Heart&SOLE

WE'VE GOT TEAM SPIRIT

Have you? If so, check out these amazing team building ideas and experiences!

>>> page 12

www.thecustomersshoes.com ISSUE 03

GO FOR GOLD!The Olympic countdown begins, so get ready to go for gold in the customer experience arena! >>> page 2

SUPPORTING GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

MENTAL PREPARATION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE Understand what it takes to be the best... >>> page 6

MORE USEFUL

CUSTOMER RELATED FACTS

Things you never knew about consumers. >>> page 4

GO FOR GOLD

Cher yl Gregor y - MD & Editor

INDEX

p2 Go For Gold

p4 More Useful Customer

Related Fac ts

p6 Understanding Mental Preparat ion

for H igh Per formance

p8 Sock i t to 'em [Energiser]

p10 The Human Sigma Review

p12 We' ve Got Team Spir i t

p14 On The Shel f

p16 Are you on the r ight t rack? [Quiz]

p18 The Power of Brand Exper ience

Cathedrals

p20 How Our Town Could Become a

Centre for Excel lence

p22 Coaching Your I nner Sole

p24 Get I n Touch

HEAR T & SOLE is

publ ished quar ter ly by

The Customer 's Shoes Ltd

w w w.thecustomersshoes.com

Issue #3

Al l r ights reser ved © 2012

thought for the issue:

The countdown is now in fu l l swing for the opening ceremony of Olympic G ames London 2012, businesses across the UK are being encouraged to capita l ise on what could be the 'greatest show on ear th'.

“ The Olympics remain the most compel l ing search for excel lence that exists in spor t and maybe in l i fe i tse l f.” Quote by Dawn Fraser. Austra l ian swimmer. Gold Medal l i s t . 1956. 1960. 1964.

This summer a longside the great excitement of the Olympics we are a lso celebrat ing the Queen’s Diamond Jubi lee. Giv ing another br i l l iant reason to get your organ-isat ion to be re invigorated, retra ined and inspired in the t rue ar t of Customer Exper ience. For me there are st i l l too many organisat ions playing things safe and this has inevita-bly led to the bor ing. When planning for long term success of customer loyalt y in any organisat ion, especia l ly in this economic c l imate, lett ing things get bor ing can be a ver y dangerous game. I n essence this wi l l soon lead to a lack of focus in your management team and more t reacherously your customers.

2 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E G O F O R G O L d

Don’t be held back by the fear of fa l l ing out of step with what others are doing r ight now. I nstead of fo l lowing your competitors a long the customer exper i -ence t rack , venture to over take them. Dare to be di f ferent ! Be remark able! Take the courageous step to be the authent ic you!

The choices our customers have are now vast , not just on the high street but a lso on the web, meaning the urgenc y to create di f ferent iat ion is more apparent than ever. Current ly customer exper ience is THE way to do this , forget the idea of s imply improving your customer ser v ice and get ready to completely t ransform the way in which your customer feels as they interac t with you. I f you want to use the term ‘cus-tomer ser v ice’ then demand your team to return to the good old fashion prac t ices behind this term – ser v ing the customer at ever y level as in days gone by. Make your customer exper ience one that inc ludes ful l customer ser v ice, where your brand demands that your employees engage with your customers to ensure they get ever y-thing they need f rom you – and more. To del iver a memorable customer exper ience we must empower our staf f to make the r ight choice and ac t in the r ight way for our customers in an on- going search for excel lence on behal f of your consumers.

I remain consistent ly despondent with the customer exper ience in the UK , i t s t i l l remains one where I am either ignored or where I ’m met with intransi -gent think ing and restr ic t ive company pol ic ies – i f only more people would real ise how easy i t i s to ac tu a l ly go for gold and give f i rst c lass ser v ice at what-ever level of an organisat ion.

