Jetstar’s recent one page apologetic newspaper advertisement to the public of New Zealand didn’t quite do it for me. I’m sure it was published at great cost with the best of intent but i think the money could have been better spent much more effectively elsewhere.  So let’s examine how Jetstar could have done better.

My major premise is based on basic human factors. Jetstar customers (past, present and future) will effectively have a personal relationship with Jetstar. They will expect to be treated humanely and receive great service. They expect to be respected by Jetstar as human beings at a personal level. And they in return will pay for this. Customers who have taken the time and effort to complain have started an even more personal relationship. They have given up their time and emotional energies and proactively communicated with Jetstar. Their feedback is invaluable to Jetstar improving its ongoing performance. A two-way channel of communication is open and working.

But then Jetstar chooses to use a one way channel to communicate the apology. There was no chance for the customers to give feedback, no mention of a website link that might enable the two way communication to start up again, no attempt to contact the database of email addresses it undoubtedly has, nothing. We are sorry, please don’t write us off in the future – end of discussion.

So here’s what i would have done:

• Created a specific apology webpage where customers could continue the conversation and help re-establish the relationship. Customers could simply post feedback, ask questions, maybe receive a small token of appreciation for making the effort to start up the relationship again – 20% off next trip – something.
• Accessed the email database and sent all customers a personal message of apology.
• Started a competition for all customers as a way of saying sorry. $X,000 worth of travel vouchers, hotel vouchers, petrol vouchers – whatever. 
• A special prize given to the top 10 customers who got affected the worst.
• Listed what was going to change going forward to give the customers confidence that lessons had been learnt and were not going to be replicated again.
• Adopted a proactive tone and manner rather than an apologetic one. “yep, we stuffed up and we are sorry but it is not going to happen again, no way. We will do everything we can to provide you with the customer experience you deserve and that we are known for in Australia.” 

Ultimately, actions speak louder than words. Customers will purchase more off you if they have a two-way relationship with you and you have a proactive manner when things go wrong.

In retail, selling to someone with an unusual product need can be a hassle. They want products that your ‘regular’ customers don’t, which is therefore a stock hassle and ties up your operating capital.

What about ‘regular’ customers, who occasionally  want you to give them a whole new level of service, say when they’re in crisis, or desperate? In these times they don’t have complex product needs they just need a level or style of service which isn’t normal for you. What do you do with them? Read the rest of this entry »

I was having a coffee this morning with a couple of clients about a potential project we could be involved in and during the conversation the importance of customer insight came up. We talked around how for a very large investment, like this project, you would want to base your thinking on some pretty sound customer insight (not to be confused with customer research!).

As we were talking, I raised the idea of longitudinal insight gathering. I define this as touching base with same person across the development part of a project in order to obtain insights that can optimise the development process.

Coincidentally, when I got back to my desk and and Google reader I came across a couple of blogs that caught my attention around the same area.

Read the rest of this entry »

Being a frequent flyer i’ve been following with interest the introduction of Jetstar to the New Zealand market. I don’t think i’m being libellous in saying it hasn’t got off to the best start. The most common complaints have been the strict adherence to the 30 minute pre-flight cut off time, bad customer service in handling the cut-off time, lost luggage, lateness, rescheduling and the inability to land in visually difficult conditions.

Is it fair enough for customers to criticise Jetstar? Are they right? Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the seven things I’ve heard over and over from shoppers when they talk about the retailers they tell other people about. They are literally walking out the door of their favourite stores looking for someone to tell about how good it is. They’re called “promoters” and there had been a lot of discussion suggesting this is one of the most important numbers you need to worry about in a business.

Most retail is unfortunately pretty average. I think this can be put down to one major fact: the barriers to entry are actually quite low. it’s easy for anybody to do it. Space, fixtures, finishes, products, store staff, even supply chain and IT – all pretty easy to buy off the shelf.

So good is easy, but how hard is great? Well, to be honest, great is not at all hard… it just takes a little focus, a little passion and a little inside knowledge – from shoppers.

How do you become extraordinary. How do you get people recommending you to family and friends? When you talk to people about stores they love this is what you hear:

“I know why they exist. I know what they do. Most importantly though I know what makes them special and different. Everything they do seems to reinforce this.”

“The things they do, the way the store looks, the little things are memorable and stick in my mind.”

“As a store they put substance over style.”

“There is always something happening that is new and different.”

“The staff are knowledgeable and passionate.”

“I end up spending a lot of time in the store, lingering, looking, reading.”

“There is a store and a website and the two work together seamlessly.”

There you have it.  The inside knowledge. The difference between good and great… between good and extraordinary. If you’re in retail, go for extraordinary. You’ll get more promoters and make more money.

Recently I have been becoming more curious about where the web is at for the mainstream population as opposed to the leading edge innovators and early adopters.

This is one of the best visual representations I’ve seen about people’s intent: www.ruderfinn.com/rfrelate/intent.

Not surprisingly as humans we are using the web to do what we have wanted to do for centuries – learn, play and socialise. This is probably not earth shattering in itself, but good a reminder for us involved in customers and the experiences they have with businesses, that we shouldn’t lose sight of the core human drivers.

Do you know the real intent of your customers and potential customers in this channel? If your answer  is “No” or “Not sure”, you need to spend time getting close(r) to your customers. Build your business through eyes not yours. The best way to bring the customer into the centre of your business is to develop personas for them. This brings them to life and they can then metaphorically ‘join’ your management team.