1. Improving Patron
Experience
E i
II. Designing
Philippe Ravanas
Professor
Columbia College Chicago
1

2. 2
Customer Service Management Cycle
Customer Service Customer Service
Where it is now Where you want it to be
Stage 1 Stage 5
Understand the service Provide proactive
p
seekers Problem solving
Stage 2
Design experience Stage 4
S
& Set Standards Check up regularly
Stage 3
Build & train a
winning team
Ultimate goal: Understand how to move patrons along the value
continuum, from single ticket buyers, to subscribers and to donors

3. 3
Metropolitan Opera
“Even when we mistreated our patrons, they were coming
back, because they loved the opera. But that was no reason
to do it.”
Joseph Volpe, Former General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera
“If we had been rude to a client, would he give us another
g
dime? He might still buy tickets from us, because he loves
opera, but he will certainly not contribute to our fundraising
campaigns. We had to delight our customer so that they
p g g y
would remember their great experience with us when we
would ask them for support. […] We had no mechanism to
capture the voice of customers and collect their
p
complaints” adds Sharon. “We had no idea how they felt
about us. If you don’t measure it, you don’t know it and you
can’t change it.”
g
Smeeta Sharon, Former Assistant General Manager, Metropolitan
Opera

4. 4
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
“By the 1950s, we intellectualized the whole thing and
turned our back to the public. Most orchestras across the
country, particularly the largest ones, focused inward and
became rather unwelcoming. Their message to the public
seemed to be: we do what we want and we will bless you
with the opportunity to buy a ticket to come to hear what
we like to play. It became a social thing to do for the elite.
That worked for a while because people were proud of
their orchestras and still really wanted to hear them. Not
any longer. We now have so many vehicles for music,
from TV to CDs. And customer service has improved in
almost every industry. We have to provide our customers
with an unparalleled experience. […] We have to stop
showing our back to the audience and turn to face it.”
Deborah Card, President, Chicago Symphony

5. 5
Steppenwolf
“We have to make our guests happy the moment they get
in. We have to make them think, ‘this is different, I walked
in here and somebody greeted me.’ We are constantly
yg y
telling our box office people, our front of house people –
even our parking people: ‘you are the first impression.
Whatever you do, however you look, however you treat
y , y , y
that person… you have more power to create a feeling for
that evening than the actors on stage do. And if you screw
it up on the phone or at that window, if you don’t have the
don t
right information and create the wrong impression, then
you screw it up for the actors on stage. They don’t have a
chance if you didn t do your job well.
didn’t well.’”
David Hawkanson, Executive Director, Steppenwolf Theater

6. 6
Service convergence / divergence

7. 7
The 5 elements of service design
Applying product design methods to service dev.
pp y g p g
1. Focus on the customer journey
Think full customer experience
Analyze every touch points
5 stages: Attraction, Entry, Immersion, Exit,
Extension stage ( (source: Doblin G )
bl Group)
Identify physical evidences at each stage - moment of
truth
2. Tell a story
Integrate every touch points & bring a story to life
(Chevignon, Governor’s table)
Rituals are key to communicate
stories
Denis Weil, VP, Innovation & Concept Development - McDonald’s

8. 8
The 5 elements of service design
3. Improve AND simplify process
Customers want Choice & Control (exchange policy
at CSO)
Smoothness of experience: no stress, no surprise
4.
4 Experiment
i
get it off the page to prototype - Make it real
Build
B ild scenarios
i
Think in terms of extreme users
How to provide the right queues

9. 9
The 5 elements of service design
5. Think big, star small
Imagine far, plan near
Develop a line of sight: what would be the ideal
customer experience, if money was not the issue
- what if we had no constraints?
h t h d t i t?
Disney’s imagineers/Blue Sky
C q e d So e
Cirque du Soleil / Blue Ocean : don’t compete on
e cea do t co pete o
ticket price: Create an exceptional experience
Test & ask

10. Measuring progress
Online
Annual Questionnaires Feedback
Customer Forms
Satisfaction
Surveys
Online
Polls
Customer
Service
CRM Other Feedback
Software Surveys
(Benchmarking,
Employee…)
Focus Groups
Phone (Formal/
Surveys informal)

