You can find a lot of articles, point-of-views, or CX pundits on social media preaching that the survey is dead. Admittedly, we here at Pearl-Plaza tell our current and prospective clients that they may be focusing too much on surveys and that less than 10% of their customer feedback is likely to come from surveys. An IDG stat says unstructured feedback is growing at 85% year over year which also threatens the value of traditional score-based surveys.

All this being said, the survey is not dead. As a matter of fact, it isn’t going away any time soon. And, I hope it never does! Surveys still present a unique opportunity to have a 1:1 conversation with your customer. And, to illustrate our support for this concept, we’ve developed some ‘Survey Bumpers’—much like the rails in bowling—to help guide you toward crafting a survey that achieves a ‘strike.’ These tips are designed to ensure that your survey stays on track to hit all the right points and maximize its effectiveness in a world where the reality is that surveys may no longer represent the lion’s share of feedback. However, they are still a critical part of what we refer to as an integrated customer experience.  

Survey 101

Before we dive into the survey bumpers, let’s recap surveys as a whole. When it comes to surveys, they can all generally fall under two categories: Transactional and Relationship. To be honest, I still talk to prospects (not as many clients) who don’t always understand this difference. 

Transactional surveys are typically conducted following a specific transaction or interaction between a customer and a company. The primary goal of transactional surveys is to gather feedback on the customer’s experience during that specific interaction – or as we like to say (tongue in cheek) in the moment. They are often used to assess satisfaction levels, understand the ease of doing business, identify areas for improvement, and address any issues or concerns in real-time.

Relationship surveys, on the other hand, focus on measuring the overall satisfaction and loyalty (to the brand and the products) of customers over a longer period. Rather than targeting a single transaction, relationship surveys aim to understand the broader relationship between the customer and the company. These surveys typically cover various touchpoints and interactions across the customer journey over a longer period, providing insights into overall brand perception, loyalty, and advocacy.

For many companies, relationship surveys rely on the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as the primary metric. This can help them understand several factors including the customer’s likelihood to recommend or repurchase, and overall satisfaction with the brand.

Understanding the basics of surveys is important to know before moving on to survey design. While the designs of surveys may vary from one to the other, the fundamentals of surveys will always remain the same.

What Is Survey Design?

Survey design is the detailed process of creating surveys that optimize the potential results that can be collected from a well-made questionnaire. Decent design takes into account the kind of questions, the quality of questions, the flow and organization of the survey, and the possible biases or conflicts of both questions and participants.

Though creating a questionnaire may seem simple at first, it can be a complicated and tedious process. Questions can be asked in different ways, both in form and language. How much context or detail is provided can sway a participant’s opinion. What questions are presented first will likely influence the questions posed later in the survey, which can impact results. 

How to Design A Survey

Outside of the types of surveys, we believe that every survey should have a “North Star Metric” to anchor on. This metric does not have to be the same for every touch point, but it should directly correlate with a business goal. Referencing my bowling metaphor from earlier, a survey with no goal is like bowling into a lane with no pins: pointless. 

How Long Should a Survey Be? 

When it comes to survey design, shorter is better. Your customers don’t want to take long surveys. Nobody does. Research shows that surveys that take just a few minutes to complete (4-7 questions max) have the highest percentage of completion rates. Not only should your survey be short, it should be targeted. All surveys, regardless of objective or format, should have the same structure of concise language, open-ended questions, and confirmation texts. 

Concise, Inviting Language

Surveys should open with a brief introduction that is on brand and invites the users to complete the survey. For example, some common intros include:

• We want to hear from you
• Tell us how we did
• Your feedback is important to us

Regardless of the approach you choose, the user should immediately feel like their feedback is valuable and will be used to direct business decisions, not just improve a score. 

Open-Ended Question

One of my biggest survey design peeves is the “conditional” open end that is based on a good score (“Great – tell us what was awesome”) or a bad score (“Sorry we failed you”). We want our clients to get both sides every time they survey. To do that, you need to pose a question that allows the user to explain the good and the bad from their recent experience. An example of this would be: 

• “Please tell us why you gave that score including what wowed you and where we need to improve.”

Confirmation Text

Whenever a survey has been submitted, make sure you add a step in your workflows that thanks the user for their time. In this step, being short, sweet, and on-brand is key. Just extend a small gesture that shows the user they have completed the survey process. An example might look like this: 

• “Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We use this feedback to improve our products, service, and experience.”

Survey Design Best Practices

Now that we have the basics covered, let’s dive into a few survey bumpers that will lead you toward gathering insights – not just completion rates. These survey bumpers are aimed at outlining a strategy centered around business improvement. Rather than sending a survey for the sake of sending it, this strategy will help you achieve data that can be used, not just analyzed and archived. We want to pick up the spare – not leave the 7-10 split.

Design with the End in Mind

Before you start this process, you need to establish your objectives, goals, and desired outcomes. This foundational step lays the groundwork for a strategic approach to survey design, ensuring that every question and element serves a purpose in driving toward a measurable business outcome. By clearly identifying measurable outcomes, your survey will have a much better probability of capturing insights that you can turn into actions. By answering these questions, you will have a clear understanding of the goal of your survey: 

1. What business problem(s) are you trying to solve?

Understanding the specific business problem(s) or challenge that the survey aims to address is arguably the most important part of this process. It helps define the scope of the survey, frame relevant questions, and ensure that the collected customer feedback directly contributes to solving the problem. Without a clear understanding of the problem, the survey will render itself useless. And, for anyone who works with me or has read my POVs, your business problem must have a financial lens. CX programs sustain and grow if they drive a financial return to the business.

2. Who will be the internal champions of the data?

As part of a program design discussion, the target customer personas will evolve based on what you are measuring and who you can contact based on the availability of data and accessibility to it. But, to me, the more important question to answer is who in the company will be accountable for taking action based on the insights captured by the survey. Another rule I try to follow is that every question needs to have an owner – someone who wants the customer’s voice to take measurable action toward a business. No owner or no goal? Don’t ask the question.

For example, if we offer a closed-loop system, is there a resource aligned to close the loop? Or, if our goal is to understand the ease of completing a purchase on our website, is there an e-commerce team leveraging the customer feedback?

3. What are you doing today? How are you measuring success? 

Assessing the current state of the union within your organization provides context for interpreting survey results and evaluating the effectiveness of existing strategies. By understanding what your organization is currently doing, and whether or not it is achieving the desired results, can help identify areas of success and areas for improvement. Related to this, has the program been continuously updated to reflect changing team players and changing business conditions

4. Do people across the organization care about the score or the insights?

If the answer is the score – how do I say this nicely – I would suggest stepping back to see what role scores play in your CX strategy and what role they should play moving forward. If I can offer any wisdom it’s this: score-focused CX programs fail over time. Don’t let score trends paralyze modernization. To truly understand your customers and improve their experience, you need to care about the insights that come from these types of initiatives. And, broken record time, you need to be able to point to financial proof points from the actions taken. 

Just to be clear, scores are a critical part of a survey program. Understanding the impact of elements of your product/service delivery as measured by customer scores is important. Culturally, scores can be a rallying cry across the business. Advanced financial models can show how scores impact the bottom line. My “parting shot” for this topic is to just make sure the scores don’t become the program’s primary success metric.

How to Design the Best Survey for Your Business

Now that we have our bumpers in place. Let’s get into the details of how your business can bowl that perfect game. These steps to survey design are designed to get your business the cleanest, most actionable feedback that can be combined with other omnichannel data to round out a complete view of the customer experience so you can start improving it. 

1. Ask the Main Metric Question First

Starting with the main metric question allows you to capture the customer’s overall perception without any bias from subsequent questions. This question – and metric – should tie to the business outcome you are trying to achieve.

2. Follow Up with A Non-Conditional Open Ended Question

Following up the main metric question with an open-ended question encourages respondents to elaborate on their initial response. Open-ended questions allow for more conversational and qualitative feedback that provides deeper insights into the reasons behind their initial answer. See the guidance earlier in this article about ensuring this question is unconditional. 

3.  Identify A Small Group of Business drivers Related to Your Problem

This step involves selecting a focused set of business drivers or factors that are directly relevant to the business outcome you are hoping to achieve. By narrowing down the scope to a small group of key elements, you can ensure that your survey remains concise and targeted, making it easier for respondents to provide meaningful feedback. 

4. Offer to Follow Up

A recommended next step in this process is to offer to follow up or close the loop with the customer. Closing the loop is important because it demonstrates to customers that their feedback is valued and taken seriously. Research shows that when a company closes the loop with a customer, the customer is more likely to respond to subsequent surveys. It also allows you to save an at-risk customer if they have an issue you can fix. When customers see that their input leads to tangible changes or improvements in products, services, or processes, they feel heard and appreciated. 

