Category Archives: customer experience

Baby Set out of Hand Spun

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I spun up some lovely superwash yarn (originally a plying partner set from play at life fibers on etsy). I got 280 yards of a worsted two ply from about 7oz of fiber in lovely, bright colours.

My friend Miss Ellen (from my local stitch ‘n bitch) bought it off me. She had plans to make an adorable baby sweater from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts book, but we were worried that she wouldn’t have quite enough yardage as it was close. Well surprise, surprise when she was able to eke out the sweater and a hat and have a little leftover! I stole the photo from her Ravelry page & project.

baby set medium2 Baby Set out of Hand Spun

This is sweet little set is just adorable! I think that Ellen did a fantastic job knitting it.

Its really amazing to get to see things go from fiber to hand spun yarn to finished knitted item. I’m grateful that I get to be a part of the process!

What an Airport taught me about Forethought

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I was at the airport last night bouncing around between cargo and customs, battling rush hour traffic the entire time. We managed to get everything done, but not without minor freak outs on my part.

I could kvetch about how terrible airports are and about how by the book customs agents are, but that isn’t really the point.

At some point in my freak out, Jason looked at me and told me that I didn’t need to be so huffy with the employee. He was right. But in that moment, when I frustrated and annoyed at the airport layout and pissed off that the employee answered my question about where specifically we were on the map he had just handed me with a verbal “you’re here” (duh – but where is ‘here’ on the map?)… In that moment, I didn’t care.

As a customer, I bear some responsibility for how any particular interaction occurs. I get that things go smoother if I’m nice. If I’m always nice though, what incentive does the other party have to step up their game, to fix problems, or to make things better? Its a two way street and if you happen to work in a job where there is a mis-match in information then being nice/more upfront may just be something that you should just do if you want to minimize frustration.

Jason also reminded me that a lot of why I was frustrated wasn’t the individual employees fault. Again, he was totally right.

It made me think about companies and decision making. That customer experience and interactions with employees start well in advance of a particular occurrence. In that moment, it wasn’t just me or the employee that were responsible for the interaction. The corporation needs to take responsibility as well. If your goal as a company is to improve engagement or customer satisfaction or reduce employee turnover, then you need to think about the bigger architecture.

Have you built your systems and processes and environment so that customers are receptive? Have you labelled doors well? Does your IVR direct calls quickly and clearly? Did the “you’re here” and the “you need to go there” parts well on the map so that they’re clear even when photocopied?

So much more can be accomplished if we take the time to think ahead. Forethought is today’s word of the day. How could you make your next big work project easier if you focus more on forethought and less on just getting it done?

Other lesson learned? I get way more stressed out and prone to anxiety when I haven’t eaten in the last few hours. We should probably just keep a bag of trail mix in the car for just such emergencies.

Accidentally breaking into an airport building after hours while there were cop cars outside didn’t do much to calm me down. Yup.

The “Its Not My Job” Syndrome

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I’ve found myself saying “Its not my job” a lot lately. I hate it. I don’t want to be someone who says those words. I don’t want to be someone who believes those words.

I’ll go out of my way to help people who help themselves. Or when it really is a bind. But I resent getting squeezed because the system/culture/people don’t allow enough time or can’t make up their minds. Being the low man on the totem pole (from both a title and organization point of view), I’m the one who is supposed to drop everything to rush to get things done. There’s little consideration to prior plans or fluctuating stress levels or wasted time and effort.

“Its not my job” is another way of protecting myself – from deadlines that are unrealistic or bosses who ask you to do work that is demoralizing. Its a safe way to say ‘no’ and pushing back. The problem

Maybe its time to start having some courageous conversations instead. Its scary to take a stance and put yourself out there as the one who’s vocally not going along with the way things run. But I’d rather be the person who speaks out in an attempt to make things better than be the person who mutters and holds everything back.

Do you have a picture of who you are? What could you change today to help you be more like that picture?

Come on President’s Choice MasterCard, all I ask for is some intelligence & usability

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I’ve been a President’s Choice MasterCard customer for a long time. I’ve been an e-Statement customer from pretty much the day they offered the service.

At the beginning of the month they changed their website (and my guess is likely their provider). Here’s what they did wrong.

