Susan and Bill have Relationship Problems! (Part III)

Posted on September 22, 2014 at 3:21 pm.

The last time we met Susan and Bill, they were discussing survival tactics. Thankfully, they have managed to get the company back on an even keel – excuse the boating pun – over the past few months and now have a new challenge to face: becoming a ‘Unique’ company.

At the last board meeting, the CEO (an avid sailing enthusiast) asked them to prepare a strategy that would transform the company from an ‘Even Keel’ company to becoming the best in the marketplace.

“I don’t want us to be competing on price. I want us to be seen by our clients as leading edge in the market, innovative, really easy to do business with. Now it’s up to you two to make that happen. Get back to me by 23 September with a strategy for making this company ‘Unique’. And it better be good.”

Unfortunately, Susan and Bill are at loggerheads trying to plot a course towards that ‘Unique’ organisation that their CEO so desperately wants them to become.

EPISODE III: Becoming a ‘Unique’ Company

Susan – Sales Director

“Uniqueness is a simple sales concept. Uniqueness = More Sales. It really is as simple as that. We can become Unique if Bill and the product development team provides me with market-beating products. That’s the thing they can’t seem to grasp.”

Bill – Marketing Director

“Becoming Unique is a complex brand concept. It’s how you are seen vis-à-vis the competition. We’re a services business and the differentiating factor is the quality of our service and account teams, not the products. That’s what Susan fails to grasp.”
Susan’s view is (as usual) very simple: “Give me decent products/services and I’ll sell them. If the products/services are unique, we’ll sell more of them. It’s not really my job to DESIGN them, so don’t go asking me about transforming this company into a unique organisation.”

Bill has a slightly more nuanced view. He accepts that it’s his job to translate customer needs into the sorts of products and services that the clients will love and buy, but he also makes the valid point that he and Susan are in a B2B services business. That means that Susan’s account teams (as well as the Service/Delivery teams) have a key role in crafting a Unique solution and experience for her clients.

Bridging the Gap

As usual, Bill is half-right. And so is Susan.

But let’s start by bringing a little clarity on the terms we are using. Let’s begin with a definition of what ‘Unique’ means in the B2B world.

In the B2B world, Uniqueness means that your clients have a fantastic Experience working with you, and that you provide a world-beating Solution for them.

Experience is a measure of how easy you are to do business with and if your clients see you as a true business partner that is critical to their success. You can have the best products or services in the world but if your clients can’t work with you, they won’t see you as a true business partner.

Solution is a combination of innovation, leading edge and value-for-money. These are three related but slightly different concepts. If you get good scores for all three, the chances are that you have an offering that can help your clients improve their standing in the marketplace in a way that none of your competitors can provide. When we talk about Solution we’re not just talking ‘product’. As Bill says, it’s as much about how the account managers, sales and delivery teams position your company’s product or service, as it is about the product/service itself.

Is your company ‘Unique’?

So when Bill and Susan’s CEO talks about wanting to be a Unique company, he’s really talking about building a B2B brand that excels at all the different elements that we group under the headings Solution and Experience. And that means the Bill and Susan need to work together to get all those elements right. But as the methodology above shows, you can’t build a unique B2B brand without having an excellent service to underpin it. So Bill and Susan and going to have to rope in the Operations Director as well. We wish them well on their journey.

Ultimately, the answer to the question about whether your company is Unique will be dictated by your customers. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask them.

Contact us if you want to find out.

Susan and Bill have Relationship Problems! (Part II)

Posted on September 12, 2014 at 3:17 pm.

Written by John O'Connor

Following on from last week’s post on Susan and Bill, we explore what happens next in their story. In particular, we’ll look at the risks of being in the “Danger Zone“.

EPISODE 2: “Performing Zone” or “Danger Zone”?

Susan, Sales Director: “Those Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) results were incredibly revealing and more than a little scary. Very few of our large accounts are Ambassadors and our biggest account is an Opponent. If we can’t find a way out of the ‘Danger Zone’ Bill and I won’t be working here in 12 months time.”

Bill, Marketing Director: “Deep-Insight have helped us figure out our Net Promoter Score (NPS®). It’s negative. Very negative. At least we know from our Deep-Insight assessment exactly WHAT the problems are, and HOW to tackle them. If we don’t, Susan will be out of a job in 12 months time.”