However, you should only offer to do this if you have the staff to support it. Otherwise, you are only hurting yourself and negatively impacting the customer experience. 

5. Thank the Customer 

Always end the survey by expressing gratitude to respondents for taking the time to participate in the survey. This step is important for fostering goodwill and encouraging future engagement. A simple thank-you message at the end of the survey acknowledges the respondents’ contribution and reinforces the idea that their feedback is valuable to the business. Even better, I worked with a client who used their “thank you” page to highlight a couple of changes they made as a direct result of their survey program. 

The Future of Surveys with Pearl-Plaza

To reiterate, surveys need to remain an important element of your customer listening strategy. While it is easy to say they are “dead,”  the truth is that their role is simply evolving to fit the modern landscape of customer feedback. Rather than being viewed as the endpoint of customer feedback, we see them as the first rung on the ladder of an integrated customer experience program – the opening frame to go back to our bowling analogy. 

For them to continue to be useful surveys need to be integrated into a broader strategy that encompasses various feedback channels such as social media, online reviews, customer service interactions, and more. By building out an integrated customer experience program that brings in a wide variety of data sources, businesses can capture a more comprehensive understanding of the customer journey and tailor their strategies accordingly. 

Think of this article as an Pearl-Plaza PSA: Since surveys are still a vital channel to hear from your customers, you should make them the best they can be. 

See how Barry Nash & Company partnered with Pearl-Plaza to merge traditional survey data with text analytics and market research to develop groundbreaking research and reports for the entertainment industry! 

Reviews are also an important source of valuable feedback about your products, services, and overall customer experience. Positive reviews highlight what you’re doing well while negative reviews help pinpoint areas that need improvement. By learning how to ask for reviews, organizations can actively contribute to a feedback loop that should help teams identify strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments to enhance their offerings.

Why Ask Customers for Reviews?

When you deliver experiences that customers love, they won’t hesitate to vouch for you. All you have to do is ask.

It’s important to ask for reviews because they’re essential to your audience’s purchase decisions. This isn’t to mention the wide range of benefits that a steady flow of reviews brings to your business.

Reviews support your brand reputation management strategy. A stream of 5-star reviews from customers helps showcase the best that your brand has to offer. It also creates powerful social proof for inspiring shopper confidence and driving sales.

Asking for reviews often leads to high ratings. According to research by Pearl-Plaza, reviews generated by review requests produce higher ratings (average of 4.34 stars) than unprompted reviews (3.89 stars). 

Reviews are one of the most important factors that determine your search performance. Reviews improve your brand’s search visibility. Most review websites and search engines prioritize businesses with a high volume of positive reviews, which can lead to better rankings and increased exposure to potential customers. In particular, your review signals — such as review count, ratings, review text, and review responses — are factored into organic and local search rankings.

Learning how to request a review is a great way to perform customer outreach. It encourages customer engagement and fosters a sense of community around your brand. When your customers feel that their opinions are valued, they are more likely to engage with your company and become loyal advocates.

Review requests can activate your brand promoters. By encouraging your customers to write reviews, you can convert the happiest, most satisfied ones into vocal promoters and word-of-mouth catalysts who’ll put in a good word about your brand. 

How to Ask for a Review: Best Practices and Examples

Your customers are often just a few clicks away from writing a great review of your business. Let’s explore some of the most effective ways to ask customers for reviews. 

Ask for Reviews via Email

A great way to get more reviews is by sending review request emails. These emails can be in the form of customer feedback surveys or just a simple message with a link where customers can leave a review.

If you’re just getting started with how to ask customers for reviews, email should be at the top of your list of channels. According to Pearl-Plaza research, as much as 70% of reviews come from post-transactional review request emails. Using this method also means you can tie your reviews to transactions that actually happened (transactions through which you were able to collect customer email addresses) — lending valuable authenticity to your reviews.

Here’s an example of how to ask clients for reviews via email:

Always remember to keep your message short and simple. Avoid unnecessary questions or phrases that your customers are unlikely to understand. If you would like them to review your company on a specific review website, say so explicitly and provide clear instructions on how to do it.

How to Ask for Reviews: Examples of Subject Lines

• We’d Love Your Feedback!
• Got a Minute to Share Your Experience with Us?
• Help Us Improve. Leave a Review Today.
• How Did We Do? Leave a Review.
• Your Opinion Matters. Review Us Here.
• Tell Us What You Think!
• Share Your Thoughts and Leave a Review. 
• Review Request: Your Feedback Counts.
• We Want to Hear from You! Review Your Experience with Us.

How to Ask for Reviews: Examples of Email Message Content

• “Hi (customer’s name), We hope you enjoyed your recent experience with us. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. Would you mind taking a moment to share your thoughts by leaving a review? Just click the link: (review link). Thank you for your support!”
• “Dear (customer’s name), Thank you for choosing us! We strive to provide the best service possible, and your feedback helps us achieve that goal. Could you please take a moment to share your experience by leaving a review? Your input means a lot to us. Leave a review here: (review link). We appreciate your help!”
• “Hi (customer’s name), We’re thrilled to hear that you’re enjoying our product/service! Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we’d love to hear more about your experience. Would you be willing to share your success story with others by leaving a review? Share your experience here: (review link). Thank you for being a part of our journey!”
• “Hi (customer’s name)! Thank you again for choosing our company. It’s our priority to continue providing top-notch service to customers like you. Please leave us a review on our profile on (review site, with a link to your review website profile). It will only take a minute, but your valuable feedback will help us improve and make a huge difference to our company. Thank you!”

Feel free to customize these examples to fit your brand’s tone and style, and remember to keep the message clear, concise, and respectful of your customers’ time.

Request a Review Using SMS Messaging

Did you know that more than half of reviews are written or posted from mobile devices? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the age of voice dictation typing and tweet-sized reviews has also ushered in the growing trend of consumers engaging with brands and writing reviews straight from their phone or tablet.

This means that SMS messaging is also a powerful channel for companies looking to learn how to request a review. SMS open rates hover between 95% to 99%, with an average of about 98%. Additionally, research indicates that an impressive 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes.

To help optimize your response rates and gather valuable feedback from customers, here are some examples of how to ask for reviews via SMS messaging: 

• “Hello (customer’s name), your recent experience matters to us. Share your feedback by clicking the link below: (review link). Thank you for choosing us!”
• “Hi (customer’s name), thank you for your recent visit to our business location. We want to provide you with the best experience possible! To help us, please take a moment to leave your feedback. Click here (review link) to review. Thank you.”
• “Hi (customer’s name), we value your opinion. Let us know how we’re doing by leaving a review here: (review link). Your feedback drives our continuous improvement efforts.”
• Hello (customer’s name), your opinion matters to us. Could you take 1 minute to leave us feedback on your visit to our (business location)? This (review link) will take you to a quick survey with 3 questions. We appreciate your help!”

These review request templates can encourage customer engagement and enhance the quality of feedback you receive through SMS messaging. Feel free to customize the templates so that they align with your branding and communication style. By leveraging the immediacy and accessibility of mobile platforms and text messaging, your company can foster stronger connections with customers and accelerate experience improvement.

Create Website Landing Pages for Review Requests

To generate and collect valuable review and customer feedback data, a growing number of companies are creating their dedicated landing pages for reviews. 

It’s a great way to encourage customers to be more vocal about their experiences. These landing pages can be facilitated through the use of reputation management software, survey forms, or embeddable review widgets on your brand or company website; your developer team can also build a custom page to suit your needs. 

When using landing pages, clearly communicate the value of customer reviews and how they contribute to improving your products or services. Use persuasive language to encourage website visitors to leave their feedback. Also, make it simple for customers to submit reviews directly on the landing page. This could be in the form of a rating system, a text box for written feedback, or a combination of both.

Once the review landing pages have been set up, you should identify key touch points at which you can most effectively drive customers to the page. You can even share the link to the page across your social media profiles or give customers a friendly reminder to rate their experience in post-transactional situations.

Ask for Reviews at the Point of Sale

A straightforward way to ask for reviews from customers is by making the request right when they’re completing a purchase or finishing their visit.

Imagine a front-facing staff member wrapping up their interaction with a customer. The staff member hands the customer a device like an iPad or tablet and asks them to fill out a quick review request form.

Asking for reviews at the point of sale is a great way to capture actionable reviews and customer insights just moments after the crucial sales or care experience. It’s also a valuable opportunity for your business to strengthen your customer relationships. Not to mention, it’s a useful review request tactic in situations where you don’t yet have your customer’s contact information.

If a customer has had a negative experience, learning how to ask for a review at the point of sale gives you the opportunity to address their concerns immediately and potentially turn their experience around before it causes damage to your reputation.