To push for change and demonstrate excel lent ser v ice, and ensure custom-ers leave r icher for their interac t ion with your business, you s imply need the energy and creat ive v is ion to begin your journey. Tra ining and determinat ion is a lso required just as an Olympic spor ts person cont inual ly works to improve and per fec t the del iver y of susta ined and br i l l iant results .

Surely the t ime has come to quit with excuses and commit to focus on the customer at an Olympic level . I f we truly want to win our customers we need to ‘Go For Gold ’ !

I S S U E 0 3 3

G O F O R G O L d H E A R T & S O L E

Swimming compet i tors at the 1896 Games were taken by boat into the Bay of P iraeus and le f t to swim back . The ch i l l y Apr i l water took i ts to l l and Al fred Hjad is of Hun-gary feared for h is l i fe but he ld on to take go ld at 100m and 1,200m.

Hjad is sa id “My wi l l to l i ve complete ly over -came my des ire to win . ”

I t shows that a long the path of “Going for Gold” that you have to endure d iscomfort at t imes.

Fol lowing on f rom last i ssue, here are some interest ing customer re lated fac ts ! P lus, keeping with our Olympic theme, here 's one to quote at your nex t team meet ing as a great way of demonstrat ing your abi l i t y to reta in completely ’ useless ‘ information:

MoreUseful Customer Related Fac ts

4 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E U S E F U L C U S T O m E R F A C T S

FACT #1A customer who rates you

5 on a sca le from 1 to 5 is s ix t imes more l i ke ly to buy

from you again , compared to i f they ‘on ly ’ gave you a

score of 4 .8 . Tele Fact ion data research

FACT #285% of bus iness leaders

agree that trad i t ional d i f ferent iators a lone are

no longer a susta inable bus iness strategy

Shaw & Ivens

FACT #3The probabi l i t y o f

se l l ing to an ex ist ing customer is 60 – 70%. The

probabi l i t y o f se l l ing to a new prospect is 5-20%

Marketing Metrics

FACT #468% of customers leave

because they were upset with the treatment they

received whi lst speak ing to customer serv ices

US Chamber of Commerce

Useful Customer Related Fac ts

fact #5 96% of unhappy

customers don’t complain, however 91% of those

wi l l s imply leave and never come back

1st Financia l Train ing serv ices

fact #6 A 2% increase in customer

retent ion has the same effect as decreasing costs

by 10% Leading on the Edge of Chaos, Emmet Murphy &

Mark Murphy

FACT #7 68% of customers leave

because they were upset with the treatment they

received whi lst speak ing to customer serv ices

US Chamber of Commerce

FACT #8 70% of buy ing exper iences

are based on how the customer fee ls they are

be ing treated McKinsey

I S S U E 0 3 5

U S E F U L C U S T O m E R F A C T S H E A R T & S O L E

Former Olympic Gold Medal-l i s t Sk ier Barbara Ann Cochran bel ieves that work ing on mental preparat ion should be a dai ly task . “ The t ime spent on i t could be f rom 5 minutes

to a couple hours. When I was compet-ing in sk i rac ing, I would spend about 45 minutes to an hour memoriz ing and then v isual iz ing the course I would be running. Sometimes at n ight when I was in bed before I fe l l as leep, I would a lso v isual ize. This especia l ly helped me in some of the downhi l l courses, because I was terr i f ied of downhi l l .” She says that the outcome of any per for-mance is based on about 90% (or more) mental i t y and 10% (or less) sk i l l s . So a l though sk i l l s are impor tant , when you are competing against others that—within a smal l range —have developed the same sk i l l s the biggest fac tor i s the way the athlete thinks and feels , how conf ident she is in her abi l i t y, what she

bel ieves about her play and team, etc. The same goes with your competit ion. Three Br i l l iant Tips for Mental Preparat ion When prepar ing for any s i tuat ion i t ’s impor tant to understand what your bel iefs are about that s i tuat ion and how you bel ieve you can do. Bel ieving you can do i t i s ver y impor tant . I f you bel ieve you can then you are par t way there. 1. Use Mental Aff irmations How does this apply to the work place? Use posit ive af f i rmat ions to change your bel iefs about the s i tuat ion you face. For instance, i f you’re gett ing ready for an encounter with a di f f icult customer and you don’t bel ieve you’ l l do wel l , you could use the af f i rmat ion, “ I a lways do wel l in di f f icult customer s i tuat ions” Then bom-bard your subconscious mind with that thought over and over again . Some ath-letes take 10 to 15 index cards and wr ite their af f i rmat ion statement on each card