The last time we met Bill and Susan, they were having relationship problems. Today, they have patched up their differences but they now face a more serious problem. You see, Susan and Bill’s company is in the “Danger Zone” and they need to find a route into a safer, more comfortable place. And they need to find that route quickly.

Last month, Susan and Bill conducted a Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) assessment of their corporate customers. They invited 300 key contacts in their Top 50 accounts to tell them exactly what they thought of their relationship with the company.

The results were revealing and require immediate action. With a deeply negative Net Promoter Score and a Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) score that pinpoints a series of issues relating to poor service and low levels of Trust and Commitment, Susan and Bill are not in a good place.

But they know what to do.

The Three Zones

Susan and Bill are like mountaineers on Everest. At more than 8,000m above sea level, the air is thin and oxygen scarce. Mountaineers call this the “Death Zone”. Every mountaineer knows that it’s possible to get the top of Everest, but you can’t stay there for very long or, quite simply, you will die. In fact, anything above 6,000m is dangerous and performance is severely impaired. Mountaineers know that climbing at this level carries a severe risk of permanent damage and at some point – sooner rather than later – they need to descend to safer ground.

Businesses operate in a similar fashion. If your organisation has a positive Net Promoter Score or a CRQ score of 5 or above (CRQ is on a 1-7 scale), it is operating in its “Performing Zone”. Of course, the higher the NPS and CRQ scores, the better. If your NPS is above 30% or your CRQ is above 5.5, the chances are that your customers are extremely loyal and think you are truly unique. Finding new customers is also easy, as your existing customers are a steady source of word-of-mouth referrals.

The opposite is also true. Companies that operate well outside their “Performing Zone” find it difficult to attract new customers and it becomes a constant battle to replace those customers who decide to take their business elsewhere. This is the “Danger Zone”. When a company’s Net Promoter Score falls below -30% and its CRQ score drops below 4.5, it’s in the “Danger Zone” and time to take dramatic action.

Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ)

At least Susan and Bill know they are in trouble, because they have conducted a NPS assessment on their key customers, which has also pointed out exactly WHAT their customer issues are, and HOW they can fix those fractured relationships with their key clients.

Which Zone Are You In?

Of course, your company is unlikely to be in the “Danger Zone.” Our 15 years of working with large multinational B2B companies tells us that only 10% of companies fit into this category.

But we also know that a further 25% of companies are operating in the “Non-Performing Zone”.

Which zone are you in? Would you like to know? Contact us if you want to find out.

Tune in next week for the final episode in the Bill & Susan trilogy!

* Net Promoter® and NPS® are registered trademarks and Net Promoter System^SM and Net Promoter Score^SM are trademarks of Bain & Company, Satmetrix Systems and Fred Reichheld

The WHY Data

Posted on September 8, 2014 at 9:44 am.

Written by Fabienne Falvay

The WHY Data

Why verbatim customer feedback matters in B2B customer experience.

On International Literacy Day, we celebrate the ability to read, write, and understand information. In today’s business world, however, literacy means something more: the ability to interpret data, understand behaviour, and turn insight into action.

For customer experience (CX) professionals, this raises an important question: Are we truly listening to what our customers are telling us?

Organizations today have access to vast amounts of customer data. Metrics such as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and retention rates provide valuable indicators of performance. They tell us what is happening.

But they rarely tell us why.

That’s where verbatim feedback comes in.

What is verbatim feedback?

Verbatim feedback is the open-text feedback customers provide in surveys, interviews, and interactions. Unlike numerical scores, it allows customers to explain their experiences in their own words.

At Deep-Insight, we refer to this as the “WHY data” because it provides the context behind customer ratings and behaviours.

A customer giving a satisfaction score of 4 (out of 7) might be frustrated by a recent service issue, disappointed with communication, or questioning the overall value of the relationship. The score alone can’t tell you which. The customer’s comments can.

Why verbatim feedback matters

Quantitative data is essential. It helps organizations measure performance, track trends, and benchmark results. However, numbers don’t capture emotions, motivations, or expectations.

Verbatim feedback helps organizations:

Understand the drivers of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction
Identify root causes behind declining scores
Detect emerging issues before they become bigger problems
Prioritize improvements that matter most to customers
Uncover opportunities for innovation and growth

In short, it transforms data into understanding.

