Most CRM strategies are obsolete. Yours too?
The functionality of CRM software determines CRM strategies. In this article, I explain why many companies are following strategies that have become obsolete.
Measuring customer satisfaction: SMEs are lagging
Research shows that SMEs measure satisfaction less frequently than larger companies. In this article, we provide a clear explanation based on published research.
An interactive window that surfs on recovery
The store window is an essential component of any successful store. Yet, they are rarely designed to be interactive. The Jamini store in Paris is. And it is even more successful for being part of a neighborhood initiative.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): a reliable measure of customer satisfaction?
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is universally used to measure customer satisfaction. However, it was created for another purpose. Find out in this article whether the NPS is dependable and its limitations.
Customer satisfaction: top managers should talk to their customers
Top management is often detached from customer reality. Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Ryanair have implemented organizational solutions to put customer satisfaction at the center of their concerns.
Don’t smile too much if you want to be perceived as competent
How can you increase your chances of turning a prospect into a customer? Closing the deal also depends on how competent you feel. Research unravels some of the mysteries.
Customer satisfaction: priority to reducing waiting times
Waiting time has an impact on customer satisfaction. Research published in 2023 reveals 3 specific findings that help companies understand how to manage waiting time to maximize customer satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction: an example of NPS misuse
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a simple method to measure customer satisfaction globally. But you must apply it correctly. We regularly discover, through the customer satisfaction audits we do, that the results are distorted by incorrect use of the software. The example we are presenting today comes from Lufthansa. The error in implementing the NPS is not obvious, but it still taints the credibility of the results. We conclude this article by presenting the 2 most common types of errors in the design...
Customer experience: 5 key moments to measure customer satisfaction
Measuring customer satisfaction is difficult in the digital age. Since the Covid crisis, the digital transformation has accelerated, blurring the lines of the customer experience even more. The customer experience has become so complex that it is almost impossible to identify all the touch-points between the company and its customers. In this article, we propose 5 critical stages of the customer experience where customer satisfaction can be measured. Learn more about our approach to measuring customer satisfaction Summary Getting to know...
Customer satisfaction: issues and challenges in the post-covid era
What are the challenges of customer satisfaction? Can we still build customer loyalty? This is a reasonable question to ask. Indeed, we can observe a return of transactional marketing to the detriment of relational marketing, prevalent since the 90s. With the erasure of human relationships announced by automated stores and Facebook’s metaverses, what will be left in the future to build customer loyalty? If you only have 30 seconds The increasing digitalization of our society, accelerated by the...
For Axa, customer satisfaction is not a priority. And it’s no secret!
Customer satisfaction seems to be a foreign concept to Axa, and the company makes no secret of it. When you send in a question via the Axa website, the promise that you will receive an answer within 30 days is simply staggering. If we needed proof that traditional insurance companies are incapable of adapting to the needs of their customers, this is it. This disastrous customer experience management leaves a gap for Insurtech start-ups. Introduction The concept of “customer-centricity” is not new....
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Customer service: the words used influence customer satisfaction [Research]
The words used by customer service during an interaction are essential. Research of 1000 customer-employee exchanges shows that concrete terms positively impact (9%) customer satisfaction and the desire to buy. This indicates that the drivers of customer satisfaction are subtle. When the economy is reopening after the Covid crisis, employee training is more relevant than ever. Talking to customers cannot be improvised, and semantic aspects can have an unsuspected influence. If you only have 30 seconds A scientific...
Formalizi has digitized the legal formalities for setting up a business
For this new episode of our podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Pascal Asselin, CEO of Formalizi. His company, launched in 2019, allows entrepreneurs to settle their legal formalities entirely online. Only for our subscribers: exclusive analyses and marketing advice Email address * Subscribe By signing up, you agree to our Terms of use and privacy policy. "I thought the blog was good. But the newsletter is even better!" Esteban Hendrickx, art director Summary Chapter...
Customer satisfaction and paid customer service: a contradiction?
There was a time when customer service was the cornerstone of customer satisfaction. But the Covid crisis happened, and some companies, which were used to being different thanks to a free service, had to rethink their strategy. This is the case of BNP Paribas, who announced, at the end of January 2021, that access to customer service advisors would become subject to a fee. Is it still possible to satisfy the customer under these conditions? Is free customer service...
StopAmazon: a movement that lacks meaning
A movement is developing, StopAmazon, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, to denounce Amazon’s takeover of the e-commerce. This movement takes different forms, such as calls for boycotts or demonstrations against the establishment of new distribution centers. The #StopAmazon movement is vain, unfounded, and I’m afraid I have to disagree with the arguments put forward by the opponents. Why is this? The opponents of Amazon are attacking the symptoms and not the reasons for the...
