The Intuitive Customer - Helping You Improve Your Customer Experience To Gain Growth

Poor Irene Beard. She is in a pickle, and she needs our help. A strong believer in brand, Beard is starting a new company and asked us for help getting people to take away what she wants them to about her company's brand. Beard's question brings up some interesting concepts regarding brands, their origins, their evolution, and their existence for organizations today. Before we get into any of that, it is essential to remember that your brand is a tactic. It communicates the value you provide customers. Brand is a tool in your toolkit that can adjust your strategy and deliver the experience that wins over the hearts and minds of customers and keeps them coming back for more. Today, branding is all about the value you provide customers. What that value is varies by organization. Some brands offer value by doing one thing really well. Others deliver value in several areas. The success of your brand isn't whether it provides one value or many; success depends on understanding what your customers value and delivering that. In this episode, we explore the areas of value a brand usually provides and what an organization can do to ensure that their brand delivers the right ones to customers. Are you "in a pickle" at your company, too? Tells us about here and we might feature your pickle on an episode of the podcast. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 01:34 We discuss Beard's business pickle and why branding is an excellent focus for anyone in business today. 03:23 Ryan explains how he appreciates that Beard is already on the right path by concerning herself what customer think, because that is key for branding. 08:00 We believe in frameworks to organize thinking, and begin the discussion about ours, which has four parts. 15:42 Colin shares a story about spending way too much on athletic shoes given the level of play of his ten-year-old on the pitch, and how branding made it happen. 19:55 We explore brands that have done a good job with branding and why, as well as the differences one should expect in brand strategy depending upon the type of brand it is. 27:33 We get into the practical takeaways for Beard, and anyone else struggling in this area, to get the right branding for her new company. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Follow Colin on LinkedIn HERE.

So, you think the sale is in the bag. The customer signed the paperwork and everything. However, when you log in the next day to email, there is a cancellation. You think, what happened? People change their minds all the time for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes, it is about something they ordered or bought; sometimes, it is about paint color or springing for the upgrades. Why they change their mind has a lot of influences, and understanding how a customer's mind works can help you manage these situations to the best possible outcome. The customer's mind is a complicated thing. We think of ourselves as unitary, meaning the only version of ourselves. However, psychology shows we have multiple versions of ourselves that activate under different circumstances. These versions might not always agree on the decisions made, so once a new version gets control, it might reverse a previous version's decision. Plus, these versions of us also have two ways of thinking. There is the fast and automatic thinking provided by our Intuitive System and the slow and deliberate thinking employed by the Rational System. The outcome could be quite different depending on which system controls the decision. Moreover, sometimes the Rational System will come in and overrule the Intuitive System later, which can be the impetus behind that cancellation you just saw. In this episode, we explore why customers change their minds and how you can build into your experience ways to manage this. So, go ahead and listen; the future version of yourself will thank you for it. Here are some other critical moments in the discussion: 03:50 We introduce the concept that we have multiple versions of ourselves and multiple thinking systems that influence decision-making and mind-changing. 07:50 Ryan shares a story about research showing how one can reach different decisions and sometimes less-than-optimal results. 11:05 Colin explains how the two systems of thinking work off each other about decisions, and Ryan explains how wish lists on purchases rarely come to fruition. 16:55 We share a practical example of customers changing their minds in the real world on a buying decision and how the company responded to manage this change. 20:40 We talk about Cognitive Depletion and how it affects customer behavior. 26:35 We share practical tips and suggestions that can help you manage customers' changing minds in the future. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Follow Colin on LinkedIn HERE.

