Hi Jerry, tell us about yourself, your background?
I am the founder and CEO of Delta Point, Inc, a sales and marketing excellence consulting company located in Scottsdale, AZ, and Malvern, PA, that is celebrating its 20th year in business. We have done business with 18 of the top 100 companies in the world. I am the author of 2 best-selling business books, The Relationship Edge in Business and Stop Acting Like a Seller, Start Thinking Like a Buyer. Prior to that, I spent 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, starting as a sales rep and ending up as VP/GM of a 550 million dollar company.
Online commerce was booming in 2020, and so did consumer reviews. – How can brands better utilize this data to improve their customers’ experience?
The most important thing companies can do pay attention to that data and have it shape your response to problems and guide your vision for the future about what consumers want their experience to be. When the experience is great, the reviews are great, and the likelihood of repeat business is high.
What is one element that must always be considered when working on a CXM (customer experience management) strategy?
The most important element in my view is to think like the customer. I tried to buy 3 shirts last week from a very well-known retailer’s site. When I got to the checkout, my only 2 options were PayPal or Apple pay. Why wouldn’t there be an option for my credit card, which was in my pocket. I tried PayPal but couldn’t remember my password, so I abandoned the sale and went to another site and bought 3 shirts from a site with comparable merchandise, but an easier experience.
Do you think personalization and customer-centricity are going to become increasingly more relevant in the coming year? How so?
I think it is absolutely the case that customer-centricity will be more relevant going forward. Customers today are looking for quality merchandise, good reviews, ease of purchasing, and making it easy for me to find what I want. Amazon does this incredibly well, and it’s one of the many reasons they are so successful.
What are some of the ways companies can strive to eliminate the CX Gap?
The best way, in my view, to eliminating the customer experience gap is related to 2 key activities: first, study the organizations that are superb at the customer experience and learn from them. Secondly, talk to customers. To sell Jane Brown what Jane Brown buys, you have to see the world through John Brown’s eyes. You can’t do that IF you are not talking to many Jane and John Browns!!
What’s the most insightful book you read in 2020?
The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long
Jerry’s predictions for the future of CX
What are your predictions for trends in customer experience in the coming year?
I predict companies that want to succeed will pay more and more attention to what customers want their experience to be. Efficiency, quality products, easy returns, ease of purchasing, and staying in touch with other offerings WITHOUT being intrusive will all be critical.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
My favorite customer metric is customer reviews that include questions and answers. The ratings help but the questions and answers often reveal fatal flaws that may not occur often, but if and when they might, it will certainly shape my decision.