It’s essential to approach the request for reviews at the point of sale tactfully. Here are some tips to consider: 

• Be mindful of timing and the customer’s mood. 
• Keep the request brief and non-intrusive. 
• Provide options for leaving feedback (e.g., online form, QR code, paper feedback form).
• Ensure compliance with all privacy and security requirements to protect consumer data from unauthorized access and misuse.
• Respect the customer’s decision if they choose not to leave a review.

Also, when using a device to request feedback at the point of sale, avoid asking customers to log into their personal review website accounts and getting them to write their reviews on the spot. Instead, stick to a simple form with only a few blank fields to fill, or use a “kiosk mode” program that lets you send the actual review request later, through SMS or email. 

This strategy minimizes privacy and security concerns, while also preventing reviews from being generated using the same IP address as your business location. It also lets customers act on the request at their convenience, using their own devices.

Use a Google Reviews Link

According to Pearl-Plaza research, 64% of consumers say they are likely to check Google reviews (through Google Maps and Search) before visiting a business location — more than any other review site.If you’re looking to enhance your visibility and brand presence with an optimized Google Business Profile, learning how to ask for a Google review with a Google reviews link is a tactic you can employ. A Google reviews link is a direct URL that leads your customers to a specific page on Google Maps where they can read and write reviews of your business locations.

Use this link to encourage customers to leave reviews directly on your Google Business Profile (without them having to search for your business manually). Creating and sharing a review link for Google also gives your company more control over the review process. By providing a direct link, you can guide customers directly to your Business Profile, ensuring they are leaving feedback on the correct listing and minimizing the chance of them getting sidetracked or leaving reviews on the wrong page.

Deploy Review Management Software 

For larger organizations with hundreds or thousands of business locations, leveraging an online review management software solution can be key to successful review generation. 

Pearl-Plaza, for example, allows brands to set up automated review request campaigns, and then schedule these requests to be sent out at specific times, such as after a purchase or service interaction. It also allows teams to tailor their messaging and templates to match the brand voice, as well as include personalized elements like the customer’s name or details of their recent interaction with your business. View our automation in action with a live reputation demo.

Review management software can also integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) system or other databases to pull in customer information automatically. This makes it easy to target the right customers with review requests.

You may also be able to access tools for monitoring and tracking reviews across various platforms, allowing your team to stay on top of what customers are saying and know when and how to respond to negative reviews as well as positive feedback.

Calculate your business’ ROI using Pearl-Plaza’s reputation management tools.

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How to Ask Customers for Reviews: Important Things to Consider

There are a few considerations you have to make when learning how to ask for reviews from customers. Just as in other forms of communication with customers, timing is crucial. Other factors to keep in mind include: what to do after successfully generating reviews from requests, ensuring compliance with the terms of use and content guidelines of individual review websites, and whether or not it’s a good idea to incentivize review requests. 

When to Ask for Reviews

If you’re trying to get more reviews, you’ll want to optimize exactly when you ask your customers. Based on Pearl-Plaza research, the best times to ask for reviews are between 2 to 3 PM and 6 to 7 PM. 

These are the times consumers are most likely to rate a business on Google. People are often visiting businesses during their lunch break or after work, so it may be the case that these hours are the time that consumers choose to reflect on their experiences. 

As far as when not to ask for reviews, the dead hours are from 2 AM to 3 AM. Interestingly enough, from the time people wake up (say, 6 AM to 7 AM) until lunchtime (anywhere between 12 NN to 1 PM), review-writing activity is generally slow, at least relative to the activity that occurs after lunch.

We at Pearl-Plaza recommend that when asking for reviews, it’s best to send review requests in the afternoon. As mentioned above, another ideal time is to ask customers for reviews shortly after a sales or service transaction.

Personalize Your Review Request

Use the customer’s name and personalize your message based on their recent interaction with your business. A personalized review request feels more genuine and is more likely to resonate with the customer.

Also, be as transparent as possible and let customers know why reviews are important to your company. Explain how their feedback helps improve your products or services and assists other potential customers in making informed decisions.

How to Ensure Compliance with Review Website Guidelines

Your team should identify review websites where your company is allowed to encourage customers to post reviews. Yelp, for example, frowns upon businesses asking customers for reviews; it may hurt your Yelp rating because the website’s automated software may not recommend reviews that seem to be prompted or encouraged by the business. 

On the other hand, websites like Tripadvisor and Google welcome review requests from businesses, and even provide free tools for those looking to reach out proactively to customers for reviews.

What to Do After Successfully Getting a Review

When customers submit a review, the most important next step is to respond promptly. Acknowledge and thank the reviewer for their feedback, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative. Make your response personal and specific to the customer’s feedback. Address them by name if possible and reference specific aspects of their review.

If the review reflects a negative customer experience, be sure to act quickly and respond to let the customer know you are working on the issues they pointed out. If the review is positive, your team can still learn from it and gain insights into what people love about your brand. Take note of any common themes or patterns mentioned in reviews and use these to improve your products or services.

Should I Buy or Incentivize Reviews?

While it sounds like a quick and cost-effective solution to grow your online reputation and propel your brand to the top of search results, buying reviews will almost certainly do your company more harm than good. It’s a practice that leads to deceptively biased content, which most review platforms are trained to detect and penalize. 

As far as incentivized reviews, asking customers to review your company doesn’t mean you should reward those who do. It’s a practice that regulators caution against. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), for example, considers positive third-party reviews as endorsements, and according to the agency, if there is any form of incentive or compensation or close relationship between an individual giving an endorsement and a business receiving it, this should be made explicit. Keep in mind that the FTC also considers it illegal to incentivize reviews even if there’s no requirement that the sentiment of the review should be positive.

Get Results with Pearl-Plaza’s Review Management Software

The best way to get great reviews is to consistently deliver great customer experiences. Unlock the power of reviews for your brand with Pearl-Plaza’s review management software. The world’s top brands partner with Pearl-Plaza to transform their online reputation management strategy — with technology and tools that simply teams’ review request workflow. Start building a community of brand advocates and harness the benefits of asking for reviews today.

What Is Employee Loyalty?

Employee loyalty refers to the dedication, commitment, and allegiance exhibited by employees towards their organization, resulting in long-term engagement, productivity, and a willingness to go above and beyond in their work.

Why Is Employee Loyalty Important?

Employee loyalty is crucial in the workplace as it fosters a sense of stability, trust, and mutual benefit between employees and the organization. Loyal employees are more engaged, productive, and committed to achieving organizational goals. They contribute to a positive work culture, enhance team collaboration, and are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere, reducing turnover costs. Moreover, loyal employees become brand advocates, attracting top talent and positively influencing the organization’s reputation and success.

How Leadership Impacts Employee Loyalty

There is a strong relationship between employee satisfaction and employee loyalty. There is also a strong connection between employee loyalty and customer loyalty and, ultimately, profitability. So what is the secret to fostering employee loyalty and preventing employee turnover? Effective leadership.

A staggering 79% of employees who decide to part ways with an organization cite a lack of appreciation as their primary reason for departure. This emphasizes the pivotal role leadership plays in acknowledging and valuing the contributions of its workforce. When employees feel seen, recognized, and appreciated, it fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty that transcends beyond mere job satisfaction.

Leaders who make a concerted effort to express gratitude and recognize the efforts of their team not only boost morale but also contribute significantly to the establishment of a loyal and committed workforce. Regular acknowledgment of achievements, both big and small, builds a positive work culture where employees feel their contributions are integral to the success of the organization.

Investing in Employee Development

Equally noteworthy is that a substantial 94% of employees express a willingness to stay with a company that actively invests in their professional development. This statistic underscores the importance of leadership in shaping a workplace environment that not only recognizes the potential of its employees but actively seeks to enhance and nurture their skills.

Effective leaders understand that supporting employee growth is a two-fold benefit. It not only equips the workforce with the tools needed for personal and professional advancement but also demonstrates a commitment to their long-term success. This commitment, in turn, fosters a deep sense of loyalty among employees, as they perceive their employer as a partner in their career journey.

Factors That Influence Employee Loyalty

• Organizational culture and values
• Leadership and management practices
• Career development and growth opportunities
• Recognition and rewards programs
• Work-life balance initiatives
• Employee well-being and support

8 Tips for Fostering Employee Loyalty

These tips, which are drawn largely from the experience of customer service reps (CSRs), are meant to serve as a comprehensive guide for organizations seeking to not only retain their valuable workforce but to cultivate a workplace environment where loyalty is not just an expectation but a natural outcome of thoughtful leadership and employee-centric practices.