H igh Per formance

Understanding Menta l Preparat ion for

6 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E m E n T A L P R E P A R A T I O n

and then put those cards wherever they ’ l l not ice them around their home, on the bathroom mirror, on their desk , on their bedside table, in their car, on their notebooks, etc. They prac-t ice saying the statement a loud 10 to 15 t imes a day or more and reprogram their bel iefs .

2. Visual ize The Experience

The second thing you can do is to v isual ize the interac t ion with your cus-tomer. I magine as c losely as poss ible where the interac t ion i s tak ing place, what the condit ions are l ike, who the people are that are around, what the sounds are l ike, what the smel ls are l ike – t r y to include the f ive senses : s ight , taste, touch, sound, and smel l . I magine yoursel f engaging with the customers throughout the t ime you spend with them ensur ing you incor-porate as many detai ls as poss ible and as many of the senses as poss ible for the competit ion on that day. Athletes do this over and over, v isual iz ing ever y detai l of their ant ic ipated exper ience when per forming.

3. Develop a Mental Routine

Thirdly develop a rout ine before you meet your customer which includes spe -c i f ic thoughts just before the moment you make contac t , e .g. before you are about to make a cal l to them, or before you meet face to face. This rout ine can begin the moment you get up in the morning and can include speci f ic thoughts or a mantra . Many athletes when competing, just give themselves permiss ion just to do their best , so they might a lways say, “ I ’m just going to do the best I can!” A lot of the athletes use the thought , “ This i s so much fun! I love ….” ( this event , rac ing, p laying soccer, swimming, etc. ) . I f you a lso smi le as you say this mantra i t helps to br ing up the r ight emotions that help you per form wel l . Stop v isual iz ing just before you execute the sk i l l , i f that ’s poss ible. For instance, a gol fer should take the t ime to v isual ize the shot he’s about to take, r ight before he takes i t . Obviously in lots of spor ts , th is i sn’t poss ible, but anyt ime you have the chance to v isual ize, you should.

http://youtu.be/nnIhICP5PJkI S S U E 0 3 7

m E n T A L P R E P A R A T I O n H E A R T & S O L E

A quick and s imple energ izer that encourages the spi r i t of team work through s i lent communicat ion and eye contact .

Sock i t to ‘em is re levant to any organisat ion because i t l inks di rect ly with the need for that team spir i t and abi l i ty to connect with other indiv iduals within any organisat ion. I t presents the idea of s i lent communicat ion and taking a moment to connect with fe l low employees to achieve object ives however smal l . most important ly however th is energ izer is about breaking down barr iers between workers , part icular ly i f they are new to each other, and is a fun way to break the ice with new col leagues.

You wi l l need the fo l lowing resources:

• 1 or more br ight ly coloured pairs of socks ( ro l led into a bal l ) or 1 or more soft medium sized bal ls . • A f ree area that has no obstruct ions, a l lowing your part ic ipants to stand in a c i rc le .

Sock I t To ‘em

WAnT TO BE

In OUR nEXT ISSUE? SEnd US

A PHOTO OF YOUR TEAm PLAYInG

THIS GAmE!

8 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E T E A m G A m E

O B J E C T I V EPar t ic ipants must use s i lent communicat ion, mainly eye contac t to indicate who they wi l l nex t be ‘sock ing’ i t to.