The importance of the “Why” in B2B relationships

For B2B organizations, understanding the “why” is especially important.

Customer relationships are often long-term, involve multiple stakeholders, and can have significant commercial value. A single comment can reveal service gaps, product concerns, relationship challenges, or competitive threats that may otherwise remain hidden within the data.

When relationships are measured in years rather than transactions, understanding customer sentiment is not enough. Organizations need to understand the reasons behind it.

Building Customer Literacy

At Deep-Insight, our Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) methodology combines quantitative measures with qualitative insights to create a more complete picture of the customer experience.

By analysing both customer scores and customer narratives, organizations can identify the factors driving loyalty, advocacy, retention, and growth.

This is customer literacy in practice: not simply collecting information, but understanding it deeply enough to make better decisions.

A final thought

As AI and analytics continue to evolve, businesses will have more data than ever before. The challenge will not be obtaining information—it will be understanding it.

On International Literacy Day, it’s worth remembering that the most valuable insights often come directly from the customer voice.

Because while metrics tell us what is happening, verbatim feedback tells us why.

And the organizations that understand the why will be best positioned to build stronger customer relationships, make smarter decisions, and create better experiences.

Want to learn more about the Deep-Insight CRQ methodology? Discover how combining customer metrics with verbatim feedback can help you uncover the WHY behind your data and speak with us today:

EPISODE III: Becoming a ‘Unique’ Company

Bridging the Gap

Is your company ‘Unique’?

EPISODE 2: “Performing Zone” or “Danger Zone”?

The Three Zones

Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ)

Which Zone Are You In?

The WHY Data

Why verbatim customer feedback matters in B2B customer experience.

On International Literacy Day, we celebrate the ability to read, write, and understand information. In today’s business world, however, literacy means something more: the ability to interpret data, understand behaviour, and turn insight into action.

For customer experience (CX) professionals, this raises an important question: Are we truly listening to what our customers are telling us?

Organizations today have access to vast amounts of customer data. Metrics such as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and retention rates provide valuable indicators of performance. They tell us what is happening.

But they rarely tell us why.

That’s where verbatim feedback comes in.

What is verbatim feedback?

Verbatim feedback is the open-text feedback customers provide in surveys, interviews, and interactions. Unlike numerical scores, it allows customers to explain their experiences in their own words.

At Deep-Insight, we refer to this as the “WHY data” because it provides the context behind customer ratings and behaviours.

A customer giving a satisfaction score of 4 (out of 7) might be frustrated by a recent service issue, disappointed with communication, or questioning the overall value of the relationship. The score alone can’t tell you which. The customer’s comments can.

Why verbatim feedback matters

Quantitative data is essential. It helps organizations measure performance, track trends, and benchmark results. However, numbers don’t capture emotions, motivations, or expectations.

Verbatim feedback helps organizations:

Understand the drivers of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction

Identify root causes behind declining scores

Detect emerging issues before they become bigger problems

Prioritize improvements that matter most to customers

Uncover opportunities for innovation and growth

In short, it transforms data into understanding.

The importance of the “Why” in B2B relationships

For B2B organizations, understanding the “why” is especially important.

Customer relationships are often long-term, involve multiple stakeholders, and can have significant commercial value. A single comment can reveal service gaps, product concerns, relationship challenges, or competitive threats that may otherwise remain hidden within the data.

When relationships are measured in years rather than transactions, understanding customer sentiment is not enough. Organizations need to understand the reasons behind it.

Building Customer Literacy

At Deep-Insight, our Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) methodology combines quantitative measures with qualitative insights to create a more complete picture of the customer experience.

By analysing both customer scores and customer narratives, organizations can identify the factors driving loyalty, advocacy, retention, and growth.

This is customer literacy in practice: not simply collecting information, but understanding it deeply enough to make better decisions.

A final thought

As AI and analytics continue to evolve, businesses will have more data than ever before. The challenge will not be obtaining information—it will be understanding it.

On International Literacy Day, it’s worth remembering that the most valuable insights often come directly from the customer voice.

Because while metrics tell us what is happening, verbatim feedback tells us why.

And the organizations that understand the why will be best positioned to build stronger customer relationships, make smarter decisions, and create better experiences.

Want to learn more about the Deep-Insight CRQ methodology? Discover how combining customer metrics with verbatim feedback can help you uncover the WHY behind your data and speak with us today: