The Cult of the Customer: Create an Amazing Customer Experience That Turns Satisfied Customers Into Customer Evangelists

259 Pages·2009·1.95 MB·English

by  Shep Hyken

$21.95 USA / $25.95 CAN
H
Y
What Is the Cult of the Customer?
K
It is a culture that focuses on creating an amazing E
N
N Cult o matter what you sell, who
experience for both employees and customers. The you sell it to, or how much (or
little) of it you sell, your business
T revolves around customers.
This book will take you through the fi ve cults, or phases, that all companies must go through to create Keeping customers happy, keeping them
an experience that turns your satisfi ed customers into customer evangelists. These customers aren’t just h coming back for more, and keeping them loyal
SHEP HYKEN is a speaker and
loyal . . . they’re your company advocates. They give unsolicited testimonials and referrals and become
to your brand are the most basic ingredients
e
author who helps companies extensions of your marketing and sales departments. Filled with dozens of case studies and lessons,
P of business success. The Cult of the Customer
ho build loyal relationships with this book will guide you through a process that develops an employee culture dedicated to creating an
to: D customers and employees. exceptional service experience, both inside and outside of your company. C shows you how to create the kind of customer
ov of the experience that leads to endless loyalty and
Frie He is the author of Moments “This book refl ects the core values of our approach at Morton’s The Steakhouse®. We not only serve u Customer constant referrals.
d of Magic and The Loyal
man Customer, as well as the The Best Steak Anywhere™, but we are truly focused on providing our guests with Morton’s Genuine l
n Hospitality, second to none in restaurant dining. This book is all about providing you with the necessary t In today’s competitive business climate, you
creator of The Customer Focus™ program, tools to create that amazing, top-of-the-line experience for every guest.” can’t just satisfy your customers. You have to
which helps clients develop a customer service o be better than that, giving them experiences
—Thomas J. Baldwin, Chairman, CEO, and President, Morton’s Restaurant Group
culture and loyalty mindset. His wide variety that they won’t forget. You must amaze them
f
of clients range from smaller companies to “At Zappos.com, we’ve always recognized that customers need to be more than satisfi ed—they need with “Moments of Magic” that transform
such corporate giants as American Airlines, to be WOWed! Shep recognizes this as well in his book, and gives plenty of examples of how different t Create an Amazing Customer Experience That Turns them into customer evangelists—customers
General Motors, IBM, Kraft, Marriott, Toyota, companies go about creating WOW experiences.” h who go out of their way to tell the world about
Verizon, and many more. Satisfi ed Customers into Customer Evangelists you and your business.
—Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
e
For more information, visit www.hyken.com
“At Verizon Wireless, we are passionate about creating a great customer experience in every customer Author Shep Hyken has spent twenty years
or www.cultofthecustomer.com. C
interaction. This book takes you through the necessary steps to create a world-class customer service studying great companies and the evangelists
organization.” they create. In The Cult of the Customer, Hyken
u
—Eileen Creeden, Vice President, Northeast Customer Service, Verizon Wireless shows you how to design a strategy that leads
s SHEP HYKEN both customers and employees through fi ve
“Ultimately, we want loyal customers—not just loyal to our brand, but also to our dealerships. The Cult t distinct cultural phases—from “uncertainty”
of the Customer teaches how to get customers, in virtually any business, to come back again and again. o to “amazement.” By presenting dozens of case
—Mike Rencis, Customer Service Operations Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, USA m studies that show how great companies made
this same journey, Hyken identifi es the critical
internal and external changes that allowed
e
Jacket Design: Michael J. Freeland them to build a Cult of the Customer—and
r
Jacket Image: © Jupiterimages shows you how to do it too.
Hyken’s message is both powerful and timely:
the happier your customers and employees are,
the more successful your company will be. The
Cult of the Customer is your guide to creating
a customer-focused culture that turns satisfi ed
customers into customer evangelists.
E1FTOC_1 01/27/2009 8
E1FFIRS_1 01/27/2009 1
Praise for The Cult of the Customer
‘‘ThisbookreflectsthecorevaluesofourapproachatMorton’sThe
Steakhouse.WenotonlyserveTheBestSteakAnywhere,butMorton’s
is truly focused on providing our guests with Morton’s Genuine
