Being a Customer Advocate Within Your Business

What We Discussed with Brian:

On this episode, host Eric Dickmann interviews Brian Kale about being a customer advocate within your business. Here are some highlights of our conversation:

• [00:07:43] The hassle of customer service - Dealing with customer services issues is a big expense for companies and often a huge hassle for customers. Brian points out that in the banking industry, there's no reason for customers to talk to a middle person to have full control of their bank account. They at Nova do their best to ensure that their clients have full access to their banking accounts. There is so much room for customer service to grow and innovate!
• [00:11:49] Service and access are the major differentiators- Organizations often believe that the features of their product are truly unique when in reality, they are usually not much different from their competition. What makes a brand stand out is the quality of service they deliver. Brian points out that that so many companies claim they offer a great customer experience and even have these made-up metrics to support their claims, but in reality, no one wants to call or talk to them. 
• [00:17:19] Entanglement-  When customers sign up for services like Bill Pay, or they've got a mortgage or a savings account, they are so entangled in that organization that no matter how bad the service is, it's going to be hard for people to break away from the institutions because it's such a hassle disconnecting all of those established relationships. Brian says that consumers should look for financial companies that connect to other tools and services while also allowing full access to the information needed to help them through their buyer's journey.
• [00:20:48] How do you pull together a seamless customer experience?-  Kale shares that what's exciting about customer success is it's a growing philosophy and business pillar. In most companies, there has been a delineation between sales and marketing. Customer success is the department responsible for the overall experience and linking marketing together with product development. The customer experience team should be their customer's voice and able to represent and understand their buyer's journey by recognizing the different needs at different buying stages, and leverage that knowledge through data to make better marketing and sales decisions. 
• [00:23:55] Delivering a better customer experience-  It is ironic that despite the digital transformation happening around us, there are still large institutions that mired in outdated systems for delivering customer service. According to Brian, customers have so much frustration and disappointment with their banking experience that they are shocked when Bank Novo is able to prioritize them and deal with their concerns promptly. 
• [00:30:36] The importance of serving your niche- Serving a specific niche allows businesses to be more empathetic with their customers. Clients, especially small businesses, experience many difficulties; they often need help to overcome hurdles. Companies need to develop ways to talk to their audience in the language that resonates with their business needs. Brian believes that more companies should think about whom they're serving and why, and not try to be a jack of all trades, master of none.