C H A L L E N G E R U L E S• Al low no more than 10 min -utes ; 2 minutes br ief ing and set up, 6 minutes for execu-t ion, 2 minutes review and set down. • 6+ par t ic ipants wi l l work wel l with this ac t iv i t y, how-ever the more people involved the more chal leng-ing, and therefore benef ic ia l , the energiser wi l l be

SOLUTIONVis i t http ://wp.me/p2lEcU-1y4 the fu l l game guide!

I S S U E 0 3 9

T E A m G A m E H E A R T & S O L E

Book Review : The Human Sigma "I f You Pray for Potatoes, You Better Grab a Hoe” – Think about i t ! I f you want a cer ta in outcome you’d better prepare yoursel f for i t . Olympic athletes do this a l l the t ime. They t ra in with ful l expec tat ion that they wi l l get the results they are t ra ining for. “ The interac t ion bet ween an employee and a customer – what we cal l the employee -customer encounter – i s the new fac tor y f loor. . . “Employee engagement does have a di rec t and measurable re lat ionship to and impac t on customer engagement.”

Six Sigma, (http://en.wik ipedia .org/wik i/S ix_Sigma) has changed the face of manufac-tur ing qual i t y, creat ing excel lence by reducing

var iance in f in ished goods, revo -lut ioniz ing businesses, and boost-ing prof i ts . I n this book , Human Sigma is poised to do the same for sa les and ser v ice organizat ions. So for our readers I guess that ’s prett y much a l l of you! This new book of fers an innovat ive, research-based approach to one of the toughest chal lenges fac ing business today : how to dr ive suc-cess by ef fec t ively managing the moments where employees interac t with customers. We k now that ’s the customer journey by and large. This book is based on research spanning 10 mi l l ion employees and 10 mi l l ion customers around the globe, the Human Sigma approach combines a proven method for assess ing the health of the employee - customer encounter with a disc ipl ined process for improving i t . Human Sigma is based on f ive new rules to br ing excel lence to the way employees engage and inter-ac t with customers :

1 0 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E T H E H U m A n S I G m A

RULE #1: E Pluribus Unum*. Employee and customer experiences must be managed together -- not as separate entities. Well we’ve been saying that for a long time. These two elements are inextricably linked.

RULE #2: Feelings Are Facts. Emotions drive and shape the employee-customer encounter which makes sense when you think about it. Workplaces can be very emotional in-deed.

RULE #3: Think Globally, Measure and Act Locally. The employee-customer encounter must be measured and managed at the local level. So forget looking at national surveys about your brand across hun-dreds of store points per dealers. You need to drill into them at a micro level to understand what it feels like to be a customer.

RULE #4: There Is One Number You Need to Know. Employee and customer engagement interact to drive enhanced financial performance. And this interaction can be quantified and summarized with a single performance metric. Net Promot-er here we come.

RULE #5: If You Pray for Potatoes, You Better Grab a Hoe. This means that good intentions alone do not constitute a plan of action. Sustainable improvement in the employee-customer encoun-ter requires disciplined local action coupled with a company wide com-mitment to changing how employ-ees are recruited, positioned in roles, rewarded and recognized, and im-portantly, how they are managed. Human Sigma is we think essential reading for today's customer experience manag-ers, in-fact all managers and leaders, It shows how sales and service companies can flourish in the new global economy. It reveals a profoundly different method for managing human systems for growth. Blending strategic analysis with hands-on, practical steps and advice, Human Sigma will change how you view your work, your em-ployees, and your customers forever. Well perhaps, because that all depends on what your views are before you read the book. For us it re-enforced our beliefs.

*And a little foot note for those not so strong on their Latin: E pluribus unum is Latin for "Out of many,

one"[1][2] (alternatively translated as "One from many")[3] — and is a phrase on the Seal of the United

States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782.I S S U E 0 3 1 1

T H E H U m A n S I G m A H E A R T & S O L E

and we're going for gold!

WE’ VE GOT ‘TEAM SPIRIT ’

del iver ing a Fun, enjoyable and engaging exper ience no matter how f leet ingly i t may be is a fantast ic way to connect with your Customers th is summer to create that great team spir i t ! A l though these may be way out of your Teams budget and league, have fun and dream on. . .

