, helping manage perceptions and making sure customers notice the changes you’re making.
As Greg and Stephen comment, there’s no such thing as “survey fatigue”, only lack of action and communication fatigue.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep34+-+InvolvingCustomers.mp3
You can’t improve the customer experience without getting people throughout the organisation to sign up to the changes that need to be made. They need the right information, the opportunity to contribute, and communications that will help drive it through.
Stephen and Greg talk about how things have moved on since the book was written, and discuss some favourite tools for involving people.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep33+-+InvolvingEmployees.mp3
You can’t improve the customer experience without getting people throughout the organisation to sign up to the changes that need to be made. They need the right information, the opportunity to contribute, and communications that will help drive it through. Stephen and Greg talk about how things have moved on since the book was written,… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.16: Involving Employees
A lot of organisations devote cost, time, and effort to measuring customer satisfaction, but many find it difficult to transform what they learn into decisive change for customers. Customer perceptions are slow to change, and organisational inertia can make it difficult for planned improvements to stick. How can your research help? Greg and Stephen chat… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.15: Using Surveys to Drive Improvement
A lot of organisations devote cost, time, and effort to measuring customer satisfaction, but many find it difficult to transform what they learn into decisive change for customers. Customer perceptions are slow to change, and organisational inertia can make it difficult for planned improvements to stick. How can your research help?
Greg and Stephen chat about using surveys to improve the customer experience, why some things take time, and why it’s worth it.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep32+-+UsingSurveysToDriveImprovement.mp3
To use satisfaction data strategically, you need to understand how to link it to internal performance and customer behaviour. Those links often turn out to be non-linear, and understanding that can be crucial to seeing the value of investing in the customer experience.
Greg and Stephen discuss how to think strategically about customer satisfaction, the value of delight, and whether detractors may be easier to turn into promoters than passives are.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep31+-+AdvancedAnalysis.mp3
To use satisfaction data strategically, you need to understand how to link it to internal performance and customer behaviour. Those links often turn out to be non-linear, and understanding that can be crucial to seeing the value of investing in the customer experience. Greg and Stephen discuss how to think strategically about customer satisfaction, the… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.14: Advanced Analysis
Benchmarking satisfaction is often an expensive red herring. It can distract the organisation from focusing on what really matters to customers, and obscure the truth that being the best of a bad bunch means that you’re vulnerable to disruption and missing out on the benefits of having really satisfied customers. Greg and Stephen talk about… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.13: Comparisons with Competitors
Benchmarking satisfaction is often an expensive red herring. It can distract the organisation from focusing on what really matters to customers, and obscure the truth that being the best of a bad bunch means that you’re vulnerable to disruption and missing out on the benefits of having really satisfied customers.
Greg and Stephen talk about how to get the competitor information you need, the differences between B2B and B2C markets, and explain why the most important thing of all is making sure you attract the right kind of customers.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep30+-+ComparisonsWithCompetitors.mp3
It’s very easy to get too focused on the customer research process; to concentrate so hard on the details you need to get right in order to produce valid and robust insight that you lose sight of the most important thing of all – what are you going to do to improve?
Greg and Stephen discuss Chapter 12 of the book Customer Satisfaction, which is all about making sure your survey results in actionable outcomes for the organisation.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep29+-+Actionable+Outcomes.mp3
It’s very easy to get too focused on the customer research process; to concentrate so hard on the details you need to get right in order to produce valid and robust insight that you lose sight of the most important thing of all – what are you going to do to improve? Greg and Stephen… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.12: Actionable Outcomes
One of the best things about establishing a robust customer satisfaction survey process is that it will give you a good measure of how your performance changes over time.
Greg and Stephen discuss what you should measure, how often, and what sample sizes you need to reach reliable conclusions. Along the way they discuss butterflies and barnacles, how long it takes customer perceptions to change, and the danger of weaving narratives around volatile survey results.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep28+-+MonitoringPerformanceOverTime.mp3
One of the best things about establishing a robust customer satisfaction survey process is that it will give you a good measure of how your performance changes over time. Greg and Stephen discuss what you should measure, how often, and what sample sizes you need to reach reliable conclusions. Along the way they discuss butterflies… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.11: Monitoring Performance Over Time
This is the second part of our interview with customer service expert Chris Daffy, this time focusing on his top tips for organisations that want to excel in terms of the customer experience. We talked about the emotional basis of loyalty, the importance of conviction leaders, and how to go about making sure you have… Continue reading The Interview: Chris Daffy (Part 2)
This is the second part of our interview with customer service expert Chris Daffy, this time focusing on his top tips for organisations that want to excel in terms of the customer experience.