1. Cultivate a Culture of Appreciation

Showcasing gratitude and recognizing the contributions of employees is foundational to building loyalty. Regularly acknowledge individual and team achievements, whether through formal recognition programs, team meetings, or personalized messages. A culture of appreciation makes employees feel valued and integral to the organization’s success.

2. Ensure Effective Onboarding

Investing in a thorough and effective onboarding process significantly influences how long an employee remains with the company. A well-structured onboarding program goes beyond introducing new hires to the basics; it immerses them in the organizational culture, values, and expectations. Clear communication about roles, responsibilities, and the broader mission of the company during the onboarding phase sets a positive tone for the employee’s journey.

3. Invest in Professional Development

Demonstrate a commitment to the growth and advancement of your employees by investing in ongoing training and development opportunities. This not only enhances their skills but also communicates that the organization is dedicated to their long-term success. Employee loyalty often flourishes when individuals see their careers evolving within the company.

4. Provide a Clear Path for Career Progression

Outline transparent career paths and advancement opportunities within the organization. When employees can see a future where their contributions lead to meaningful career progression, they are more likely to stay committed. Regularly communicate about potential career trajectories and provide guidance on skill development aligned with organizational goals.

5. Foster Open and Transparent Communication

Create an environment where communication flows freely between leadership and employees. Address concerns promptly, provide constructive feedback, and encourage an open dialogue. Transparent communication builds trust, a crucial element in fostering loyalty, as employees feel informed and included in the decision-making process.

6. Offer Work-Life Balance Initiatives

Recognize the importance of work-life balance and implement initiatives that support it. Flexible work hours, remote work options, and policies that respect personal time contribute to employee satisfaction. By promoting a healthy work-life balance, organizations not only enhance loyalty but also contribute to employee well-being and overall job satisfaction.

7. Recognize and Address Burnout

Proactively identify signs of burnout and implement strategies to mitigate its impact. Burnout can erode loyalty and productivity. Encourage employees to take breaks, use their vacation time, and establish boundaries. Implement wellness programs and provide resources to manage stress. Addressing burnout demonstrates a commitment to the health and happiness of your workforce.

8. Offer Perks and Incentives

Provide enticing perks and incentives that go beyond standard compensation. This could include wellness programs, travel discounts, recognition events, or even unique benefits tailored to your workforce. Such offerings not only enhance the overall employee experience but also contribute to a positive and loyal work environment.

Remember, these tips are interconnected, and implementing them collectively can create a robust foundation for fostering lasting employee loyalty. Tailor these strategies to fit the unique dynamics of your organization, and consistently reassess and adapt them as your workforce evolves.

Fostering Loyalty with An Employee Loyalty Program

In the pursuit of fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes employee satisfaction and longevity, organizations are increasingly turning to Employee Loyalty Programs. These initiatives go beyond traditional employee recognition strategies, offering a structured framework designed to acknowledge, reward, and retain valuable talent. Let’s explore the compelling benefits of implementing such programs and highlight some noteworthy examples.

Benefits of Employee Loyalty Programs

Employee loyalty programs can have numerous benefits that range from increased engagement to completely changing company culture. 

Enhanced Employee Engagement

Employee Loyalty Programs serve as catalysts for heightened engagement. By recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions, these programs instill a sense of pride and ownership, fostering a positive and motivated workforce.

Increased Retention Rates

Retaining skilled and experienced employees is a perpetual challenge for many organizations. Loyalty programs create a bond between the employee and the company, reducing turnover rates and the associated costs of recruitment and training.

Boosted Morale and Job Satisfaction

Acknowledgment and rewards contribute significantly to job satisfaction. Loyalty programs elevate morale by demonstrating that the organization values the efforts and dedication of its workforce, resulting in a more content and committed team.

Improved Productivity and Performance

Motivated employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles. Loyalty programs act as incentives, inspiring employees to excel in their responsibilities and contribute actively to the overall success of the organization.

Positive Impact on Company Culture

A well-designed loyalty program becomes an integral part of the company culture, emphasizing the importance of loyalty, collaboration, and mutual appreciation. This cultural shift promotes a harmonious work environment and strengthens the employer-employee relationship.

Employee Loyalty Program Examples

Employee loyalty programs can take many forms. Depending on the purpose and structure of your organization, there are many different types of programs that you might find success with. 

Recognition and Rewards Platform

Many companies utilize online platforms that allow peers and managers to publicly recognize and reward employees for their achievements. These platforms often offer a variety of rewards, such as gift cards, vouchers, or even personalized experiences.

Professional Development Opportunities

Some loyalty programs focus on the long-term growth of employees by providing access to training programs, workshops, and certifications. Investing in the professional development of employees not only enhances their skills but also reinforces their commitment to the organization.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Recognizing the evolving needs of the workforce, some loyalty programs offer flexibility in work arrangements, such as remote work options, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks. These initiatives demonstrate an understanding of work-life balance and contribute to employee satisfaction.

Wellness Programs

Employee well-being is a key aspect of loyalty programs. Organizations may offer wellness programs that include gym memberships, health screenings, mental health resources, or even on-site fitness facilities. Prioritizing employee health contributes to a positive and caring workplace culture.

Service Milestone Celebrations

Recognizing employees for their long-term commitment through service milestone celebrations is a classic loyalty program approach. This can involve personalized gifts, public acknowledgments, or special events to commemorate significant anniversaries with the company.

Employee loyalty programs represent a strategic investment in the overall success and sustainability of an organization. By implementing these programs, companies not only retain valuable talent but also create a workplace where dedication, engagement, and mutual appreciation thrive.

Increase Your Employee Loyalty with Pearl-Plaza

Pearl-Plaza client alphaborder was able to increase their employee loyalty by 10% year-over-year utilizing tools such as Moments. Your organization can see similar success. Schedule a demo to see how we can help you increase your employee loyalty!

In a recent workshop conducted at the XI Forum 2023 in London by industry experts Simon Fraser, VP, Insights and Consultancy at Pearl-Plaza, and Simon Hedaux, Founder of Rethink Productivity, the focus was on enhancing productivity to drive experience improvement within businesses. This hands-on workshop emphasised the significance of integrating customer and employee perspectives into experience enhancement strategies, whilst leveraging productivity studies and insights to make informed investment decisions.

The workshop gathered professionals from diverse sectors such as retail, travel, services, grocery, and healthcare. Participants delved into diverse dimensions of experience delivery, encompassing efficiency, role dynamics, design considerations, and customer journeys. Here are the highlights and takeaways from the session! 

Understanding the Core Elements

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation, it’s important to conduct efficiency assessments. These assessments prioritise the identification of operational discrepancies, the reduction of non-value-added tasks, and the optimisation of resource distribution. An evaluation of roles within the organisation sheds light on various aspects, including customer interactions, management visibility, team composition, and potential upselling opportunities. 

In addition, assessing the design element entails an examination of how the layout impacts both the employee and customer experience, with the aim of enhancing the overall environment. The exploration of customer journeys also allows you to go beyond surface-level observations, encompassing a thorough analysis of both front-end and back-end processes that significantly influence the quality of the delivered experiences.

Macro-Environmental Insights

The workshop started by contextualising businesses within macro-economic and social environments, considering factors like inflation, evolving consumer behaviours, and societal habits. These elements influence how businesses operate and make decisions.

Participants delved into specific customer touchpoints, such as the ‘Fitting Room’ and ‘Coffee Shop’ experiences. Through diverse lenses—customer, employee, and business perspectives—participants identified critical success factors, pain points, and optimisation opportunities.

Insights and Learnings

Rethink Productivity’s Simon Hedaux shared insights derived from global studies across varied industries and environments. The essence lies in the challenging trade-off between investing in time, cost, and quality, as very few businesses can simultaneously optimise all three. Strategic decision-making is pivotal to prioritising where to focus investments.

Key Strategies for Experience Enhancement

The primary takeaway emphasised the importance of a triangulation approach, aligning customer, employee, and business experiences for effective decision-making. Achieving harmony between signals, abilities, and expectations is crucial.

A systematic understanding and anticipation of customer and employee expectations, coupled with responsive processes, are vital for successful experience improvement initiatives. The importance of utilising multiple lenses for investment decisions, aligning them with ROI goals, was a focal point.

Listening to the voice of the customer and recognising their value emerged as a significant strategy. The necessity of an integrated CX data ecosystem, supported by the right organisational culture, was underscored as the ideal approach.

Practitioners need to consider this triangulation of experiences between customer, employee, and the business when making decisions on how best to invest, and support experience improvement transformation.  To be successful there needs to be harmony between signals, abilities, and expectations. 