1. A Cafe Where You Can R ide Your Bike O n The Ro of

The roof of th is b ike rental shop and cafe in southern china is ac tual ly a func t ioning c ycl ing track . And i t ’s c l imate -appropr iate too.

1 2 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E T E A m S P I R I T

WE’ VE GOT ‘TEAM SPIRIT ’

2. A Warrior Dash For Your Team in the USA

I t ' s t ime to t ra in with A Warr ior Dash, creat ive t ra ining programme. What t ype of Warr ior are you? 3. M an verses horse marathon over the Welsh M ountains

The Man v Horse Marathon began in June 1980 fol lowing a chat over a pint (or three) in the back bar of Neuadd Arms Hotel . The then Landlord, Gordon Green overheard t wo men discuss ing the re lat ive mer i ts of men and horses running over mountainous terra in . The enterpr is ing Gordon, never one to miss an oppor tunit y to promote L lan-wr t yd Wel ls and improve business at h is hotel , decided to put i t to the test . And so began Green Events and i ts f i rst , longest standing and now inter-nat ional ly accla imed event , The Man versus Horse Marathon.

4. O lympic S ai l ing Days Team Building Ac tivit y

This Company based in Weymouth GB has a host of excit ing team events and chal lenges for you for your ver y own!

5. M eeting in the Sk y

Meeting in the Sk y is a unique event meant for anyone who wishes to t ransform an ordinar y conference or meet ing into a magical moment that wi l l leave a last ing impress ion on their guests ! Concer t in the sk y, movie in the sk y, lec ture in the sk y, fashion in the sk y, opera in the sk y… there is no l imit to your imaginat ion.

Meet ing in the Sk y is hosted at a plat form suspended at a height of 50 metres by a team of profess ionals .

6. A glass Sk y walk in the Tianmen M ountains in Zhangjiaj ie, Hunan, China

And for the ult imate that any Organ-isat ion could poss ibly ever dare! A glass sk y walk at the Tianmen Moun-ta in Nat ional Park in the Hunan prov-ince of China is a d i f ferent animal to say the least . This sk y walk is a stag-ger ing 4 ,700 feet up in the a i r bui l t into the steep rock face of the moun-ta in giv ing you an unforgettable v iew stra ight down.

I S S U E 0 3 1 3

T E A m S P I R I T H E A R T & S O L E

Exper iences that f i t the customer per fec t ly.

A look at the good, the bad and the ugly in customer ser v ice over the last few months.

On the Shel f . . .Golden Shoes

S W E E X T E C H N O LO G YA member of our team recent ly purchased a new computer mouse f rom Mapl ins and whi lst the ser v ice in store was adequate i t was the l i t t le ex tra she found in the box of her mouse that we thought wor th shar ing! The manufac turer of the wire less device, Sweex, had lef t an unexpec ted note (see below) s imply wishing each customer a l i fe f i l led with happiness, peace and goodwil l . Cheesy? Perhaps, but isn' t i t n ice to get a l i t t le joyful sent iment with an other wise souless tech purchase? I t read:

"Some t ime ago I had a dream in my s leep.

I dreamt that I was shipping mi l l ions of boxes around the wor ld

(which is exac t ly what my company Sweex is doing) . And inspite of

useful produc ts in them, I exper ienced an empt y feel ing in mysel f.

I sat with the dream for a whi le and pondered over i t . Then I real ized –

I needed to f i l l the boxes with my wish for you. Here is the content :

“Dear receiver of the box, f rom the bottom of my hear t I wish you

a l i fe fu l l of happiness, peace and wel lbeing”

Now the boxes are fu l l .

Leon, founder and owner of Sweex ”

1 4 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E O n T H E S H E L F

Uncomfor table exper iences for the customer - companies that need a customer exper ience ref i t t ing!