We talked about the emotional basis of loyalty, the importance of conviction leaders, and how to go about making sure you have the right staff and customers.
We’re also really happy that Chris has agreed to headline our Customer Insight Conference on November 6th in London, so do come and hear from him in person if you can!
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep24+-+ChrisDaffy2.mp3
Chris Daffy has earned a tremendous reputation in the world of customer service, so it was a privilege to have the chance to pick his brains. There was too much good stuff to squeeze into one episode, so we’ve made this one a two-parter.
We’re also really happy that Chris has agreed to headline our Customer Insight Conference on November 6th in London, so do come and hear from him in person if you can!
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep23+ChrisDaffy1.mp3
Chris Daffy has earned a tremendous reputation in the world of customer service, so it was a privilege to have the chance to pick his brains. There was too much good stuff to squeeze into one episode, so we’ve made this one a two-parter. We’re also really happy that Chris has agreed to headline our Customer Insight… Continue reading The Interview: Chris Daffy (Part 1)
We’re planning a series of interview episodes to catch up with people across the world of customer experience and insight. For our first in the series we spoke to Ian Golding. We’ve known and worked with Ian for many years, so it was really good to catch up with him and hear his views on… Continue reading The Interview: Ian Golding
We’re planning a series of interview episodes to catch up with people across the world of customer experience and insight.
For our first in the series we spoke to Ian Golding. We’ve known and worked with Ian for many years, so it was really good to catch up with him and hear his views on the latest in Customer Experience. He was as articulate and passionate as ever, and talked through some of the things he finds frustrating as well his view on how organisations can unite the customer journey with process and technology.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep22+-+IanGolding.mp3
This time Greg and Stephen discuss chapter ten of “Customer Satisfaction”, the basic analysis you need for a customer satisfaction survey to give you an accurate measure and clear priorities. You need to know when to use a mean or median, what the standard deviation tells you, and how to use correlation in order to… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.10: Basic Analysis
This time Greg and Stephen discuss chapter ten of “Customer Satisfaction”, the basic analysis you need for a customer satisfaction survey to give you an accurate measure and clear priorities.
You need to know when to use a mean or median, what the standard deviation tells you, and how to use correlation in order to get the most out of your survey; but knowing how to interpret the numbers is just as important as knowing how to work them out.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep21+-+Ch10+BasicAnalysis.mp3
In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss chapter nine of “Customer Satisfaction”, which looks at getting your questionnaire design right for customer research. The quality of the questionnaire, making sure you’re asking the right questions in the right way, is vital because it underpins everything that comes afterwards. Sadly it’s often rushed, designed by committee,… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.9: The Questionnaire
In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss chapter nine of “Customer Satisfaction”, which looks at getting your questionnaire design right for customer research.
The quality of the questionnaire, making sure you’re asking the right questions in the right way, is vital because it underpins everything that comes afterwards. Sadly it’s often rushed, designed by committee, and doesn’t feel relevant to customers.
Greg and Stephen talk about the balance of questions, who should be consulted, the ideal length, and much, much, more.
https://tlf-public-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/podcasts/Ep20+-+Ch9+Questionnaire.mp3
Chapter eight of the book “Customer Satisfaction” is called “Keeping the Score”, and it’s all about choosing the best rating scale for measuring customer attitudes.
Greg and Stephen talk through the issues, explaining why the ten-point numerical scale is the only sensible option for customer research, whether you’re using a Satisfaction Index or Net Promoter Score.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep19+-+Ch8+KeepingTheScore.mp3
Chapter eight of the book “Customer Satisfaction” is called “Keeping the Score”, and it’s all about choosing the best rating scale for measuring customer attitudes. Greg and Stephen talk through the issues, explaining why the ten-point numerical scale is the only sensible option for customer research, whether you’re using a Satisfaction Index or Net Promoter… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.8: Keeping the Score
Greg and Stephen talk about the pros and cons of different survey methods, based on chapter seven of the book “Customer Satisfaction”. What’s the best way to maximise your response rate and get the depth of insight you need? Can you combine survey methods?