For many of us, planning can be an area of opportunity. We underestimate how much time something will take and how much time we will have available for something, particularly regarding project completion. However, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky explained why we do this, and we will tell you what we can do about it. Kahneman and Tversky call this phenomenon the Planning Fallacy. Our optimism about our future selves and the abilities and resources available causes it. For this reason, it rarely occurs on a tight timeline; we are far less optimistic about our right-now selves. We know we can't do it right now. There are a few reasons besides optimism that cause this problem, too. For example, we tend to focus on certain details and ignore others (Focalism). Or we might be wishful thinking. We want to finish the project by then, so why not pick that date? In this episode, we explore why so many of us are victims of the Planning Fallacy and what we can do about it in our own work and the work of our organizations. If you listen to this podcast, your future self will thank you. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 04:02 We introduce the idea of the Planning Fallacy and explain what it is and how it affects us. 08:15 We discuss why it's different when considering something with a short timeline, meaning an imminent due date. 11:10 Colin shares an example he frequently encounters on Emotional Signature projects, and why it isn't his fault they miss their optimistic deadlines. 19:36 Colin points out that different departments organizationally can contribute to the problem and that these departments should learn The Power of Saying NO. 21:29 Ryan shares more contributing factors to why we victimize our future selves with the Planning Fallacy. 29:42 We share practical advice about what you can do to ensure that your past self doesn't get your future self in a bind. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Follow Colin on LinkedIn HERE.

Sometimes it's a "processing" fee. Sometimes it's called an "admin" fee. We have even seen it labeled "convenience fee," a refreshingly candid explanation for it. However, they are always additional fees, and if you have them in your pricing, they might have terrible implications for your customer experience. However, they might not. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of scientific evidence that points to a definite negative effect on additional fees for a customer experience. For my part, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth when I get hit with one, so, my presumption is that I am not alone. However, our listener Brian Williams wrote into us with a pickle. His company is facing rising costs and are debating the merit of raising prices over additional fees and vice versa. Unable to decide—or just wanting an outside perspective—they wrote to us to find out what we think. It is a quite a pickle. Probably one that some of you are facing, too. There isn't a clear-cut answer either. However, there are some important considerations that can guide a decision to go one way or the other. In this episode, we explore these considerations, the possible fall out from them, and give our opinion on what Williams and his company should do. Are you "in a pickle" at your firm, too? Tells us about here and we might feature your pickle on an episode of the podcast. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 01:48 We present Williams' business pickle and why this is such an area of interest today, and for more than Ryan and his academic friends. 04:21 Colin shares a couple of instances where additional fees soured his experience. 07:57 Ryan gets into the theory behind what's going on with additional fees and why they are so common in an era of inflation. 17:32 We introduce the topic of tipping and how it is a form of Two-Part Pricing also, and becoming too steep and too ubiquitous to sustain itself in the U.S. 26:24 We explore whether additional fees are a form of transparency, and what the fall out can be from listing out fees as line items in pricing bids. 29:23 We share our advice for Williams, and anyone else facing this same problem. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Follow Colin on LinkedIn HERE.

We can be grumpy about the restaurant experience. This self-awareness is key, especially when we realize that our behavior closely resembles the behavior of two grouchy Muppets heckling Kermit and Fozzie from the balcony. However, it's easy to see that every business can learn from restaurants that bungle these moments of the experience. We are aware this episode is a grumpy rant. Moreover, not everyone will agree with the things that we think restaurants do wrong. What drives us mad could be the very thing you love most. However, the fact we differ on these points demonstrates a critical overarching theme of this podcast: segmentation matters, and accommodation is key to deliver an excellent experience. Restaurants that choose to ignore these criticisms have a right to do so. Moreover, if they prefer to cater to a specific segment of customer that prefers the way they do things, that is their prerogative. Some restaurants have been extremely successful by doing this and we do not fault them for it. We don't eat there either, but that's beside the point. In this episode, what we hope to achieve by airing our grievances is to point out how these moments in the restaurant experience demonstrate moments that every experience design could have. For your business vertical, whatever it may be, we hope that the common experiences of dining out—or ordering to go—help illustrate these concepts and help you improve your experience. Plus, it sometimes feels good to complain. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 03:41 Colin kicks off the complaints by pointing out that some restaurants do not understand the business they are in, and therefore, do not send the right signals with their experience. 06:39 Ryan describes a restaurant experience that could use a little spruce up in the post-pandemic takeout vs. dine in experience. 11:32 We discuss the importance of managing the key interactions in an experience by properly training the team to put customers first so people remember that experiences can be time well-spent. 16:29 We remind our listeners that the little things add up and can burn you in the customer's evaluation of how you did at the end of the experience. 19:17 Colin refers to an article out of Cornell that explains how what restaurants leave off the menu cause customers to spend more than they would have thought. 24:30 We summarize what we would change about these things that drive us mad at restaurants and that you can apply to your experience, too. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Follow Colin on LinkedIn HERE.