One Odd Shoe

T R A F F O R D C E N T R E, M A N C H E S T E R “ I went into a ver y good shoe shop in the Traf ford Centre over a year ago for some k nee high boots. I to ld the lady ass ist ing me i needed the wide f i t as i have fa i r ly b ig calves (ac tual ly they are not big, I 'm just not a s ize zero) . She brought a couple of pairs out and when they didn' t f i t , she sa id " Yeh you DO have fat legs". Needless to say, i haven' t been back in to buy my shoes f rom there again . . . .and i d id used to spend around £250 a year with them!” Sam Johnson - Customer Exper ience Manager BOC Manchester

G E T YO U R E X P E R I E N C E S F E AT U R E D H E R E !Where have you had memorable customer interac t ions, whether for the wrong or r ight reasons? Emai l us now at : measureup@thecustomersshoes.com or go onl ine and submit your own blog post at :

w w w.thecustomersshoes.com/submit

I S S U E 0 3 1 5

O n T H E S H E L F H E A R T & S O L E

01 Do you get

your internal teams to

tra in hard?

02 Do you ad just

your strateg ies a long

the way and learn from

your mistakes?

03 How do you

mainta in focus?

Spr int to the f in ish l ine with our thought provok ing qu iz and f ind out i f you 're on the r ight track in terms of your customer exper ience.

A R E YO U O N T H E R I G H T T R AC K ?

1 Do you get yourinternal teams to t ra in hard? I nternal Teams of ten work together when presented with a projec t without f i rst estab -

l ishing team mental i t y, shared sk i l l s , k nowledge or words. Consequently, ever yone learns "on the job" by t r ia l and error. To be successful you need your team 100% focussed. Ever y athlete t ra ins hard and understands the commitment required to constant ly improve. I t i s impor-tant that your team pul l together on the same journey, that they celebrate success as wel l as feel the pain ; just as an Olympic Athlete the t r ick is to use pressure in a posit ive way to a id your teams per formance to be the best at customer exper ience management.

1 6 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E Q U I Z

2. Who should come first your people or your customers?

2 Do you adjust your strategies a long the way and learn f rom your mistakes?

Setbacks only strengthen your desi re and show you where your weak nesses are on the journey to achieve that great Customer Exper ience. You can learn so much when achievements don’t go exac t ly to plan. Use this oppor tunit y to make t weaks and changes. Tak ing responsibi l -i t y, learning f rom each mistake, k nowing fa i lure is a par t of progress. Maintain a posit ive att i tude, chal lenge outdated assumptions, take new r isks, and bel ieve Persever ing wi l l make your team focus and work harder. Remember, mistakes don’t def ine fa i lure. They are merely the pr ice paid for achievement on the success journey

3 Which is the most impor tant : h i r ing r ight or t ra ining r ight?

I t ’s s imple just t r y to stay focussed on what you need to achieve t ra in-ing- wise. Work ing as a team is the most impor tant fac tor, i f you have one or t wo of your team work ing below- par, they a l l have to be doing their best , be br i l l iant ! That ’s what i t takes to win an Olympic gold medal Have a shared v is ion of your team’s future, the speci f ic goals , the Company ’s v is ion, miss ion and values. Make sure these come from the ent i re team not just f rom the leader. When ever yone in a group thoroughly understands and shares the same vis ion and purpose they become motivated, h ighly produc t ive and remain focussed.

I S S U E 0 3 1 7

Q U I Z H E A R T & S O L E

T H E P O W E R O F B R A N D E X P E R I E N C E

C AT H E D R A L SMany of us go to cathedrals as v is i tors perhaps to conf i rm our fa i th , perhaps to soak up the histor y and the presence we f ind there. O thers go to look in awe at the sk i l l and craf tsmanship that created these magnif icent bui ld ings. We a l l have our reasons. But there is a new t ype of cathe -dral that i s mak ing i ts way onto the tour-ist map – the ‘brand exper ience cathedral ’ – p laces where v is i tors go to learn, to engage and to reaf f i rm their fa i th in the brand that promises so much.