Hospitality, second to none in restaurant dining. This book is all
aboutprovidingyouwiththenecessarytoolstocreatethatamazing,
top-of-the-lineexperienceforeveryguest.’’
—Thomas J. Baldwin
Chairman, CEO and President,
Morton’s Restaurant Group
‘‘AtZappos.com,we’vealwaysrecognizedthatcustomersneedtobe
morethansatisfied—theyneedtobeWOWed!Sheprecognizesthisas
well in his book, and gives plenty of examples of how different
companiesgoaboutcreatingWOWexperiences.’’
—Tony Hsieh
CEO of Zappos.com
‘‘Brilliant!TheCultoftheCustomerisalightthatshowsusthewaythat
organizations can win and keep winning!’’
—Ralph Dandre
CEO of ITX Corporation
‘‘Once again Shep has used his ‘‘magic’’ to make customer service
easy—to understand and implement. I am definitely a member of
‘‘TheCultoftheCustomer,’’andonceyou’vereadthisbookyouwillbe,
too.’’
—Keith Rhodes
CFO and Senior VP of Alter Trading
‘‘Sellingmortgagesisacommoditybusiness,andthatpresentsareal
problem.Howdowecompetewhenourcompetitionsellsthesame
thingthatwedo—andatthesameprice?TheanswerisinTheCultof
theCustomer.DrinkShep’sKool-Aid.Studythisbook.Workthrough
the exercises. You will gain the competitive edge you need to
succeed.’’
—Doug Schukar
CEO, USA Mortgage
E1FFIRS_1 01/27/2009 2
‘‘Whatever happens on the inside of a company is also felt on the
outside. This book delivers a step-by-step approach on how your
company can create amazing internal experiences that directly
impacts the customer.’’
—Jon Williams
vice-president, Good Earth Tools
‘‘Years ago Shep Hyken defined a new standard for outstanding
customer service through showing us how to create Moments of
Magic.TheCultoftheCustomerexpandsonhispreviousworkinways
bothevolutionaryandrevolutionary,movingbeyond‘‘moments’’to
forming a culture of customer experience that creates not only
advocates but ‘‘Evangelist’’ for you, your business and your brand.
If this is your Vision then this is your book!’’
—Barry Knight
President of NEXT Financial Group
‘‘The Cult of the Customer is an inspiration; written in a way that all
companiesinallindustriescanrelateto,andthereforebenefitfrom,
by using the tools in the book to build customer loyalty and
employee evangelists, resulting in a journey toward amazement
that is guaranteed to separate you from your closest competitor.’’
—Ken Muskat, ACC
Vice President of Sales for
Royal Caribbean International
‘‘WesellmorethanTeddyBears.Whatwesellareexperiencesand
memoriesthatlastalifetime.GetintoTheCultoftheCustomerandyou
won’t just amaze your customers; they will amaze you—with their
love and passion for the experiences you create for them!’’
—Maxine Clark
Chief Executive Bear, Build-A-Bear Workshop
E1FFIRS_1 01/27/2009 3
THE CULT
OF THE
CUSTOMER
Create an Amazing Customer
fi
Experience That Turns Satis ed
Customers into Customer
Evangelists
Shep Hyken
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
E1FFIRS_1 01/27/2009 4
Copyright#2009byShepHyken.Allrightsreserved
MomentsofMagic1,MomentsofMiseryTMandMomentsofInnovationTMaretrademarksof
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Hyken,Shep.
Thecultofthecustomer:createanamazingcustomerexperiencethatturnssatisfied
customersintocustomerevangelists/byShepHyken.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN978-0-470-40482-9(cloth)
1.Customerservices. 2. Customerloyalty. 3. Customerrelations. I. Title.
HF5415.5.H9372009
658.8012—dc22
2008042913
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10987654321
E1FTOC_1 01/27/2009 5
Contents
Read This First ix
Part 1 The Purpose of Your Business
Chapter 1 The Genie and the Ice Cream Shop 3
Chapter 2 Do You Need This Book? 5
Chapter 3 The Three Forces 19
Part 2 The Five Cults
Chapter 4 Uncertainty 31
Chapter 5 Alignment 43
Chapter 6 Experience 53
Chapter 7 Ownership 63
Chapter 8 Amazement 73
v
E1FTOC_1 01/27/2009 6
vi
CONTENTS
Amazement
Part 3 The Journey to
Chapter 9 What the Journey Looks Like from
the Inside: The Internal March
to Amazement 89
Chapter 10 What the Journey Looks Like from
the Outside: The External March
to Amazement 105
Chapter 11 Launching the Amazement Revolution 123
Amazement
Part 4 in Action
Chapter 12 Little Things: Snapshots of
Organizations and People Who Get
the Little Things Right 143
Chapter 13 Problem Solving and Recovery:
Snapshots of Organizations and People
Who Solve Problems and Recover Well 153
Chapter 14 Opportunity Knocks: Organizations and
People Who Look for Opportunities to
Be Better Than Average 171
Chapter 15 Proactive Service and Follow-Through:
Snapshots of Proactive Organizations
and People in Action 179
Chapter 16 The Art of WOW: Snapshots of
Truly Amazing Organizations
and People 189
Part 5 Creating the Cult of the Customer
Chapter 17 Tools for Success 205
E1FTOC_1 01/27/2009 7
Contents vii
Epilogue 227
Notes 231
Acknowledgments 235
About the Author 237
Index 239
E1FTOC_1 01/27/2009 8