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Measuring engagement is crucial to improving customer experience (CX). This begs the question: how do you know if you are utilizing the most effective means of measuring and reporting? If your CX initiatives are managed by a single department, you are missing opportunities for improvement. A comprehensive approach is required to see game-changing improvements. The good news is that you can start small and still make positive impact, as long as you don’t stop there.
Choosing a very simplistic method, a European gas station chain utilized the Finnish startup HappyOrNot to measure customer satisfaction across their stores. The methodology was easy: as customers left a store, a small sign asked them to rate their experience by pressing one of four buttons (very happy, pretty happy, pretty unhappy, or very unhappy). The terminals are self-explanatory, and customers could use them without breaking stride. The retail chain gleaned some valuable information that resulted in actions to improve their lowest performing store.
The idea behind HappyOrNot is smart in that people will use it without hesitation because it’s anonymous and frictionless. Gathering the most important data does not always mean starting with a plethora of information. It can be as simple as a happy or unhappy button. It’s garnering an understanding of where to begin, what steps to take next, and how to deploy across the organization.
Humach president Sean Charnock provides insights on the best practices to garner actionable intel that allows for rapid improvement, beginning with how to start small.
“Simple data is fine for high level macro information. The idea of something as easy as pressing a button gives you an indication of the experience for sure,” says Charnock. “What you don’t get is the undertone. What factors played into their answers, as in the environment or time of day. However, the simple data provides overall trends to focus on next steps.”
There are multiple examples of organizations utilizing this simple method to gather initial data, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It’s taking the next appropriate steps that will make a difference.
“I frequently travel internationally and saw that TSA utilized a similar methodology. You can get high-level macro acknowledgement that provides information that outlines where to dig into next,” says Charnock. “Even if the information shows a highly positive experience, it’s important to go to the next level to understand what is causing that trend away from the mean.”
The TSA pilot program, Feedback USA, was used throughout various government agencies, including passport agencies, VA benefit centers, and the social security administration. The focus of the pilot was to gather data for a period of one year to improve customer service. To Charnock’s point, the next steps will be to analyze that data and determine what areas require more in-depth information.
Attaining Quality, Actionable Data
Once you have macro data that uncovers potential trends, getting to the next level requires an understanding of both the metrics and the human emotion behind them. Humach’s quality assurance / quality management (QA / QM) program encompasses all aspects of quality data gathering by including the perceptions of the agents and customers while also gathering specific data points.
“The idea is to have agents predict how the customer will respond to a survey, and then dig into the differences,” says Charnock. “This process allows us to delve into many areas including the agent interaction, the customer’s state of mind and the effectiveness of the program.”
Having the agents predict how the customer will rate the interaction creates data points that were previously unavailable. The information quickly highlights breakdowns in the transaction and interactions and showcases where the agents and customers differ. This provides an opportunity to adjust scripts, refine practices and improve the overall outcome of future transaction.
“The information gives us the opportunity to investigate multiple areas. If the customers and agents are calibrating, then we have a data set that shows a baseline,” says Charnock. “However, if there is a mismatch, then we can look into the issues to uncover the problem.”
According to Charnock, the information provided allows the team to figure out every potential challenge from agent training to improving knowledge and empathy to delving into potential issues with the program.
“Most QA programs only measure 1 to 5 percent of transactions, rather than 100 percent. In addition, they are self-monitored which can allow for confirmation bias,” says Charnock. “We provide true clarity and insightfulness to the transactions, rather than focusing on a sub-set. Our clients see all the data without any bias.”
The Humach QA / QM program is unusual in the industry due to the magnitude of data and information analyzed. For those clients who want to test drive this program before they implement to ensure that it can function in parallel with current programs, Humach Labs offers an opportunity to incubate and receive baseline metrics quickly and easily.
“We can spin up this program for a client and run in parallel with their environment. In approximately three to six months, the client has the data points to share with the organization so that the program is fully understood and more likely to be adopted,” says Charnock. “The beauty is that it does not impact existing environments as we utilize our agents. Our clients receive actionable data to make an informed decision.”
Humach Labs offers a solid method to incubate next generation technology, products and services without negatively impacting existing ecosystems. Contact us today to improve your quality assurance methodology and find the best metrics for improved customer engagement.