Getting the fieldwork right is one of the most important parts of the customer research process.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep18+-+Ch7+CollectingTheData.mp3
Greg and Stephen talk about the pros and cons of different survey methods, based on chapter seven of the book “Customer Satisfaction”. What’s the best way to maximise your response rate and get the depth of insight you need? Can you combine survey methods? Getting the fieldwork right is one of the most important parts… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.7: Collecting the Data
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter six of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which is all about survey sampling. It might not be the sexiest-sounding topic, but it is vital if you want your survey to be reliable. Beyond the theory, we talk through some of the practical issues in designing an effective survey process. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep17+-+Ch6+Sampling.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter six of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which is all about survey sampling. It might not be the sexiest-sounding topic, but it is vital if you want your survey to be reliable.
Beyond the theory, we talk through some of the practical issues in designing an effective survey process.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep17+-+Ch6+Sampling.mp3
Last week we held the 20th TLF Research client conference. It’s our annual chance to catch up, share some latest thinking, and enjoy hearing from clients who have used their survey results to make big changes. In this brief special episode Stephen and Greg review the day, picking out some of their favourite points. Some slides and… Continue reading Client Conference Special
Last week we held the 20th TLF Research client conference. It’s our annual chance to catch up, share some latest thinking, and enjoy hearing from clients who have used their survey results to make big changes.
In this brief special episode Stephen and Greg review the day, picking out some of their favourite points.
Some slides and photos from the day will be going live on the conference site.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ClientConferenceSpecial.mp3
We held our Housing Insight Conference on 27th February in London. If you were there, thanks for helping to make it such a useful day. In this special episode Stephen chats to each of the TLF speakers, including our host for the day Chris Elliot, about some of the highlights of what we covered. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/HousingInsightConfSpecial.mp3
We held our Housing Insight Conference on 27th February in London. If you were there, thanks for helping to make it such a useful day.
In this special episode Stephen chats to each of the TLF speakers, including our host for the day Chris Elliot, about some of the highlights of what we covered.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/HousingInsightConfSpecial.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter five of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, looking at how you can use qualitative research to understand what matters to customers. It’s all about getting a deep understanding of how a small number of customers see the world, helping you make sure you can speak their language when it comes to… Continue reading Customer Satisfaction Ch.5: Exploratory Research
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter five of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, looking at how you can use qualitative research to understand what matters to customers.
It’s all about getting a deep understanding of how a small number of customers see the world, helping you make sure you can speak their language when it comes to further research.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep16+-+Ch5+ExploratoryResearch.mp3
We’ve completed our run through the 10 Traits that we believe separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from everyone else. In this recap episode Greg and Stephen run down the list, and discuss which of them is the most important (if we had to pick just one). Needless to say, they don’t quite agree. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep15-Top10Recap.mp3
We’ve completed our run through the 10 Traits that we believe separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from everyone else.
In this recap episode Greg and Stephen run down the list, and discuss which of them is the most important (if we had to pick just one). Needless to say, they don’t quite agree.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep15-Top10Recap.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
We’ve mentioned “perception is reality” more than once on the podcast. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the role of communication in helping customers to recognise the improvements that you’re making.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep14+-+(10)CommunicationResults.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. We’ve mentioned “perception is reality” more than once on the podcast. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the role of communication in helping customers to recognise the improvements that you’re making. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep14+-+(10)CommunicationResults.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
Dealing with problems and complaints effectively is a big priority for many organisations, but it can often feel like an insurmountable challenge. Greg and Stephen talk about why it matters so much, what effective problem handling looks like, and how customer insight can help.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep13+(9)ProblemsComplaints.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. Dealing with problems and complaints effectively is a big priority for many organisations, but it can often feel like an insurmountable challenge. Greg and Stephen talk about why it matters so much, what effective problem handling looks… Continue reading Episode 13: Top 10 Traits No.9: A Robust Process for Handling Problems
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen discuss the importance of getting your suppliers on board when it comes to creating great customer experiences, and why customer satisfaction might be the only SLA you need. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep12+-+(8)ExternalInternalSuppliers.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen discuss the importance of getting your suppliers on board when it comes to creating great customer experiences, and why customer satisfaction might be the only SLA you need.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep12+-+(8)ExternalInternalSuppliers.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the sometimes controversial idea of rewarding employees based on customer satisfaction, as well as which schemes work well.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep11+-+CSatTargetReward.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the sometimes controversial idea of rewarding employees based on customer satisfaction, as well as which schemes work well. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep11+-+CSatTargetReward.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about ways to make sure the right people in the organisation get the information they need from customer insight. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep10+-+CommunicationOfNeeds.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about ways to make sure the right people in the organisation get the information they need from customer insight.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep10+-+CommunicationOfNeeds.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 4 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which explains why you need to use the “lens of the customer” to understand the customer experience properly. They also run through some of the techniques you can use to measure what matters most to customers, looking at pros and cons. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep9+-+Ch4+AskingTheRightQuestions.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 4 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which explains why you need to use the “lens of the customer” to understand the customer experience properly.