A podcast listener is in a pickle! Catherine wants to establish that her firm is known for low prices. However, she wants their reputation to avoid seeming cheap or low quality. Cheap and low quality is brand promise few firms want to make. However, many brands want to have a reputation for low prices and high quality. Unfortunately, this brand promise is challenging to get right. Most customers don't believe such a thing is possible. However, it is possible. Amazon got their start with a reputation for low costs for high quality books. Over time, they built a brand known for service, delivery speed, and continuous improvement, which customers view as hallmarks of high quality. These examples are non-price influences that affect the price image. For example, if you walk into a shop where they are serving complimentary espresso or champagne, you know that the prices are going to be high even before you see a price tag. By contrast, if you walk into a shop where everything is piled on a fold up table and supervised by a single, sullen employee scowling at their phone behind a makeshift counter, you know prices will be low. In this episode, we explore the ways Catherine can establish her firm's reputation for low prices without seeming cheap or low quality. We also give you practical advice that will help you make the case to your customers that you are the best deal in town. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 03:26 We talk about brands that have done an effective job of establishing themselves as affordable and high-quality. 05:49 Ryan starts off the discussion of how to achieve this tricky feat by explaining all the influences that affect a customers' perception of a company's price image. 17:19 We talk about reference points and how they affect price evaluations. 22:22 The discussion turns to how communication of how you are doing this amazing thing of providing high-quality items at low prices so customers can accept it. 27:48 Ryan summarizes his advice in practical ways that Catherine, and you, can apply these strategies to overcome this pricing challenge. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

Is your data ready? Is your team ready? Are you ready? Being ready is critical to the successful implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve your customer experience. The next competitive battleground for organizations will be predictive experiences, or experiences that anticipate customers' needs. The ability to make these predictions is AI-driven. However, to do so accurately requires data, lots of quality data. Herein lies the rub for many organizations. Their data house is full of siloed data and isn't ready for AI analysis. So, firms need to be sure that they address this challenge before devoting a ton of time and resources to the implementation. However, there is another challenge, too. Many organizations might think they want to implement AI, because it's so cool and people like to have the coolest, newest thing. But, in some cases, AI might not be the best fit. It isn't magic; it has some things it does well and some that it doesn't. Knowing what problems your organization has can help you decide whether AI can do the right things for you right now. There's a lot to consider before implementing AI in your customer experience. What ready means and how AI can improve customer experience are two areas that are not always well understood by organizations. Moreover, the size of the firm has little to do with the understanding; big companies are struggling the same way little ones are, albeit in different areas. In this episode, we host The Agile Brand podcast host Greg Kihlstrom, (www.gregkihlstrom.com) Principal Chief Strategies for GK5A, on this week's episode to explain how organizations can get ready and what AI is positioned to provide organizations. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 03:45 We ask Kihlstrom to explain some of the common issues he sees in the introduction of AI and technology. 09:25 Ryan lead Kihlstrom into talking about how organizations are faring with implementation, who is and isn't having a great go at it, and where it is going in the future. 20:19 Kihlstrom explains how the most innovative companies are using AI to the extent it can provide proactive experiences. 25:49 Colin shares his worries that too many organizations will not use a unified approach in implementation. 35:25 We all share our advice about implementation and what organizations should do to make this work for them. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