Theses brand exper ience centres come in many shapes and forms across many sec-tors f rom beer to chocolate to cars, f rom rope to ice cream to cosmetics to heav y l i f t ing equipment. Crayola’s h ighly inter-ac t ive fac tor y tour draws 300,000 v is i tors a year !

Car produc t ion has become so technolog-ical ly advanced that car assembly plants have some of the most sophist icated pro -duc t ion processes and innovat ive uses of technology that you wi l l f ind any where.

So much so that several manufac tur-ers have turned this hubs of ac t iv i t y into brand cathedrals a l lowing customers to v is i t the plant to see their cars being bui l t . BWM, Audi and Mercedes a l l com-pete with each other to of fer a premium exper ience f rom produc t ion through to l i fe t ime ownership. Once the assembly l ines were str ic t ly out of s ight , an of f -stage par t of the customer exper i -ence. But now they are beginning to play their par t in the overal l brand exper ience providing the oppor tunit y to display the brand even dur ing produc t ion. For the launch of their top of the range produc t , the Phaeton, the Volkswagen Group bui l t a new fac tor y where the wal ls are made a lmost ent i re ly of g lass — over 290,000 square feet of i t . Floors are cov-ered ent i re ly in Canadian maple. And i ts layout is v is i tor- f r iendly, set up to receive, per day, 250 tour ists (by advance reser vat ion at 5 euros each) , customers, or prospec ts ( f ree) . There are no smoke -stacks, no loud noises, and no toxic by-produc ts. Par ts ar r ive, and luxur y cars depar t . This brand arena has become an icon for the brand.

1 8 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E A G O O d R E A d

BMW has i ts own vers ion in Munich k nown as BMW Welt which is a brand exper ience environment and combines the oppor tunit y to learn about ever ything the BMW Group has to of fer as wel l as i ts h istor y and a tour of the produc t ion fac i l i t y. By engaging with customers in such a way brands bui ld a great understanding of the brand promise in the mind of the customer.

What Can Car Plants Teach Us?

Our guest author David Cohen took a behind the scenes tour of a ver y di f ferent brand, H yundai when he v is i ted their produc t ion fac i l i t y in Alabama in the US as a student in Lean Process I mprovement. I n h is ar t ic le David gives a detai l account of the exper ience and what he learnt about the integrat ion of robots and humans work-ing together to del iver the f in ished produc t . Read about how H yundai incorporates lean processes, employee involvement, and smar t logist ics into the construc t ion of 1 ,300 cars a day in order to del iver a great customer exper ience f rom the produc t i tse l f and del iver on the H yundai brand promise. The state - of-the -ar t fac i l i t y, com-bined with dedicated, sk i l led employees lef t David with a strong admirat ion for H yun-dai , i ts produc ts, and i ts culture. A tour of the fac tor y was in i tse l f an exper ience wor th paying for. For the ful l repor t please c l ick here.

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B R A n d E X P E R I E n C E C A T H E d R A L S H E A R T & S O L E

quote of the month

The most impor-tant th ing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part ; the essent ia l th ing in l i fe is not conquer ing but f ight ing wel l .

P IERRE dE COUBERTIn ( founder of modern Olympic Games)

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S ign up at : ht tp://b i t . ly/ tcsquotes

How Our Town

Could Become

a Centre of

Excel lence

We are in a downturn economy, the years ahead look

set to be lean for a whi le longer so there has never

been a better t ime to focus on your customers. With

the Olympics coming to the UK i t gives us a l l some

opt imism and the chance to reach out when oppor tu-

nit ies ar ise, and there is no better place to begin than

at home.

So we are reaching out to organisat ions in our home

town with a f ree ser v ice for a l l , encouraging business

owners and leaders to work toward turning the area

into the Countr y ’s Centre of Excel lence for customer

ser v ice. By “Going for Gold” i t wi l l br ing benef i ts to

businesses, customers and the communit y a l ike.