1. The customers – what they take away from all their encounters with your brand, the signals they are looking for, and what they expect?  How clear to them is the process, how easy it is to access and have privacy, and how easy is it to get help when needed?
2. The employees – what they can deliver, what they are trained to do, what is the culture, and what are their KPIs?
3. The business – what you say you do (the expectations being set / how this is marketed), and where the budget should be spent? What measures can be taken to prevent loss prevention? What are the staffing levels that are being provided for in the budget?

In conclusion, the workshop underlined the intricate balance needed between productivity, customer experience, and business success. By aligning strategies with the intertwined needs of customers, employees, and the business, companies can drive impactful improvements that lead to sustainable growth and enhanced customer loyalty.

Download the full summary of our XI Forum Europe 2023 here

What Is a Closed-Loop System?

 A closed-loop system is “the ability to identify and resolve individual customer issues and larger organizational patterns and trends based on those issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees,” as defined by Bain & Company in “The Ultimate Question 2.0.” 

This system consists of an inner loop, the ability to identify and resolve individual customer issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees, and the outer loop, the ability to identify and resolve larger organizational patterns and trends based on individual customer issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees.

Why Is a Closed-Loop System Important?

And though closed-loop systems have been around for a while now, they are still just as vital to your customer experience (CX) program! Here are just a few reasons why: 

• A closed-loop system gives you a competitive advantage. Many organizations don’t have a formal process for closing the customer feedback loop. If you have one, that places you above more than half of the competition in terms of making your customers feel seen and heard. 
• A closed-loop system increases your customer loyalty. Did you know that 83% of customers feel more loyal to brands that respond and resolve their complaints? Getting feedback is one thing, but acting on that feedback is what will keep your customers coming back time and time again. 
• A closed-loop system will decrease customer churn. By reducing your customer defection rate by just 5% using an effective closed-loop system, you can increase profits by 25-95%!

Additional benefits that come from putting effort into closing the customer feedback loop:

• Prevent problems – By implementing a closed-loop element into a customer feedback program like Net Promoter Score, you can identify problems before they escalate. Using automation and data analytics, you can recognize recurring themes in customer surveys that need to be addressed to avoid those same problems for future customers.
• Discover upsell opportunities – Even satisfied customers can have great feedback on how you can improve your product or service. Maybe you don’t offer a product in a certain color, or something on the website is confusing. Either way, there is always room for improvement, and those improvements can become upsells for your customers. 
• Create and foster long-term relationships – When a customer feels that you listen to their concerns and respond to them, they are more likely to be return customers and bring referrals. Every time you acknowledge your customers for taking the time to provide feedback, you are strengthening your relationship with them.
• Retain current customers – studies show that returning customers spend 60% more money on purchases and provide more referrals than new customers. It is also 5 to 25 times more expensive to find new customers than to retain existing ones. By closing the customer feedback loop, you help customers feel more loyal to your brand and come back for more.
• Avoid customer churn – 89% of customers switch brands after a bad experience with a company if the company does not respond to their problems or complaints.

Are you convinced? Great! Now that you’re on board, we’ve outlined the 7 most important steps you need to take to get started with an effective closed-loop system. 

Getting Started with a Closed-Loop System

1. Get Executive Buy-In

Customer experience is an investment, and for your program to have a positive impact—and succeed—you need buy-in from your executive team. For best results, we’ve found that closed-loop pilot programs focused on a few locations usually are the easiest for executives to get behind. With fewer locations, it’s easier to prove the efficacy of the program without straining your brand’s resources too much.

2. Prioritize Initiatives

Implementing a closed-loop system is a marathon, not a sprint. No matter the size of your company, setting up your program will take time. As your program matures, look for the easy wins to gain credibility and prove success within your organization. Once you’ve found your stride, gradually move on to more complicated issues.

3. Harness Existing Business Knowledge

Identify employees with an understanding of your organization’s operations, and empower them to resolve customer issues as they occur. Your employees know your business and are in a unique position to help your customers and quickly close the loop on customer issues.

4. Commit to Faster Resolution

As technology advances and the customer experience evolves, consumers expect more and more from your brand. Expectations have risen to the point that 42% of consumers said that if they contact your brand for support, they expect a response within 60 minutes. Resolve customer issues in a timely fashion, and your customers will reward you with repeat business and brand advocacy throughout the years.

5. Increase Organizational Agility

Don’t get too comfortable with the way things have always been done in regard to your CX program. Treat every customer issue as you would if you were a small business, and resolve it as quickly—and personably—as possible. Customers want to feel special, and the quicker you’re able to adapt to individual customer issues, the more you’ll be able to reduce customer churn and ensure organizational success.

6. Make Individual Contact

Your customers don’t care about the size of your business; they care about how your brand treats them on a personal level. Study your brand’s customer journey, gather feedback, and identify ways to increase the amount of personal contact during the process of resolving a customer issue. A simple note or phone call can have a profound impact on the success of your program.

7. Empower Your Employees

As mentioned earlier, your employees understand the way your organization operates better than anyone else. This knowledge puts them in a unique position to understand customer issues and know the right solution for resolving the problem. Have faith in your employees and give them the autonomy they need to address customer issues on a case-by-case basis and resolve them as efficiently and personably as possible.

The Value of Closing the Loop

Closed-loop systems are one of the most effective ways to not only reduce customer churn but proves the financial impact of your brand’s customer experience program. One client of ours implemented a closed-loop system that helped them identify nearly $23 million in potential revenue.

Other studies have found that closed-loop programs help retain customers, which can increase company value (up to 30%) and increase profits (up to 125%).

You can learn more from Pearl-Plaza expert Jim Katzman about the value of closing the loop in his article here.

3 Myths Around Closed Loop Systems

When developing an effective closed-loop system, it is just as important to think about what to do as well as what NOT to do. We’ve put together a list of 3 myths revolving around closed-loop systems—and what you can do to avoid them. 

Myth #1: Closed-Loop Systems Are Not Profitable

An effective closed-loop system will not only help you break even, it will help save you money! While many people think that closed-loop systems handle singular cases, they actually help you identify business trends and get ahead of them! By anticipating, not merely reacting, to your customer’s needs, you’ll be improving experiences before they even happen. 

Myth #2: Closed-Loop Systems Are Only Relevant for Certain Industries

There is a stigma surrounding closed-loop systems—that they only belong in certain industries, such as retail or food service. While those industries definitely benefit from closed-loop systems, they are not the only ones with something to gain! Every business, regardless of the industry they operate in, can benefit from a system that gives you the ability to identify the next best action for a customer and address the root cause of issues to ensure continuous improvement. 

Checkout this case study to see how one of our Financial Services clients utilized a closed-loop system to improve their NPS score as well as other business-specific metrics! 

Myth #3: Closed-Loop Systems Are Too Complex

A system that allows you to quickly respond to customer complaints, analyze data to identify customer trends, and share knowledge within your organization to create a holistic view of the customer experience? It sounds like it would be a headache to implement. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth—if you have the right partner!

Automating the Customer Feedback Loop-Closing Process

Closing the loop shouldn’t be a complex process, with automation you can simplify the method. For example, if you use Intercom to communicate with customers, you’re in luck. It’s extremely easy to implement a customer experience (CX) program that will close the customer feedback loop with Pearl-Plaza’s entirely code-free Intercom Messenger Integration and start gathering feedback right in Intercom chat. Pearl-Plaza’s NPS microsurvey can be integrated with Intercom Messenger with one click and survey responses automatically appear in Intercom user records. This makes it easy to set up automated follow-up messages to survey respondents based on their sentiment. Whether or not you use Intercom and Pearl-Plaza, you can adapt a closed-loop process to your own systems as you handle customer feedback. 

Real-Life Example of an Automated Closed-Loop System

Lead-gen software startup Albacross recently shared how they were able to swiftly automate a full-cycle NPS program. While the team started by simply sending NPS surveys through Intercom, they quickly realized the value in closing the customer feedback loop with all of their respondents–detractors, passives, and promoters. For Albacross, automating a close-the-loop process took just a few simple steps and the results have been incredible. Albacross has been able to understand its detractors on a whole new level, and they’ve been able to leverage promoters to drive more business. 

Ask Detractors for Product Feedback

Sure, it might not feel great when you’ve received some low scores from valued customers on your customer surveys. But, qualitative feedback from detractors can become a guiding light for your organization as it chooses what issues and insights it wants to prioritize in closing the customer feedback loop. You should also pay attention to detractors because a low score is often an indicator of customers who are at higher risk of churn. In other words, it’s crucial that you leverage your detractors – there is so much that you can learn from them. And, it’s quite simple – here’s how Albacross automated their messages for detractors: 

For users who rate their app low (0-6), Albacross sends two Intercom messages that ask for additional feedback. The main purpose of asking for additional customer feedback is to start the conversation and gain a deeper understanding of how the customer feels, what they’re struggling with, and why they’re disappointed.