11. 11
Layers of design
Service
S i operations process d i
i design:
activities needed to deliver or maintain a
service. Ex- steps needed to rent a car- collect
p
license, validate payment option, check availability,
obtain customer signature.
Service product d
S d design: d design of the
f h
physical attributes of the service. Ex- meals
served at the restaurant
Service facility design: design of the
physical layout of the facilities where the
service delivered. Ex- A restaurant interior
i d li d

12. 12
Service Blueprinting
A tool for simultaneously depicting the service
process, the points of customer contact, and the
evidence of the service from the customers point of
view. (Marie Jo Bittner – U. of Arizona)
Process
Service Points of contact
Blueprint
Evidence
Marie Jo Bittner , Professor – University of Arizona

13. 13
Building a Service Blueprint
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6
Identify
Id if Identify
Id tif Map th
M the Map
M Link
Li k Add
the the process contact contact evidence
process customer from the employee activities of service
to be or customer’s actions, to at each
blue-
bl customer
t point of
i t f onstage
t needed
d d customer
t
printed segment view and back- support action
stage, functions step
and/or
technology
t h l
actions

14. 14
Service blueprint : Key components
Physical evidence
Customer actions
Line of interaction
Onstage contact
Employee action
Line of visibility
Back stage contact
Internal interactions
Support processes

15. 15hysical
Ph
vidence
ev
Blueprint for overnight hotel stay service
Bill desk/
Desk
Hotel Room Delivery lobby hotel/
Carts for registration Elevators
exterior
i amenities / menu tray/ food
ii /f d Food
F d exterior
t i
bags papers Stairs
parking bath room appearance parking
Customer
Lobby key
actions
Receive bags/ Call room Receive Check out/
Arrive Gives bags Eat
shower
at hotel To attendant Check in Go to room service food leave
C
/ sleep
(Onstage )
Greet & Process Deliver Process
take bag registration bags Deliver food
checkout
on
Contact perso
(Back stage)
C
Take bags Take
T k
to room food order
Registration Registration
Support
processes
Prepare food
system system
Fail points

16. 16
Classification of employees
1. Contactors
Directly involved - regular customer contacts
Well Trained/motivated to serve customers on day
to day basis - recruitment based on responsiveness
Ex: front d k pl
E f t desk employees
2. Modifiers
Not directly involved but frequent customer
contact
High levels of customer relationship skills
g p
Ex: Receptionists

17. 17
Classification of employees
3. Influencers
Sparse/No Customer contact
Implementation of organizational marketing strategy
Evaluated according to customer - oriented
performance standards
f d d
Ex: you!
4. Isolators
4 I l t
Performance of support functions
Critical for better performance
Understand Their contribution to better performance
Ex: support functions: IT HR accounting
IT, HR, accounting…

18. 18
Your turn!
You ill
Y will:
1. Describe customer journey
2. Write th t r
2 Writ the story
3. Use service blue print
4.
4 Think big
5. Measure progress

19. 19
1. Describe customer journey
List
Li every touch points of each stage: A
h i f h Attraction,
i
Entry, Immersion, Exit, Extension stage
Identify physical evidences at each stage - moment of
truth
Engagement Entry Exit Extension

20. 20
2. Write the story
Integrate every touch points & b i a story to lif
I h i bring life
What are the key rituals which communicate the story
If your organization was a super hero?
o r as s per
Name of hero
Special power(s)
Sidekick
Arch enemy or villain
Special mode of transportation
Secret base or headquarters
Transformative moment in his/her past
( p
(optional) A cliffhanger moment to end the first
) g
installment…

21. 21
3. Use service blue print
To improve AND simplify the process, and
smooth the experience
Physical id
Ph i l evidence
Customer actions
Line of interaction
Onstage contact
Employee action
Line of visibility
Back stage contact
Internal interactions
Support processes

22. 22
4. Think big
If you had no constraints, what would be the
ideal experience for your customers
(The ideal funeral by Bill Russo )
Let’s brainstorm!