1 – They didn’t send out a specific “hey we’re changing our systems so here’s what you need to know” email. Instead they tagged it onto the end of a notification I used to receive which let me know that my statement is available to view. Problem? Those are a reminder email, which means that most customers don’t read them. I got my notification and assumed that everything was status quo. You need to understand how customers use your system and behave and build accordingly.

2 – They didn’t import notification/alert preferences into the new system, so I never received the alert that reminds me that my payment is due. Ergo, my payment was late. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know – as a customer I have a responsibility to check and stay on top of things. However, when you train your customers to look when they receive a notification email that their payment is due and then you stop those emails without warning, what did you expect was going to happen?

3 – You didn’t port my account information over. I had an account on the old system, so why did I need to create an account on the new system? If you wanted me to update my password to meet your new/stronger criteria, then you could have just had me do that. Really, I consider this a standard part of any upgrade – as a business, you need to make sure that people are moved over. Think “seamless” and then act on it.

4 – Make sure to label fields well & specifically. For example, I had an account on the old system so I assumed that I needed to fill out the section that said “re-register / already enrolled”. Not exactly. It turns out that I needed to create a new account, entirely from scratch. I needed the “need to enroll” option. Again, how would I have known that?

5 – Example two for labeling fields correctly. They asked for the name on my card. Normally when I see that field on the interwebs I type in “Jana LastName”. The actual name on my card is something more like “Ms Jana LastName”. Small difference, but different nonetheless. Not necessarily a big deal except for the fact that I’ve never once had a transaction declined because my name doesn’t match which has trained me to think that the first way is fine. Lesson? If you want things to match specifically, give detailed examples. If there is a reasonable expectation that something different will work (especially based on typical transactions) then either a) accept the common variants, or b) let me know exactly what to do. Don’t just block the transaction and make me call your call centre.

6 – Don’t ask stupid security questions. These need to be uber, uber specific. Remember that I likely won’t come across these until six months, a year, or more down the road. If there is any wiggle room about my answer then I will get it wrong. Which means that I’ll have to call you – costing you money and pissing me off. Here is an example of one of the really stupid questions: “What is your pet’s name?” Which one? I have multiple pets. What happens if my pet dies between now and when I have to use this question?

This is bad execution.

I wish that companies understood that bad execution slowly erodes our trust that they are looking out for us, that they can do their job well, that we should trust them. Usability matters. Your customers’ expectations matter. Doing your job well matters.

iPhones for non-tech Boomers?

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My mom has become a diehard Apple fanatic. As far as I can tell its because she finds the user interface more intuitive. She claims its because they can “copy and paste” [#facepalm] which makes me laugh because at she made this claim iPhones couldn’t. She often goes off on tirades about how terrible Microsoft is (and they can be, don’t get me wrong), but normally the root of the problem is something totally unrelated. As a kinda tech person I get this; as a non-tech person my mom doesn’t. I think that what it comes down to is personal preference and she falls on the Apple side of the fence. To add to this, Apple has started to build their brand based on service (and to advertise this). If you pay them, a nice little tech geek at the Genius Bar will fix your computer problems for you or teach you how to use your computer better.

To sum up why my mom (a very non-tech user) loves her Apple: design, simplicity, service that will hold her hand through the tough bits.

My mom would love to have an iPhone. In fact, she’s mentioned it more than once that she’d like to get one precisely because its an Apple product. Here’s the thing – my mom doesn’t really listen to music, she’s not going to stream content or data, she still maintains a written calendar, and she hates cell phone plans and contracts with a passion. She is in no way, shape, or form in the iPhone target market. She has no need for 99% of the features of the device and she is not going to sign a 3 year contract and pay $100 a month for voice and data when she’d normally only use $10-15 in prepaid service (if that).

It seems that Apple targets the design and device fans in our generation. But because of the simplicity and service they are starting to gain market share (my assumption based on my parents and some of their friends) in an older and decidedly non-tech market. These people have the disposable income to spend on Apple products and want the brand name, but they don’t need a lot of the functionality that they have.

Imagine a simple iPhone. It has the same form factor and design. But all it can do is make calls, send texts, and take pictures. Yup. Its a simple phone with a brand name price tag associate with it. What makes it even more attractive is that it wouldn’t need a super pricey telecom contract (no data, minimal voice usage). Make it a prepaid/simple postpaid option in the $20-30 range with the customer buying the phone upfront. Yeah, I wouldn’t buy one and you likely wouldn’t buy one. But my mom would in a heartbeat.