Albacross sends messages via email: 

and via in-app messages that appear immediately after the user completes the survey:

When creating these automated messages, it’s important that you pay great attention to the simplicity and brevity of the message you’re sending out. In this case, Albacross only asks users for a single thing that they can improve to make it as easy as possible for customers to answer.

Ask Promoters to review you on Capterra or G2 Crowd

What about all of your promoters? How can you make use of all this praise and admiration coming from your customers? 

Here’s the answer: close the customer feedback loop by getting your promoters to share their experience on online review sites. 

Online reviews are of utmost importance in a buyer’s evaluation process, especially in the B2B world, since these transactions often involve many people and large investments of money. According to a study done by G2 Crowd and Heinz Marketing, 71% of B2B buyers look at online reviews during the consideration stage. In addition, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review. By getting happy customers to share their positive experiences online, your organization can build credibility, improve trust, and increase brand awareness among potential buyers. If you’ve got happy customers, the momentum is already there – it’s now your job to transfer that positive momentum from your surveys to review sites. 

Let’s take a look at how Albacross closes the loop with their promoters. 

For users who give the app a passive rating (7-8), Albacross sends an email of gratitude to let them know that they appreciate the user’s feedback. This is sent via in-app message.

You’ll notice that Albacross’s message is short and sweet, and at the end, they ask their users to leave them a review on Capterra. 

For users who rate the app very high (9-10), the Albacross team sends an email with similar content, but this email is sent from their CEO. 

Closing the Customer Feedback Loop with Automation Leads to Results

Automating your close-the-loop process is guaranteed to uncover invaluable insights and drive high-impact action, whether that’s fixing a common issue for detractors or sending promoters to a review site to share their praise for your product. We cannot stress the value of closing the customer feedback loop enough. 

In the case of Albacross, their efforts in closing the customer feedback loop and automating their program saw two key tangible effects:

Albacross’s NPS Score is consistently climbing. In just a short period of time, Albacross has more than 2x’ed their NPS score. Anyone with any experience with NPS knows that this is not an easy feat. 

Secondly, Albacross now has a rating of 4.5/5 and 100+ reviews on Capterra. Most of the reviews that they’ve gathered recently have come from promoters who were directed to Capterra from Albacross’s automated Intercom messages. 

So, go forth and close the customer feedback loop with survey respondents. It’s easy when you automate!

For more tips and tricks on closing the customer feedback loop, read our whitepaper designed to help you learn all you need to know to help you make a difference in your company using customer feedback.

Get the Closed-Loop System Starter Kit with Pearl-Plaza’s Closed-Loop Action Package

Not sure where to start? No worries, we are here to help. We have developed a Closed-Loop Action Package that contains everything you need to get started with a system that will improve your business tomorrow, today!

Our Closed-Loop Action Package consists of four products: Case Management, Alerts & Notifications, Moments, and Reporting. Let’s break down what those are and what they mean for your business. 

• Case Management:  Manage, track, prioritize, and resolve customer experience cases. Supports the ability to track communications with customers about their experience and helps to surface the root cause of customer issues from the employee perspective. Case Management is available on all managed survey programs purchased with XI Platform and allows for flexible filtering, for example, case status (closure or expiration), case owner, or case timer
• Alerts & Notifications: Provides the ability to notify designated users based on specified criteria which may include scores and/or verbatim content tags.  Includes up to 5 notification workflows per survey program from employee recognition, phrase/score recognition, and customer rescue alerts. Alerts can be sent via email, text, or other custom systems.
• Moments: Case Management integrates with the Moments mobile application to enable the creation of cases and close the feedback loop on the go. With Moments, users can create and amend favorite collections, share feedback, create a case, mark moments invalid, or complete and close the loop so they get the insights they need to take immediate action.
• Reporting: Offers insights into closed-loop data. Users can visualize and monitor cases at a high level. Program owners can immediately see stats such as average days to close a case, hours to first action, and number of escalated cases. 
• Voice of Employee: Supports the ability to track communications with customers about their experience and helps to surface the root cause of customer issues from the employee’s perspective. Incorporate the voice of the employee tasked with case resolution with a built-in questionnaire to uncover actionable intelligence from your employees; including customer and employee sentiment, and the root cause of the customer issue.

Ready to start closing the loop? Schedule a whiteboarding session with our experts today!

Peggy Carrieres, Avnet’s VP of Global Sales, Enablement, and Supplier Development, shared with Pearl-Plaza how Avnet is taking a realistic but personal approach to strengthening its employee experience to sustain its customer experience (CX).

Where Employees Will Work—And Why It’s Complicated

Most employees are grappling with what work-life balance means in the new normal, and while some CEOs say they don’t care where employees work (at home, on the beach, etc.), others are pushing hard to get everyone back in the office. 

Carrieres shared that the answer of whether employees should return to the office full-time is much more complex than anyone is giving it credit for. She says the last two years of pandemic living are not truly in the past.  While employees and clients adjust to this new normal and experience stress and change, reconnecting to each other may result in a dynamic that is difficult to navigate. This new challenge makes an effective EX program much more important in a company.

A good EX program needs to be realistic by looking at employees holistically. Because when they come to work, they come as their whole selves, and a burnt-out employee can be a detractor to the overall employee experience, which may, in turn, affect customer experience. 

Creating a Culture of Community

In these unprecedented times, allowing employees to voice their stress and worry is a big part of a productive employee experience. Carrieres says a good EX program has to allow employees a safe space so they know they’re not alone in their struggles. 

Carrieres shared an experience of a time she became aware of a specific piece of employee feedback. She then gave the employee’s concerns an anonymous platform in a staff meeting, where she found that nearly every employee in attendance shared a similar worry. This act of acknowledgment uncovered a conversation that led to ideas and changes that may have been overlooked otherwise. This experience proved that how employers leverage employee feedback for learning and growth is crucial to reducing churn and growing a healthy employee base that is sustainable. 

What’s Next for EX Programs

Employee choice and control within their professional experience is invaluable, and taking a holistic view of the organization and its employees will allow companies the opportunity to meet their people where they are, help them feel valued, and, ultimately, reduce churn. 

Providing optimal customer experiences hinges on employees feeling valued, happy, and confident. That’s why it’s so important to include the voice of employees in your experience programs!

Learn more about how your employees can impact your customer experience in this eBook!

Pearl-Plaza XI Strategist Jim Katzman had the opportunity to sit down with Peggy Carrieres, Global Vice President of Sales Enablement and Supplier Development for Avnet and electronics components-industry expert. 

In the conversation, she offered insight into how B2B brands can create transparency, combat supply chain challenges, redefine “customer loyalty,” and drive trust for customers who face an increasingly complex supply chain in one of the most volatile market cycles in recent history.

Our Conversation with Peggy Carrieres of Avnet

Jim: Great to see you again, Peggy! I’d like to start the conversation about the connection between the supply chain challenges many B2B companies are facing and how these challenges affect loyalty. What role does Experience Improvement play here, and how? 

Peggy: I have been in this industry for over 25 years, and back then, it was all about process-focused engineering and technology—and that’s great. Still, we’ve seen the pervasiveness of electronics, and everything we use—from work to play—is packed with technology to make our lives easier. 

For example, a simple light bulb used to house a filament and now has many semiconductors in it. It’s a huge industry and growing like crazy, but over time, it has gotten incredibly complex.

Our product goes to 40 countries to get to market, and we sit in the middle of the value chain between suppliers and customers. 

We’re a value-added distributor with almost 2K engineers globally who work on designing a journey to help our customers get their products to market in a complex supply chain. But at the end of the day, what we’ve found from our trend data since we started our CX program back in 2014 is that relationships still matter. That is probably the most significant lesson in our voice of the customer journey: relationships can drive so many other factors in your business, and if you miss the boat, you are going to miss your customer. 

Jim: We all know about supply chain challenges, but in the semiconductor industry specifically, can you talk about how or what role agility plays?

Peggy: It’s important to know that this industry, by nature, is cyclical; it ebbs and flows about every four years and is driven by technology.  What we’re seeing today is different and more complex and has permanent changes to initially temporary solutions. Early 2020 COVID-19 hit but didn’t drive the situation yet, but as it became more and more complex, its influence grew. 

Avnet is a broad-line distributor, operating in over 140 countries globally in every region. We are able to move our customer’s demands from one country to another quickly.  So when you put that through a CX lens, I would say in this industry, what we’ve learned is that it’s imperative to understand global and cultural norms and how people get work done on a day-to-day basis in different cultures.