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France’s best craftsman does everything to ensure customer satisfaction [video]
In this 19th (and last) episode of “The Business World with Pierre-Raffaele“, our star presenter goes to meet Philippe Rhéau, Best Craftsman of France (MOF). Philippe Rhéau is a craftsman with a passion for products, respect for taste but also a tireless pursuit of customer satisfaction. In this episode, after overcoming the stress of the camera, Philippe reveals himself as a professional who has at heart to enhance the products. He also tells us about his...
Managing complaints in B2B: On what does customer satisfaction depend?
Following my article on the factors that influence loyalty after processing a claim, I received a question from a reader regarding B2B claims management. The reader asked me if there were any research studies on the subject and what their conclusions were. In this article, I analyse for you the findings of research on B2B complaints handling and the factors that play a role in customer satisfaction. If you only have 30 seconds Research on the handling of customer complaints generally...
8 factors influencing customer loyalty after a complaint
Good customer complaint management has proven its effectiveness in increasing customer loyalty for decades. Recent market research, published in September 2020 provides insight into how this efficiency varies according to your business sector. This is the first research to understand the economic, sectorial and relational effects on customer loyalty after a complaint has been processed. The authors study the differences between products and services, as well as the impact of constraints linked to the customer himself (age, gender, and so on)....
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[Podcast] Philippe Rhéau, the Best Craftsman of France … in Belgium
Philippe Rhéau is Best Craftsman of France, at the head of a pastry shop … in Belgium. He is a character who makes an impression. Tall, strong, imposing, he has his passion for pastry pegged to his heart. Quiet, his interview was not the easiest to do. But as the minutes went by, we discovered a real entrepreneur and a lucid manager. He is also a man steeped in values, convictions, love of work and customer satisfaction. He is also a...
25 million customers to satisfy per year: the mission of Veronique Vergeynst
Satisfy 25 million passengers a year. If this sounds like an impossible mission at first glance, Veronique Vergeynst is the right person for you. The Head of Corporate Marketing at Brussels National Airport was voted French-speaking marketeer of the year in 2019. The challenges are immense and multiple: managing and measuring customer satisfaction, creating a memorable customer experience, customer loyalty as well as innovation. In this podcast we take a look back at Veronique’s work, the...
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[Podcast] The Secrets of Marketing for Tourism, with Elke Dens (2019 Marketeer of the Year)
Elke Dens was elected Dutch-speaking marketeer of the year 2019 for her work as marketing director of VisitFlanders, the Flemish tourist office in Belgium. In this podcast, she details for us the main lines of her marketing strategy to attract tourists to Flanders. In particular, she looks in detail at the promotion of Flemish art masters around the world and explains how she attracts art lovers from all over the world. We would like to thank...
![[podcast] How this different restaurant became number one on TripAdvisor.](https://www.intotheminds.com/blog/app/uploads/number-1-240x240.jpg)
[podcast] How this different restaurant became number one on TripAdvisor.
In this new podcast, we will talk about the exciting story of a gastronomic restaurant (the 65 degrees) that employs people with Trisomy 21 and other mild disabilities. Its co-founder, Adelaide Aymer, takes stock with us of the first year of operation which, in addition to extensive media coverage, has also enabled 65 degrees to win the award on TripAdvisor. Indeed, 65 degrees has become the N°1 restaurant in Brussels on TripAdvisor, proof if ever there...
Customer satisfaction: can it be measured based on facial emotions?
During a recent programme on a French television channel (BFMTV), Paul Hermelin, the big boss of Cap Gemini, described the fantastic current technologies that were impacting his group and mentioned a project that surprised me. With the help of Cap Gemini, a cruise-ship operator has allegedly set up a facial recognition system to measure the emotions of its customers on board the ship(s), to be able to determine their customers’ satisfaction. In the words of Paul...
Net Promoter Score (NPS) : to include in all satisfaction surveys or not?
How to design a customer satisfaction survey? An in particular, should a NPS (Net Promoter Score) question always be included in a satisfaction survey? While we at IntoTheMinds highly recommend to do so, I had to to re-think my position last week when I saw a post on Linkedin that argued a NPS question in a Microsoft satisfaction survey was nonsense because people don’t actually speak or recommend operating systems. Let’s dig into this question and...
Hospitality: why it’s important to answer online customer reviews
Social media is an unmissable way to connect customers and firms. It has also become a privileged channel to raise complaints and engage in positive and negative word-of-mouth. In today’s article we propose to analyse one aspect of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) which has been recently dealt with in a marketing research published in the Journal of Interactive Marketing by Jie Sheng (University of Bristol). This study investigated whether the firm–customer interaction is also a motivational driver...
