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Ann Michaels & Associates To Debut Customer Engagement Console at NRA Show

 

Are you visiting Chicago to attend the National Restaurant Association Show May 18th-21st? If so, don’t forget to stop by the Technology Pavilion! Ann Michaels & Associates will be featuring their new customer engagement console and mobile survey programs. We’ll be in booth 6374. The press release announcement was released last week:

 

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 09, 2013

Ann Michaels & Associates is pleased to announce the launch of two new services that will be showcased at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago this month. The Customer Engagement Console (CEC) is a tablet based kiosk that businesses can utilize within retail locations, hotels, restaurants, waiting rooms, and other key points of customer traffic to capture feedback from consumers in the moment of the experience, and dually serve to market to those customers and engage in a real time, interactive manner.

This latest technological advancement provides a unique way for companies to collect feedback in the moment of experience, and more importantly, capture feedback and sentiment from those who do not make purchases. Kathy Doering, President of Ann Michaels & Associates, indicates that these services will greatly benefit companies across all industries. “With the recent decline in response rates for traditional feedback methodologies, including IVR and web-based surveys, the customer engagement console captures a more substantial segment of the customer population than ever before. Understanding the non-purchasing customer and collecting data from this set has proven to be invaluable. Our research indicates most IVR surveys garner a 2-4% response rate, whereas response rates utilizing the console can be tripled at a minimum.” The ability for companies to offer coupons and incentives gives them a unique, in the moment, opportunity for increased sales and loyalty with its customers.

The additional features of the engagement console, including marketing, loyalty card engagement, and social media integration further enhance the service, allowing for a robust multi-dimensional platform for consumer experience measurement.

In speaking to the marketing and engagement component, Doering feels that this is a necessary step for businesses to take. “Consumers are hungry for information, and this type of engagement console gives consumers the opportunity to self-educate with minimal staff assistance.” With many companies forced to adhere to a minimalist approach to staffing, a customer engagement console is a wise choice.

To coincide with the customer engagement console, Ann Michaels & Associates has also launched mobile based customer engagement services to capture yet another customer segment. The mobile program incorporates feedback surveys, as well as other engagement opportunities. Consumers can be engaged as part of a company’s loyalty program, or engage in the moment of experience by scanning a QR code within the business location to partake in a survey, receive coupons, and offer feedback. The immediacy of this service allows for rich information in a timely manner, boasting higher response rates and less incidence of memory erosion due to time passing between the experience and providing feedback.

Doering describes the newest services as “great opportunities for businesses to make the most impact with their customers in an efficient, cost effective manner.” She reiterates the need for data to measure and monitor customer satisfaction and a way to capture this data easily and in an engaging manner. “Because of the advancement of mobile technology, consumers are interested in this ‘in the moment’ experience and want to engage with brands in a variety of ways.”

Both services can help businesses increase incremental purchases and word of mouth marketing and advertising with the tie in to social media. The two service offerings can be utilized independent of each other or in tandem for the most significant data collection and engagement. The company’s goal in the release of the newest services aligns with ensuring that clients’ Customer Experience Index (CXi) remains statistically strong, as high levels equate to increased revenue. Ann Michaels & Associates strives to support clients as they listen, measure, and engage their customers.

Ann Michaels & Associates will be featuring the Customer Engagement Console and Mobile Services at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago May 18-21. The company will be located in the Technology.Pavilion, booth 6374.

About Ann Michaels & Associates

Ann Michaels & Associates, a leading customer experience management firm, has provided customer service solutions to companies over the last decade. Core services include mystery shopping, customer feedback/satisfaction programs, and social media management. The company has recently added the customer engagement console and mobile feedback services to its array of customer experience measurement tools.

The company works with clients across a variety of industries, including, but not limited to, retail, restaurant, healthcare, B2B, financial, park districts, and associations. Each program is fully customized to measure, monitor, and maintain company operations and standards, and the company provides guidance and recommendations to continually enhance the customer experience.

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Are You Stuck in 1980?