A lot of the hiccups that happen in B2B are due to miscommunication. We’ve learned that being agile through our supply chain means distributors like Avnet become the control tower, creating transparency across the full product lifecycle.  If you think about it, a customer may have 300 suppliers to purchase from to get their product to market. Their demand signal can be diluted, but because we have established relationships with suppliers, we can get the early warning and adjust to be flexible in our supply chain with our clients.  I don’t think this is a temporary standard; it’s going to completely change how we get business done on a daily basis. 

Jim: Would you say Avnet is like a hub for those 300 suppliers? 

Peggy: Absolutely, 100% I do—a global hub! We have customers who’ve engaged with us that haven’t traditionally engaged with “the channel” and who prefer or even try to go direct to the supplier, but the process is so complex it’s just very difficult. They can’t physically manage every supplier and every step of bringing their products to market, so they come to us. 

Jim: Since Avnet is a global company, you have many different cultures to navigate. How do you listen for, understand, and drive action to counter the communication problems you may encounter due to those differences? 

Peggy: That has been one of the most significant values of our voice of customer program. When we started it, we wanted to build a coalition in every country, but every country did its own thing and tracked its own trends over time.

It’s essential to give the feedback to someone who has context and insight into that culture. For example, we have one response that came through in Hebrew, and our translation team couldn’t translate it. So, I took it to someone who is Israeli, who works on our team here in Phoenix, and who knew the context. She relayed that the feedback was such an endearing phrase that no translation can convey its special meaning. 

This experience taught me that we need global understanding and empathy across the organization. However, we also need context in regions and countries that offer nuance because it’s hard to hear those things sometimes. 

We do that in a consultative manner, and by doing that, over time, our teams have been conditioned to get that feedback and use it to drive revenue and benefit, our teams have made that connection, and it has been highly successful. 

Jim: How does customer experience play a role in how Avnet deals with global supply-chain challenges?

Peggy: The market will change—we are seeing signs of it now. Who the customer is can also change over time. We’re the largest revenue-generated AZ-based company, with 45% in Asia, 30% in Europe, and 25% in the US, so we’re well-balanced. But from the perspective of customer experience and relationships, we needed more. 

We did a cross-correlation with NPS and what has the most uplift in “loyalty,” which is a term I hate because it can change quickly depending on how you react and respond. However, the pillars and drivers for us are ease of doing business, the quality of products and services, and, at the end of the day, how we engage with customers matters. 

For instance, how we respond to a customer’s challenge will be remembered when a customer’s partnership is on the line. I am their advocate to our supplier base; being present at the table to show them I care is mission-critical. These relationships are what drive the B2B space. 

Jim: Yes, I learned that when the executive escalation call comes in, you first hit mute and listen for pockets where you can fix something, even if it’s not everything. I think the key is honing your skill of listening to encompass the whole pain point and resisting the urge to jump in immediately at the first sign of distress.

Peggy: Right, and we’ve seen a complete shift in the focus of this industry. Raw materials, labor, and logistics all cost more now, and so we’ve had to change an industry’s discussion.  It used to be from the total cost down to total price, but now it’s the total cost of ownership, which is the assurance of supply and mitigating risk for our client. 

The conversation has shifted, and if we didn’t have a finger on the pulse of the market and work collectively with our customers, we would’ve missed the boat. If you just show a price increase without offering a conversation, you’ve hurt your relationship as well, and you don’t just come back from that. 

Jim: One thing I hear from our clients is that it’s hard to capture the B2B voice. I’d love to hear how you think and process capturing that flavor in your design approach and how Avnet built its relationship survey with the employee experience in mind. 

Peggy: The value of feedback is trends over time, so one thing we do (as we know who our demographics are) is we have the customers self-identify their role in the organization. We’ve got buyers, engineers, executives, and supply chain materials, and because they see the relationship differently at each level, it’s important to know the perspective behind the individual feedback.

I own our design tools and capabilities, and I focused specifically on the feedback from customer engineers. One thing that has been valuable is we ask them in a simple survey if they’d like to opt-in for a focus group, and we’ve had a pretty good response there. This volunteer participation allows us to quickly pose further and more profound questions to that group about what we’re developing at Avnet.  So, I think it’s important to ask customers to self-identify because every company is different in B2B. A supply chain person in one company may be completely different from a supply chain person in another.

Another thing we are seeing is what we call “customer lifecycle convergence,” where the supply chain and design chain are becoming more integrated than ever before, so you have to be in touch with both of those voices if you want to be successful. 

Jim: So, do you have different relationship questions for the different audiences you’ve identified?

Peggy: We actually just did a voice of the engineering survey, and what we found was that 93% said they spent the majority of their time looking for parts and needed someone to help them.  With this, we were able to develop a new design process based on the current state of the market and trained the field application engineers to use that process.  

In return, our revenue, that’s tied to what we call demand creation, has really increased over the last two years. So having that outside-in perspective and then changing the approach and the selling motion had a huge benefit for us.

That’s a Wrap!

This B2B Experience Exchange was packed with valuable insights about the supply chain challenges. Additionally, awesome employee experience insights also packed a powerful punch in this conversation, and we’ll be including those as part two! Look out for our next quarterly experience exchange, and in the meantime, check out this Guide to building a customer-centric B2B  experience.

What Is Consumer Duty?

Consumer Duty Principle, proposed by FCA, is a significant new legislation for the UK Financial Services sector. The legislation aims to set a consistent and increased standard of care to customers, and mandates organisations to put the needs of the customer first. 

What Are the Details of the New FCA Consumer Duty?

The FCA Consumer Duty has three golden rules that every UK financial organisation will need to adhere to:

1. Act in Good Faith Towards Customers: Organisations are required to act in the best interests of their customers and prioritise their interests over their own. They must also ensure that their products and services meet the needs of their customers.

2. Allow and Support Customers to Pursue their Financial Objectives: Organisations must design their products and services to meet the needs of their customers and ensure they are fit for purpose. They must also ensure that their pricing is transparent, fair, and not misleading.

3. Avoid Causing Foreseeable Harm to Customers: Organisations must provide clear and accessible information to their customers about their products and services, including any risks associated with them. This includes communicating in plain language and avoiding jargon or technical terms that customers may not understand.

How Will the Act Benefit Consumers and Financial Organisations?

If you get it right, our experts at Pearl-Plaza foresee the Consumer Duty Principle bringing many benefits to consumers and financial organisations alike, such as: 

• Customer Trust and Loyalty: Putting the customer’s interests first can lead to increased customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and repeat business.
• Efficiency and Effectiveness: By designing products and services that meet the needs of your customers, you are likely to see increased efficiency and effectiveness in your business operations. This can lead to cost savings and improved profitability.
• Brand Image and Reputation: By promoting responsible business practices and prioritising customer outcomes, you can enhance your company’s reputation as a socially responsible and ethical business.

Consumer Duty + Experience Improvement = Customer Centricity! 

Customer experience (CX) platforms can help financial services organisations comply with the FCA Consumer Duty more effectively by helping them better understand their customers’ needs, improve their products and services, and ensure that they are acting in their customers’ best interests. With an integrated CX approach of leveraging the right data, technology, and CX expertise you can take the right action to comply with Consumer Duty in the following ways:

• Data Management: Managing customer data more efficiently helps to better understand your customers’ needs and preferences, which is essential to designing products and services that meet those needs.
• AI-powered Analytics: Analysing customer behaviour and preferences helps you identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to products and services in order to better serve customers.
• Communication Management: Managing communications with customers more efficiently ensures that they receive clear and accessible information about your products and services and  any concerns or questions can be addressed immediately.
• Compliance Management: Tracking compliance activities ensures that all customer interactions are recorded and monitored and reported correctly and efficiently. 

Five Ways Financial Organisations Can Prepare for Consumer Duty

To comply with Consumer Duty, better technology, data management, and improving customer experiences will be crucial to the success of every financial organisation in the UK. At the onset and in the future, it will be necessary to make experiences, compliance, and reporting processes more efficient. Here’s a few ways Pearl-Plaza ca help you to prepare and ensure your organisation is set up for success.  

#1: Proactively Detect Consumer Intent to Complain

Ensure you respond to complaints. Simplify the process by applying a tool that automatically identifies and alerts you to those customers who intend to complain or even switch providers. Using Pearl-Plazas AI-powered technology, those customers who intend to complain, but have not yet done so, can be flagged, with a formal case raised to resolve their issue, avoiding a formal complaint and potential fine.

#2: Comprehensive Review and Audit of Survey and Listening Posts

Start a comprehensive review and audit of all of your existing survey and listening posts, ensuring you are asking the right questions and capturing the most appropriate metrics in regards to consumer duty. We can provide actionable recommendations to ensure your listening posts are set up to deliver the right outcomes, and that your surveys are WCAG 2.0 compliant.