I n a downturn economy when t imes are tough, i t ’s

essent ia l that a l l organisat ions focus on their custom-

ers with an even greater attent ion to ser v ing their

needs. Cheltenham is a fantast ic place to l ive and work

with some highly successful examples of winning

2 0 I S S U E 0 3

H E A R T & S O L E S O L E F I T

customer ser v ice to be found. But there’s more that could be done. By improving

their customer ’s exper ience organisat ions can in turn win more loyal customers

and increased share of wal let . I f we could achieve this across the Count y i t would

br ing economic benef i ts to the wider communit y as a whole.

To encourage local organisat ions to jo in us in ”Going For Gold, we are of fer ing a

f ree customer sat is fac t ion sur vey ser v ice to a l l organisat ions within

Cheltenham and the surrounding area, a l lowing them to capture customer feed-

back onl ine.

Understanding what your customers think of your ser v ice level i s cr i t ica l to under-

standing how wel l you are doing and where the oppor tunit ies for

improvement exist .

This f ree ser v ice is s imple to set up and gives any business owner or manager l ive

feedback on how wel l their business is meet ing the needs of i ts customers. I t uses

a s imple t wo quest ion sur vey that i s quick for customers to answer and yet gath-

ers v i ta l information to help improve ser v ice. For fur ther information please v is i t :

http ://wp.me/p2lEcU-PU

I S S U E 0 3 2 1

S O L E F I T H E A R T & S O L E

Coaching Your Inner

Sole . . .Any athlete that i s ser ious about improving theirper formance wi l l re ly heavi ly on the suppor t and exper t ise of a coach. The same pr inciples apply in the business sett ing where coaches are employed to help f ront l ine staf f, managers and senior execut ives ra ise their game. Can coaches be used to help improve the customer exper ience? O f course, in fac t the more you employ the ser v ices of a coach the faster you are l ikely to achieve the results you want .

So What Is Coaching?The Char tered I nst i tute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) l i s ts some charac ter ist ics of coaching in organisat ions that are general ly agreed on by most coaching profess ionals :

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H E A R T & S O L E C E n T R E O F E X C E L L E n C E

• I t consists of one -to - one developmental d iscuss ions providing people with feedback on both their st rengths and weak nesses.

• I t i s a imed at speci f ic i ssues/areas where the coached wishes to develop fur ther.

• I t i s a re lat ively shor t-term ac t iv i t y, except in execut ive coaching, which tends to have a longer t imeframe. So coaching with a f ront l ine employee may only last a few hours spread out over several sess ions.

• I t i s essent ia l ly a non- direc t ive form of development where the coached is not general ly told what to do or given solut ions. Although this i s not a lways the case as in some cases the coach may need to of fer some suggest ions to help unblock the coached’s approach.

• I t focuses on improving per-formance and developing and or enhancing an indiv idual ’s sk i l l s .

• I t i s used to address a wide range of i ssues associated with indiv iduals .

• Coaching ac t iv i t ies have both organisat ional and indiv idual goals .

• I t assumes that the indiv idualis psychological ly healthy and does not require a c l in ical inter vent ion.

• I t works on the premise that the coached is se l f -aware, or can achieve sel f -awareness.

• I t i s t ime -bounded.

• I t i s a sk i l led ac t iv i t y that requires var ious di f ferent sk i l l s compared to t ra ining or fac i l i tat ion.

• Personal i ssues may be discussed but the emphasis i s on per formance on work .

The Customer ’s Shoes of fers you a range of coaching, t ra ining and mentor ing ser v ices a l l avai lable for f ront l ine s taf f, managers and senior execut ives a imed at improving per formance. Contac t us to day for an informal discuss ion to explore the opt ions. Cal l us on 01242 269075 or emai l us on measureup@thecustomersshoes.com

I S S U E 0 3 2 3

I n n E R S O L E H E A R T & S O L E

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Thanks for reading th is issue of Heart & Sole . We hope you 've been insp ired to use some of the ideas featured, in your own customer exper iences!

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