23. 23
Brainstorming
Lateral thinking technique focused on a given
problem to:
open possibilities
break down wrong assumptions about limits of
problem
Generate many radical ideas / solutions to problem
Ideas should be:
as broad and odd as possible
from every possible angle
developed as fast as p
p possible
introduced and considered no matter how ridiculous
or ineffective they might appear on the surface

24. 24
Brainstorming Ground Rules
1. No Criticism: Repression & fear of criticism do not
encourage creativity. Record every idea. Save evaluation
for later
2. Quantity Over Quality: the best way to get a good idea
is to get many ideas
3. Free-Wheeling: present one idea at a time, but jot down
multiple thoughts or ideas for presentation in the next
round.
4. Hitch-Hiking: get ideas from other ideas. Unless
second idea is identical to first, record both.
first both
Let s
Let’s go: If you had no constraints, what would be the
constraints
ideal experience for your customers?

25. 25
Reversal
Ask the opposite of the question you want to ask,
and apply the results.
Example: you want to improve the response of a service
center. You would ask 'How would I reduce customer
satisfaction?
satisfaction?'. Answers:
Not answering / returning customers phone calls
Have people with no product knowledge answering
the phone
Use rude staff
Give the wrong advice, Etc…

26. 26
SCAMPER
A checklist of changes to make to an existing
p
product to create a new one.
S Substitute: components, materials, people
C Combine: mix / integrate with other services,
A Adapt - alter: change function, use part of another
element
M Modify: increase / reduce scale change shape,
scale, shape
attributes
P Put to another use
E Eliminate: remove elements, simplify, reduce to core
function
R Reverse: turn inside out upside down…
out, down
created by Michael Mikalko in his book ' Thinkertoys'

27. 27
Reframing matrix
Different people with different experience
approach problems in different ways
Put yourself in the mind of a (doctor, engineer…)
Look at problems with their perspective
imagine the solutions they would come up with
Draw up a reframing matrix by:
p g y
Writing a question in a box in middle of page
then drawing grid around it
Each cell contains one approach to problem

28. 28
5. Measuring progress
Let’s write a customer satisfaction survey
Write 5 specific q
p questions to ask in a satisfaction survey
Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
The ushers were courteous
To whom, when & with what frequency to ask these
questions
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t fix it!
If can t can t it!”
Smeeta Sharon – Metropolitan Opera

29. 29
5 Laws Of Customer Experience

30. 30
1. It’s personal
Experiences need to be designed for individuals:
While it may not be possible to individualize every interaction,
focus on narrow segments
Prioritize: Since you need to design for specific type of people,
experiences will be optimized for a set of customers. Have a clear
picture of your important customers.
Empower: Since every situation can be different, the needs of
customers can vary across i interactions. F
i Front-line employees need
li l d
to have the latitude to accommodate the needs of key customers.
You need to understand your customers, personally
y ,p y

31. 31
2. You are self centered – get over it
Don’t let company organization drive experiences:
Customers shouldn't have to know (or care) how you are
organized. Don’t make them jump through hoops. Front-line
g j p g p
employees shouldn’t need to explain your structure to customer.
You know more than customers - deal with it: there's
a natural bias for making experiences too complicated for
customers. Recognize that they don’t understand your lingo or
processes. Make it simple for them.
Don’t ll hi
D ’ sell things, h l customers b them: frame
help buy h
customer experience from the customers point of view. Look at
all interactions as an opportunity to help customers to do
something.
m thin
Make the shift from self-centeredness to customer-
centeredness

32. 3. Align employees on customers, not reverse
Many front-liners see themselves as
M f li h l
controllers, not service providers: can be abusive
to the audience.
Volunteers can be worse: ex: the saints – “The
best deal in town”).
Lack f
L k of cooperation or coordination across
i di i
people and organizations is often at fault.
Put customer needs ahead of personal or
organizational preferences.
An external focus is an antidote
to internal problems

33. 4.Your employees are your customers
Unengaged employees don’t create engaged
customers: If employees have low morale, then
getting them to “
i h “wow” customers will b nearly
” ill be l
impossible.
Show appreciation: give incentives, acknowledge
pp g , g
customer service achievements and find ways to
celebrate them
Maintain an healthy turnover and make sure the
job doesn’t get old and routine.
Customer experience
p
depends on employee
experience

34. 5. You Can’t Fake It
Good customer service is work: it requires
a commitment of the whole organization
There’s no silver bullet: You can fool some
people for some of the time, but most of the
time
people can eventually tell what’s not.
“The way to g a g reputation,
y gain good p
is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
Socrates

35. 35
Any questions?
Thanks!
Read for
R d f next week:
t k
Disney on customer service,
Mystery visitors,
M t i it
Watford Customer Care Policy