#3: Evaluate and Solve Compliance Issues at Scale 

Delivering consistent and compliant customer communications can feel like a daunting task. We can help you evaluate all structured, semi structured, and unstructured communication to advise if each piece of communication is compliant with the consumer duty before they go live, providing recommendations for areas of improvement. 

#4: Create Seamless Experiences for Your Most Vulnerable Customers 

It is critical that your most vulnerable customers continue to have a seamless experience with your brand. Our technology can automatically alert you to any aspects of your customer journey that are not providing an inclusive experience. Through our unique Consumer Duty Taxonomy consisting of DEI, Compliance, and the Financial Services Industry Pack, we can identify those customers who are NOT getting the right outcomes, and provide recommendations on how to improve their experience.

#5: Combine a Compliance Focus With a Customer-Centric Culture

The most successful brands will be those that focus on enhancing their customer-centric culture, putting the customer at the heart of all decision making, rather than focusing only on a compliance- first approach. Celebrate and socialise positive customer experiences, champion positive customer outcomes across the entire organisation.

If you’d like to learn more about how Pearl-Plaza can help, please reach out to voc@inmoment.com or click here to read our full consumer duty solution brief!

But are there some moments that matter more than others in the overall customer experience? And if so, how do we assess their importance?

Five Questions to Address

1. What Are “Moments That Matter?”
2. How Are “Moments That Matter” Determined?
3. How Are “Moments That Matter” Measured?
4. How Is the Importance of Each “Moment That Matters” assessed?
5. Why Does the Technology You Use to Understand These Moments Matter?

Question #1: What Are “Moments That Matter?”

In the past couple of decades, it has become more clear that consumers are after more than just the “product” they purchase. Their choice to support a brand is more than just rational decision-making; it’s about emotions, too. Today’s organizations realize this; so, they try to continuously improve the way in which they deliver those experiences. 

For example, many organizations measure call center experiences as a part of their CX program, which is a smart move. Service and support is a key element that defines customer experience, and it frequently generates memorable moments. But is the call center interaction all that matters for the customer?

“Moments That Matter” are the specific interactions—like a particularly superior or terrible call center experience—that trigger customers’ feelings and leave lasting impressions. These are the specific experiences that stand out more than others and impact the customers’ long-term opinions about the organization overall. Additionally, they can likely lead to a make-or-break decision about their future relationship with the organization. 

Question #2: How Are “Moments That Matter” Determined?

A key step to identifying the “Moments That Matter” is understanding the customers’ journey throughout their relationship with the organization, from consideration and researching the product or service they need all the way through using said product or service. 

Mapping this journey starts with the organization’s knowledge of its key customer touchpoints. Next, customers provide feedback and further input to pinpoints those touchpoints most important to them. They also provide context about their best and worst experiences, wins, and pain points. This mapping helps brands focus on the key “Moments That Matter,” because, in reality, not every touchpoint and every experience is as impactful as others in creating healthy and long-lasting relationships.

Question #3: How Are “Moments That Matter” Measured?

After understanding what “Moments That Matter” are, the next step is to measure the brand’s performance at each of those moments. This is typically done using a survey format that first asks customers to evaluate their overall experience with the company. Then, it should ask which MTMs they have experienced and evaluate those they are familiar with.  It may also be effective to rate some MTMs on a battery of actional deep-dive attributes.

Question #4: How Is the Importance of Each “Moment That Matters” Assessed?

There are two general ways to assess the importance of each MTM: 

• Ask how important each MTM is (so-called “stated importance”), or 
• Mathematically derive importance from each MTM’s ratings and the overall experience with the company (“derived importance”). 

Derived importance has an advantage in that it does not require additional questions and simply uses respondents’ evaluation of each MTM they experienced. In general, the rating for each MTM is aligned with the overall experience rating, and the MTM that best follows the overall experience rating is therefore the most important. This type of analysis is called “driver analysis.” At Pearl-Plaza, we use a technique called True Driver Analysis, which surpasses other approaches in quality of results. 

Question #5: Why Does the Approach You Use to Understand These Moments Matter?

Different statistical approaches can be used to conduct a driver analysis and assess the importance of each MTM: correlation analysis, regression analysis, structural equation modeling, and partial least squares, to name a few. The results of these approaches, however, may be biased in the presence of a strong relationship among the MTMs themselves (called “multicollinearity”). 

For this reason, Pearl-Plaza uses True Driver Analysis, which is a technique designed specifically to avoid this type of bias and to assess the “true” relative impact of each MTM on an overall outcome metric. As an output of True Driver Analysis, organizations can identify the key Moments That Matter, focus their efforts, and be able to improve customer experience, loyalty, and ultimately, the bottom line.

With continuous experience improvement being a key enabler of happier customers and long-lasting customer relationships, it is most critical to identify and focus on the Moments That Matter in every experience delivered. 

To read more about a proven strategy for continuously improving experiences across your brand in five steps—as well as the brands who have found success with it—check out this article for free today!

Employees, regardless of the products or services they provide, are the ones setting the tone for their company and brand. They are the ones on the front lines interacting with customers each and every day. And when employees are fully engaged and satisfied with their job, it shows. They become passionate advocates who positively affect the customer experience. The reverse is also true: When employees are not satisfied, they become liabilities to your brand.

The question is, then, “What is the critical element to helping employees engage in their work?” It’s called motivation, and you can’t have engagement without it.

Areas of Staff Motivation to Keep in Mind

Staff motivation can be a huge challenge for even the best location managers. With so much to manage during every operating hour, a manager’s ability to inspire and motivate employees is limited—but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Managers can greatly improve staff motivation by keeping these three areas in mind:

1. Focus: Ensure that employees are focusing on the right things to drive a positive customer experience.
2. Communication: Make sure communication is grounded in the customer experience.
3. Visibility: Keep the customer experience front and center in employee’s minds.

4 Strategies to Drive Staff Motivation for Location Managers

Location managers can master these key areas by implementing some simple and effective strategies in order to drive staff motivation in order to deliver a continued exceptional customer experience:

Strategy #1: Be Generous With Praise

It’s one of the easiest things you can give, not to mention it has a phenomenal cost-to-impact ratio. Praise every improvement you see in your team members, both in one-on-one situations and in front of their peers.

Strategy #2: Make Your Ideas Theirs

Don’t tell your staff what to do. Instead, consult with them in a way that helps them arrive at correct conclusions on their own. For example, ask, “What do you think about trying this?”

Strategy #3: Don’t Criticize or Correct

No one enjoys hearing that they did something wrong. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “What will you do differently if that situation arises again? Why?”

Strategy #4: Recognize and Reward

Give a shout out to top performing employees. Run contests or internal games with a simple incentive and keep track of results in an area that everyone can see. You can also leverage Pearl-Plaza’s Moments, a motivational tool that helps everyone from frontline staff to executives to gain insight into real-time customer feedback, understand the role they play in the customer experience, and take action to improve experiences.

When you display Moment’s in the workplace, you can showcase location-specific feedback, allowing employees to see the state of the experience at their location. That means that when employees are called out by customers for the awesome work they do, they will see it, and so will their team members! This level of recognition gives staff members a direct view into their big-picture impact on the customers and the business, which creates additional motivation to perform in their role.

How Moments Helps Encourage Motivation from Frontline Staff to Executives

Moments empowers users to socialize and share customer and employee feedback, gain insights, and quickly take action to drive experience improvement while fostering a customer-first business approach. Here are just a few of the benefits:

Increased Visibility: Deliver high transparency to anyone from frontline staff to location managers, all the way up to executives on incoming customer and employee feedback through a curated data feed of comments published through filtered saved views tailored to users.

Instant Insights: Access experience feedback analytics that provide clarity into customer sentiment, themes and trends, NPS score, and more.

Organizational Engagement: Quickly distribute and socialize customer feedback and get the organization engaged with your customer experience program with an intuitive mobile application.

Improvement from Individual Verbatims: Armed with the right data, users can quickly share feedback with others, create a case for comments that need following up on, add a comment to a collection of similar feedback, and promote experience improvement by rewarding employees for positive feedback.

Case Management: Easily create a case for an experience(s) requiring followup through an integrated case platform. Users can track experiences and respond to feedback through the Moments mobile application and respond to feedback, and mark a case complete or invalid. Plus, users can view actions taken on any given experience for a historical record.

Digital Signage: Showcase filtered experience feedback views on a monitor or television to create a more customer-centric culture within an office environment (we even have Moment’s on display in every common space at Pearl-Plaza HQ!)

If you take care of your staff and implement the above strategies, you’ll be well on your way to providing a great work environment. In turn, your locations and overall brand will continue to deliver an exceptional customer experience and benefit from return visits, active brand advocacy and loyalty, and, ultimately, an increase in revenue. And isn’t that what every business is looking for?