The Language of your Brand

At 3rdView, we’re strong believers that engaged and passionate employees are an essential element of your customer-focused business.  They reflect and reinforce your brand, and can turn it into something truly special.  This really hit home last week during a visit to ‘Le Bon Choix’… Le Bon Choix ("The Best Choice") describes itself as a bakery.  Its branding reflects the French heritage of the owner, and his pursuit for excellence in the creation of exquisite French pastry, cake and bread.  They’re clearly focused on their art – quality product first and foremost. Walk in to Le Bon Choix, and you’ll [...]

The Language of your Brand2014-04-28T02:07:02+00:00

Compliance v Choice

When faced with a need to change, organisations and leaders often have an important decision to make – “is this system/ process/ activity going to be about compliance or choice”.  The answer to this question can have major cultural implications, so it’s worth taking a moment to stop and think. This morning, one of my clients sent me on the obligatory ‘Compliance Training’ modules.  The name says it all.  If you’ve worked in a large organisation you’ve probably been exposed to something similar… employees groan and roll their eyes, leaders chase for weeks to make sure everyone has completed the [...]

Compliance v Choice2013-12-02T11:34:53+00:00

‘Epic Fail’

‘No failures’ sounds like a pretty good mantra for business, but when you look deeper, it may just be a little shortsighted. As a parent it's always interesting to hear new terms that kids use. As mine are in primary school I hear things a bit later than some, but one term a teammate of my son used the other day was 'Fail' or 'Epic Fail'. When he struggled to complete a training drill at soccer, he instantly labeled himself a 'Fail'. This reaction really concerned me as training kids is all about building confidence. Having one of them label [...]

‘Epic Fail’2013-12-02T11:58:58+00:00

Opening Night

Employees play a critical role in building a great customer experience.  Often, as long as we have good processes and clear intent they’ll work it out - right?  Not always… sometimes having a little extra support on hand pays dividends. Cirque du Soleil has come to town with ‘Ovo’.  Of course, these guys are the masters of experience… the way you are welcomed into their world through sight, sound, touch and even smell is amazing.  As always, an absolutely magical production. We’ve been to every show in Brisbane, so are probably classed as ‘experienced users’.  This brings great benefits – [...]

Opening Night2013-12-02T11:34:53+00:00

It’s Your Call

You can’t move these days without coming into contact with an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system. Some bright spark a few years back thought they could save a few bucks on labour costs by automating the first part of the customer ‘call in’ experience. They’re become a running joke at BBQs where we swap stories about how they didn’t recognise the service we were after, or just how far from the right queue we were able to stray. So it’s nice to be able to give some kudos to a service provider who has got it right. With the government [...]

It’s Your Call2013-12-02T11:58:58+00:00

Fear of Feedback

“When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.” ― Randy Pausch Customer feedback is like little nuggets of gold for your business. Customers who take the time to give you feedback care. By telling you, they’re helping you to do more of the things they like, and how to improve the things they don’t like. They’re giving you tips on where to focus your effort. Sitting with a friend yesterday, we were discussing how tough their industry is at the moment, and their need to refocus their efforts. They mentioned they were [...]

Fear of Feedback2013-12-02T11:34:53+00:00

Customer focus beyond sales…

When you mention ‘Customer Focus’ a lot of people immediately think of their sales department. The reality is that good Customer Focus must be designed into every part of your business. A recent interaction with our Insurance Broker is testament to this… I’ve been with my Broker a couple of years. They’ve generally been happy, helpful and responsive and I have my insurance. Insurance is just one of the things my business needs. It’s a hygiene factor. I don’t get excited about it, but I’m satisfied. A couple of months ago we sought to increase our cover to comply with the purchasing policy of [...]

Customer focus beyond sales…2013-12-02T11:34:53+00:00

A tale of two coffee shops

People often think that becoming customer-focused will increase costs – they’re scared that it will mean more staff, better technology and more features. But sometimes, there are simple little things that can make a huge difference. Let me share the tale of two coffee shops… As a Consultant, I find myself in different parts of town every day. Coffee is part of my routine wherever I go, so I get to observe a whole range of rituals at different coffee shops. There are two that fascinate me from a customer experience perspective. Both coffee shops serve good coffee, make me feel welcome and [...]

A tale of two coffee shops2013-12-02T10:06:18+00:00

Welcome to 3rdView(s)

I’m told that one of the greatest skills I have is the ability to translate my day-to-day interactions into lessons on how to become a more customer-focused organisation. Useful? Absolutely! I founded 3rdView Consulting with a vision to make Brisbane the most customer-focused city in Australia. That doesn’t mean every interaction has to be an outstanding, over-the-top, Cirque du Soleil kind of experience, it just means that interactions are easy, smooth and without niggles or complaints. Hundreds of times each day I find myself observing ordinary interactions from the outside – seeing different perspectives on the situation. By doing this, [...]

Welcome to 3rdView(s)2013-12-02T10:06:18+00:00
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