Ryanair: can provocation pay on the long-term?
It has been a long time (3 years to be exact) since I had travelled on Ryanair. Not having been particularly attracted by the customer experience I have avoided this company as much as possible, but last weekend it was the only one serving the city I had to go to. Departure on time; arrival on time; the contract was filled with all the inconveniences we know and to which I will not return. However, that...
Customer satisfaction : Bpost Bank makes basic marketing mistakes
Admittedly, interest rates are at their lowest. Certainly, the savings of Belgians have never been so high. Indeed, the banking sector is under pressure. And yes, bpost is not doing well. But is it really enough to explain that Bpost Bank, the Belgian postal bank 50% owned by Bpost and 50% owned by BNP Paribas, is making such gross marketing errors by unilaterally and in the shadows deciding to make its customers pay their cash withdrawals...
Should customer satisfaction always be a priority?
Should customer satisfaction always be a priority? Not when satisfying customers has a negative impact on your profitability. That’s what an Amazon’s customer, Nir Nissim, recently discovered when he was banned from the e-commerce platform because he had made too many returns. His escalation to Jeff Bezos eventually allowed him to be brought back in the big family of Amazon customers. Yet, this kind of experience is likely to leave Mr. Nisim with a great dose...
GDPR: what is consent and why it will impact customer satisfaction
I had a recent experience where one firm didn’t ask my consent and tried to nudge me into doing something that I was firmly opposed to. In today’s article I’d like to highlight the conditions for a valid consent. GDPR : how to collect a valid consent? There are 5 conditions to fulfil for having a valid consent : The customer’s act must be clear and affirmative Forget about policies that a customer implicitly accept by...
The next hand-written you’ll get may have been produced by those robots
Is there anything better for customer satisfaction than getting a personal hand-written note? The pleasure of getting one will soon fade away once the secret to thousands of mass produced hand-written notes gets revealed. Why do personal hand-written notes so much drive customer satisfaction ? Every customer wants to be different. Who would like to be treated like everyone else? Getting a hand-written from a company leverages the feeling that you are different. Who else would...
Zalando free-returns policy drives customer loyalty up
Online retailer Zalando has announced revenues of €4.5b in 2017, up 23% from the year before. Despite a slight decrease of its Ebit (from 5.9% to 4.7%-4.9%), profits before taxes will be over €200m. This is a very solid result for a company that needed huge economies of scale to be profitable. The logistics and supply-chain costs are indeed a major cost center and the free-returns no-hassle policy of Zalando cost them huge amounts of money...
An interesting example of nudge applied to public safety in Ísafjörður, Iceland
I’ve developed an interest for the study of nudges after reading the book by Dan Ariely. Nudges can be considered a sub-discipline of behavioral economics (founded by George Lowenstein) and already wrote about it on this blog (see one example here). To define a “nudge” using my own words, I’d say it’s a design that leads a person towards a particular action. That action should be beneficial for the society if we want nudges to be...
Customer satisfaction : courtesy ensures everlasting emotions
I happen to be very often on business trips to meet clients. One recurrent problem when you travel alone is to find a place for dinner where you’ll feel welcome although you are alone. I was in Amsterdam for a few days (and nights) and had that problem once again. I discovered a small Indonesian restaurant a few meters away from the restaurant. I felt so welcome at restaurant Sama Sebo that I decided to come back...
Customer satisfaction is all about expectations : a real example
My good friend (and former customer) Patrick Mascart is in the photo/video business and has also become an expert in aerial photo and video services. Through his agency he has worked for prestigious clients like the European Commission and many other large organizations. The other day he posted on Facebook the transcript of a phone call he just received. You’ll learn a lot about customer satisfaction. Read further. The story Here’s the story Patrick posted on...
3 key principles to follow for your good customer satisfaction surveys
I hear companies claiming they have x% or y% of customer satisfaction, proudly claiming Net Promoter Score (NPS) of so much and that many returning customers. While these figures seem great at first sight, this doesn’t tell us much. Read further to understand why satisfaction and loyalty scores must be interpreted carefully. We will once again use the example of the Belfius bank to illustrate this article. You will in particular discover some essential rules to...
How Big Data will influence the future of advertising
“What is the impact of Big Data on online advertising” is the question I was asked to answer on the occasion of an EGTA ((European Group of Television Advertising) workshop that took place on 29 and 30 June 2017 in Brussels (my thanks to Yuri Loburets for his kind invitation to speak). Rather than repeating the same clichés about Big Data again and again I chose to put advertising and Big Data back in a historical perspective....
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