They also run through some of the techniques you can use to measure what matters most to customers, looking at pros and cons.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep9+-+Ch4+AskingTheRightQuestions.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which have world class customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen dig into the single thing which makes the most difference to top performers: actually doing something. What can you do to help your organisation act on customer research? https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep8+-+TakeAction.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which have world class customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen dig into the single thing which makes the most difference to top performers: actually doing something. What can you do to help your organisation act on customer research?
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep8+-+TakeAction.mp3
We held our Customer Insight Conference on 7th November in London – thanks to those who came along and helped to make it a very successful day. In this special episode Greg and I discuss the takeaways, and there’s also an interview with our guest speaker Andrew Davis. You can find more from Andrew on twitter at… Continue reading Insight Conference Special
We held our Customer Insight Conference on 7th November in London – thanks to those who came along and helped to make it a very successful day.
In this special episode Greg and I discuss the takeaways, and there’s also an interview with our guest speaker Andrew Davis. You can find more from Andrew on twitter at https://twitter.com/andrew_davis or on his website http://thinkingoutsidetheblog.com/
Some other things we mentioned were our guide to writing a research brief https://www.tlfresearch.com/customer-research-brief and the work on patient personas at Rotterdam Eye hospital https://hbr.org/2017/11/how-design-thinking-is-improving-patient-caregiver-conversations
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/InsightConferenceSpecial.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about how important it is to focus on a small number of what we call “Priorities for Improvement”, to help your colleagues focus and your customers notice change. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep7+-+PFIs.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about how important it is to focus on a small number of what we call “Priorities for Improvement”, to help your colleagues focus and your customers notice change.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep7+-+PFIs.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen discuss the trap of “Paralysis by Analysis”, and how to distinguish legitimate questions about your survey from time-wasting red herrings. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep6+-+AvoidingParalysisByAnalysis.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen discuss the trap of “Paralysis by Analysis”, and how to distinguish legitimate questions about your survey from time-wasting red herrings.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep6+-+AvoidingParalysisByAnalysis.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about getting everyone in your organisation to understand that “Perception is Reality” for customers, and why that can open up new ways to improve.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep5.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about getting everyone in your organisation to understand that “Perception is Reality” for customers, and why that can open up new ways to improve. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep5.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 3 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which starts with the question “Why isn’t customer satisfaction getting better, given all the work we’ve put into measuring it”. The secret is in getting some key decisions about your survey right. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep4.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 3 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, which starts with the question “Why isn’t customer satisfaction getting better, given all the work we’ve put into measuring it”. The secret is in getting some key decisions about your survey right.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/Ep4.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest.
In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the importance of Senior Management Commitment to the customer.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep3.mp3
TLF have identified 10 Traits that separate organisations which are world class at customer experience from the rest. In this episode, Greg and Stephen talk about the importance of Senior Management Commitment to the customer. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep3.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 2 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, this time looking at the benefits that businesses can get from focussing on customer satisfaction. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep2.mp3
Greg and Stephen discuss chapter 2 of the book “Customer Satisfaction”, this time looking at the benefits that businesses can get from focussing on customer satisfaction.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep2.mp3
Join Greg and Stephen as they talk through the first chapter of “Customer Satisfaction; the customer experience through the customer’s eyes”. This chapter’s all about dispelling some common myths. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep1.mp3
Join Greg and Stephen as they talk through the first chapter of “Customer Satisfaction; the customer experience through the customer’s eyes”.
This chapter’s all about dispelling some common myths.
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tlf-public-assets/podcasts/ep1.mp3