Where a crisis has occurred, be it
internally originated by the brand or
from external forces, what remains the
same is that communication to reassure
and regain customer trust is necessary.
Crises are as different in nature as the
unique characteristics of each brand, and
the responses will be as varied as what is
required to put things right. For brands to
manage a crisis situation as best possible, it
is important to acknowledge to customers
that an issue has occurred, and where
necessary - if already in the public domain
- on a public platform.
This role with its need to assess the
dynamics of each situation, communicate
appropriately and rally up internal
processes
towards
ensuring
the
communication lands as planned, requires
human intervention. No matter what
type of scenarios and corresponding
responses are fed into a system, there is no
replacement for the need for fluidity when
handling crises.
Any brand undergoing a crisis of any sort
needs to demonstrate that is real, of grave
concern and that efforts are being made
to turn around the situation. If the crisis
is internally generated, there is need to be
seen as not trying to conceal the matter, in
order to allay customer fears.
Where empathy abounds, so does
goodwill and goodwill is a key ingredient
for customer success. All that empathy
requires is for active and deliberate
listening allowing for one to imagine
and commiserate, thus taking ownership
to remedy the situation. When one can
relate to an occurring situation, matters
are handled with sensitivity. This serves to
manage customer conflict situations with
the desired competence.
To win the war for customer experience
excellence, each brand must don on their
emotional intelligence caps. The need for
this key competence is not about to go
away soon. Not for key players and not for
those who impart this knowledge. There is
only so far a machine can go in the quest to
be emotionally intelligent, and to deliver
warm and heartfelt engagement. This
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human skill is inimitable and underscores
the futuristic outlook for those who excel
in this area. Great businesses run on great
relationships, and great relationships run
on the backbone of emotional intelligent
relations. Enough said.
Crisis Communication
To not have experienced any crisis in
business is to not have done business at
all. Brands consist of human beings, and
to err is human.
There will be a crisis, across all businesses
no matter the sector, because it is natural
for things to go wrong. The frequency and
the impact of the crisis is what may vary
based on the level of the organization’s
risk planning and mitigation strategy.
Experiential Learning
“Continuous learning is the minimum
requirement for success in any field.” This
mantra by author and speaker Brian Tracy,
encapsulates the need for ongoing learning
in pursuit of continual improvement. The
value of keeping abreast with emerging
trends in one’s specific professional sector,
as well as knowledge and skills towards
overall personal development, is worth
bestowing upon individuals and teams.
In order to serve all customers better, there
is need to refresh for effective product and
service delivery. Innovation also lies on
the bedrock of continuous learning that
spur new ideas for success. This enhances
customer experiences as they interact with
organizations that value knowledge transfer
and learning.
Training methodologies for adult learners
have also since morphed from the traditional
lectures and other passive presentation
formats, to enhance internalization and
uptake of concepts. Experiential learning
that facilitates interactive discussions
leaning on experience, skills, and
observations in practical environments
found outside the old-fashioned academic
classroom setting, seeks to take advantage of
discussions, experimentation, simulations,
and other learning formats that stimulate
practical thought.
That knowledge is indeed power, and how
this knowledge is transferred, is what
differentiates empowerment from ordinary
class sessions. Seeking to understand the
target audience, the intended outcome of
the training sessions, and the application
of concepts learnt, is the yardstick for
success. Experiential sessions require
trainer to participant, as well as participant
to participant interaction, to bring out real
scenarios and solutions.
Customer experience training is no
different, and the need to serve a more
discerning customer base calls for
continuous training of front office,
back office and support staff. The
interconnectivity of all departments and
the reliance on effective delivery of all
aspects of the customer journey, will
count heavily on professionals that have
customer service awareness and delivery
competence. Inquisitiveness
towards
inspiring happy customer feedback, is
encouraged from top leadership to the
shop floor, and it is this inquisitiveness
that lends itself to good learning outcomes.
Experiential learning is the preserve of
human to human interaction, and the
experience of learning from situations
and from others, will be a tall order to
replicate. Experiential learning produces
uplifted and knowledge filled employees;
and the more self-value they derive, the
more inspired they are to be committed to
positive customer outcomes. A business
is only as good as the people that work
there, and positive people yield positive
business results. Enough said.
Arming oneself with what is traditionally
known as ‘soft skills’ that allow for
creativity, adaptability to change and
critical thinking, will sustain through
the coming years predicted to be heavily
laden with technological advancements
and solutions. Machines are here and
embracing them is key; however, the key
to unlock the future lies in understanding
how to recreate oneself to respond to
tomorrow’s customer.
Carolyne Gathuru is the founder and
director of strategy at LifeSkills
Consulting. She has several years of
experience in customer experience
strategy development and training.
You can commune with her on
this or related issues via mail at:
[email protected].
Should there be need for an explanation
on cause and consequence, or next steps
towards prioritization and expediting
the return to normal, this needs to be
delivered by the person deemed as most
credible, and with significant authority in
the organization.
Listening to feedback from customers
and affected stakeholders, must be built
into the crisis communication action
plan. Active listening constitutes the basic
framework for competent communication
and allowing customers and affected
stakeholders to air and share their
thoughts and feeling, opens a space for
dialogue towards conclusive resolution.
Communication is a two way street
and it takes the human touch to fuel
communication that works well. So much
more so in a crisis situation. It will take
a long winding and uphill road for this
human competence to be replaced by a
machine. A business is only as great as
its ability to restore customer trust, and
great businesses run on the backbone of
customer trust. Enough said.
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