 

Have you ever walked into a store and you felt like you were in the middle of a Twilight Zone Episode? You look around and see items that your mom would have purchased back in the day. Employees are robotic and never smile and you wonder how long they will last. You leave thinking you will never visit again and next time you will make sure to go to the competitor. How many times can this happen before a brand becomes nonexistent?

 

Everything evolves, even brands, and if they are not willing to innovate they will be stuck in 1980 the same way Marty McFly was in Back to the Future! Recently I met with a large retailer who wanted to hear from their customers –  you know, listen to the voice of the customer. They had been using several different channels to accomplish this; however, their response rates were low. In fact, they really were hearing from the extremes; those who were their raving fans and those who had a gripe. All other others in between were being lost in the shuffle.

 

So we took a look at several things:

 

1. Online Presence (website): How easy is it to navigate? Does it make you want to browse? A recent study by Nielsen showed that by 2014, nearly 60 percent of the 142.1 million U.S. mobile population will access the Internet using mobile browsers. That means very soon, the majority of Web users will access it via phones and be less dependent on computers. This shift to mobile phone viewing also means that the size of your site is about to get much smaller.

 

2. Social Media: What type of social media presence do you have and are you engaging with your customers in an effective way? Are you reaching out to those who have made comments out there in cyber land about your brand or are you concentrating on only what customers post on your sites? Monitoring the web for your brand is more important than ever before.  The brand did very well in this area and used best in class software at a premium price.

 

3. Connect the Dots: Here is where they fall short. Big data is not rich data. When I asked if they were seeing reports on what customers thought of their brand online, I was met with empty stares. Did they not think of this? The answer is no. Why? Because that is handled by a different department. It is so important to make sure your customer dots are connected so that your data is rich and not just big. It will make a world of difference in your branding and your revenue.
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“Our Customer Service is Broken”

 

These were the words shared by McDonald’s last week during a webconference with franchisees. The company has been struggling as of late, and an increase of complaints has not helped.

 

While there were some complaints related to food quality, these were overshadowed by the other complains related to customer service and employee attitude. Namely, the most complaints revolved around:

 

1. Rude or unprofessional employees

2. Orders taking too long to be prepared

 

These are some major factors in customer service, and while McDonald’s continues to be a frontrunner in the industry, continued complaints and service related issues can hurt them in the long run.
One of their challenges lies in the franchised based system – it’s difficult sometimes to ensure all franchisees are holding the same standards as corporate does, and to make sure that all operational procedures are being strictly adhered to.

 

This increase in complaints has definitely gotten their attention, and they will be working hard to overcome the challenges, improve service levels, and get back to where they used to be as far as customer service and satisfaction.

 

What can a company do when this happens? Since an increase in complaints signals concern, there are some steps that can be taken to pinpoint, address, and fix issues:

 

1. Determine if it’s a company-wide or regional problem. It might be there are only some locations that are showing signs of concern, or it may be a particular region. Start with these areas and talk with district managers who are responsible for these locations; has there been a change in any way? Is the manager seeing similar issues when visiting locations? It’s time to work with management for a clear review and observation to pinpoint issues.

 

2. Look for training opportunities. There may be a slew of new staff that may not have been trained properly, or a similar issue causing the decreased service levels. Determine if additional training is needed.

 

3. Ramp up your mystery shopping program. Check to see that you’re measuring the right aspects of the business. With franchises especially, it can be difficult to get buy in, especially if corporate offers mystery shopping services at the franchisee’s expense.

 

If you’re not doing so, it might be time to incorporate an incentive program tied to the mystery shopping program. Rewarding good service can increase its likelihood.

 

4. Talk to your employees. if you’re seeing a decline in service across a particular location, region, or even company wide, implement an anonymous employee feedback survey to ask employees for their thoughts and opinions regarding their work, their satisfaction, and ask for suggestions for improvement. Based on responses, this could be a great starting point for additional conversations with your employees, or signal the need for more or different training to give your employees a chance to be successful in their work.

 

Employee morale and work satisfaction have a direct correlation to customer service levels; when your company is seeing an increase in customer complaints, it’s time to start paying attention.

 

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