We are very judgmental, particularly when it comes to prices. We can always tell whether something is a good or bad deal. The fact that some of the ways we do this are not as accurate as others doesn't even occur to us. Knowing that customers have different ways they evaluate your pricing that are sometimes inaccurate shouldn't upset you, though. It's a bonus to realize it. Once you understand how people judge your pricing, you can use strategy to present it better and maximize your pricing to gain profit. There are three basic ways that customers evaluate your prices. These have varying levels of simplicity and accuracy. The most accurate way is not the easiest, naturally, and vice versa. However, these three ways come together to deliver the good-deal-bad-deal message to your customers' consciousness. Some retailers are wise to these judgmental ways. They use customers' natural propensity to compare pricing when communicating their offer, so it comes out on top against competitors. However, some choose a different tack, which doesn't always make it easy to compare. Still others spend their time building a reputation for low pricing while offering a few high-priced things alongside hoping that no one does the math. Since we don't always do the math, it works. In this episode, we explore the three ways that customers evaluate your pricing and why. We also talk about how you can present your prices in the best possible way to tip the scales away from bad deal to good. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 03:17 Ryan kicks off the discussion with a story about shopping for milk at Costco, and why he was wrong (and his wife was right) about the best deal for milk. 05:22 Colin shares one of his favorite YouTubers that covers things like pricing, and reveals some retailer tricks of which every consumer should be aware. 07:13 Ryan shares the three ways that people evaluate pricing, starting with internal reference pricing. 09:37 We discuss how external reference pricing also influences our pricing evaluations, and sometimes even across product categories. 11:53 Ryan explains the third category, which is price image, an evaluation we gravitate toward when we don't have as much information. 19:32 We share the two dimensions that organizations should consider when they anticipate how customers will evaluate pricing. 22:06 We explain how price images form and how they influence our decision making. 34:19 We wrap up with some practical ways you can leverage this understanding to present your pricing in the best possible way to customers. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

It stinks to wait around for something as a customer. Whether it's in a waiting room or a hot sweaty line at a theme park, none of us are usually very excited about waiting around for something. However, it's a fact of life that customers have accepted over time. It also stinks to know that your experience makes customers wait sometimes. You probably would rather that your customers didn't have to wait around and could get down to business spending money with your organization. However, despite your diligent efforts, you still have some time where customers are waiting around. Instead of throwing your hands up in the air and accepting defeat, we have a few strategies that can help manage this bump in your experience's road. Eight of them, in fact. Now, to be fair, our tips come from David Meister's article, "The Psychology of Waiting Lines." That said, this paper has excellent tips for you. In this episode, we talk about Meister's eight areas and how you can emulate other organizations that have made the waiting experience a little less painful for their customers. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 02:37 We explain that sometimes customers have to wait, but it doesn't have to be terrible while they do, thanks to the paper by Meister that defines what makes waiting so terrible. 03:31 Distraction is key and helps with the problem of making your customers feel like their time is occupied with more than just waiting around for you. 07:23 We use the examples of customer behavior on airplanes to explain the Meister's concept about how people want to get started waiting, even if it is only to wait in a new position afterward. 10:49 We explain how Uber manages the third area, uncertain waits are longer than certain waits, well by letting you know the car is coming and when. 15:17. We talk about a related area of communication about waits pertaining to Meister's area that unexplained waits feel longer than known waits and why kids don't get it. 19:18. Unfair plays a big role in how waits feel; just ask anyone in a Disney line watching the fast pass ticket holders blow past them. 27:17 We end on the 8th area, which is that solo waits feel longer than group waits, because misery loves company, doesn't it? _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

Waiting around for a customer experience is rarely a good thing. When customers are waiting for you, that's usually a sign that not waiting would have been difficult or inconvenient (read: expensive) for your company. However, not valuing customers' time is probably the most expensive mistake you can make. Then, of course, there are the times when the waiting is part of the experience. For example, the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland has several rooms you pass through before you get to the ride that set the mood and build anticipation of the adventure to come. When you skip it, you get to the ride faster, but you miss out on the building of the anticipation. Part of what makes the Peter Pan wait more beneficial than your average waiting around situation for an experience is that it make the waiting more enjoyable. Many would also argue that the ride—and the park itself—provide value to customers who are waiting. So, waiting isn't always bad; like many things we discuss on the podcast, it depends. However, it does always reveal how internally focused you are and whether you place importance on the value of customers' time. In this episode, we explore what it means about your focus when customers wait and how you can manage or enhance the waiting experience to engage and enhance customers' time spent with you. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 02:59 After sharing some stories about waiting that made him feel cross, Colin explains that you need to value customers' time in your experience. 10:33 We discuss how Disney manages wait time by offering Fast Track to reduce queue wait times, and signs in line that estimate how much longer you have to wait before the ride. 16:17 We talk about when waits are good for building anticipation; and how sometimes the wait is even better than the experience. 24:21 Ryan explains that his kids are excited about some changes to Minecraft that are coming that they had to wait for; and what they were waiting for might surprise you. 26:59 We suspend the conversation, and explain that listeners will have to wait to hear about the rest of the topic on next week's episode. (See what we did there?) _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.