Ok, I know, I've been gone for far too long. You probably thought I had faded into the brand bone-yard, like memorable brands of the past - Circuit City, Pets.com, Napster, Enron, Bear Sterns... Well, don't count me out so fast. I am back and stronger than ever.

The last month has been an absolute whirlwind, with one of my biggest life changing events being emergency surgery on my neck as the result of an unfortunate encounter with a chiropractor. If the term "neck" is ever used as a key message or to represent the brand of a chiropractor, turn around and run out the door. As my doctor told me shortly after my unfortunate experience, "never let a chiropractor touch your neck." I can guarantee I will live the rest of my life with those words etched in my mind (and so should you)!

Thankfully, I am feeling 100% better after the surgery and am more excited and energized about helping our clients and leaders manage their brand/culture.

Regardless of how I have been feeling , I am a constant sponge for soaking up good and poor brand/culture experiences. In my pain medicine induced existence over the last few months, one amazingly poor customer experience comes to mind.
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Once upon a time in an airport far far away...

6:00 a.m. Arrive Rochester International Airport for flight to Boston to speak to a group of industry leaders

6:15 a.m. I complete the security procedures and learn my US Air flight has been delayed with no information about how long the delay might be

6:20 a.m. I approach the check-in counter

6:20:25 a.m. As I approach the counter, I see a man behind the counter. He's leaning on the counter and just has that look like I should be ready to apologize for being a customer. I courageously continue to approach

6:21 a.m. Desiring to understand how long the delay might be, I open up my mouth and begin speaking (actual transcript)

    Me: "Good Morning, Sir. Can you tell me how long the flight to Boston is delayed?"

    Angry US Airways Gate Attendant: "Two Hours."

    Me (curious why flight might be delayed): "Do you know why the flight is delayed?"

    Angry US Air Gate Attendant (raised voice, annoyed, leaning on counter): ""THERE ARE LOTS OF FLIGHTS DELAYED. THIS PLANE COULD NOT GET IN LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF WEATHER. ATLANTA IS DELAYED, WASHINGTON, BALTIMORE…(he continues listing off one after another, but meanwhile the departure monitor only shows two flights delayed).

    Me (calm, with a hint of sarcasm): "Thank you for yelling at me."

    Angry US Airways Gate Attendant: "YOU'RE WELCOME. I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS, DIDN’T I?"

6:23 a.m. I walk away from the ticket counter with continued understanding of why US Airways is flirting with bankruptcy on a regular basis.

Let me relay my recent experience and you can decide.

Every time I’ve flown Northwest, the crew has worked really hard to provide a good customer experience. I cannot say the same for Delta. Recently I’ve had a few trips where half of the journey is on Northwest and half is on Delta, which has amplified the differences. What I want to know is: Which airline’s employee performance expectations and systems are going to win out in the merger?

On a recent Sunday, I boarded a Northwest flight and was greeted by the pilot accompanied by smiling, attentive flight attendants. After we all boarded and got situated prior to take off, the pilot came over the intercom to welcome us and give updates about our destination and the weather. During the flight, he came on a few more times with quick, to-the-point announcements letting us know how the flight was going and what to expect. Upon landing, pilot and flight attendants thanked us for flying Northwest, saying they appreciate our business and hope we had a good experience. They even handed out customer comment cards for providing feedback. (Funny enough, the header on the comment card was for Delta!)

Within forty-eight hours I was on a Delta flight, which I can’t help but label Customer Service Stupidity. As we boarded the plane, maintenance workers were visibly working outside of the plane and a few were actually inside the cockpit. So boarding set an uneasy tone with passengers, but to top it off, we sat in our seats for over thirty minutes before one of the workers tapped the pilot on the shoulder and said, “Maybe you want to tell them what’s going on.”

Only then did we learn that a part needed to be changed and the workers were simply following SOP to make sure everything was in working order. We were delayed more than an hour overall, but those thirty minutes of silence fueled my anxiety and disappointment with the Delta experience. I know I wasn’t the only one wondering if there was something wrong with the plane or if the delay was going to make me miss my connecting flight. And the pilot did not think to give us an update until he was prompted to do so by someone else!

It only got worse from there.

After giving us the initial update on what the maintenance was about, the pilot only spoke five more words the entire flight: “Flight attendants prepare for takeoff.”

The weather was bad and the flight was turbulent. The flight attendants were grumpy and dour. As passengers, we want to have basic comfort knowing the pilot is thinking of us as more than cargo; yet this pilot did not utter another sound the whole time, neglecting to even notify the flight attendants of landing.

Delta apparently does not have nonnegotiable behaviors or protocol in place for pilots to follow, and if they do then shame on this flight crew for not following it. I used my “Northwest” comment card to express my incredible dissatisfaction with Delta’s customer experience and plan on sending additional correspondence expressing my distaste. I sincerely believe Delta hates customers and Northwest wants to love you. I hope Northwest’s processes and systems win out.

Recently, I was sitting on an airplane next to a woman from Bain Consulting. She told me about a study that revealed 81 percent of senior leaders believe their organization delivers superior customer service while only 8 percent of their customers agree. The study refers to the problem as a “Customer Service Gap.” I call this the “experience gap,” whose root cause is a lack of employee engagement.

The largest opportunity to improve sales and increase productivity (lower costs), which leads to better profits, is to engage the workforce in the delivery of WOW experiences. WOW experiences require employees to understand, commit, and take action to behave the branded experience. Ask yourself: Where does my workforce, team, or department fall on the Employee Engagement/ Customer Experience Continuum?

Level 1: “I‟m not engaged.” Level 1 employees typically have an “I don’t care” attitude, distrust management, provide inconsistent customer service (usually due to lack of process and training), and do not see how they make a difference every day at work. They are unhappy at work and regularly act out their unhappiness.

Customer Experience Result: Bad experience; low retention; no consistency = no loyalty

Level 2: “I‟m somewhat engaged.” These employees may have some understanding of your organization’s purpose, brand, and promise made to customers; however, a lack of appreciation and recognition for a job well done helps fuel uncertainty regarding whether or not the workforce as a whole is really committed to taking care of customers. These employees may not leave your organization voluntarily, and in fact, many of them “quit and stay” (ouch!).

Customer Experience Result: Unreliable experience; not satisfied or loyal; low retention

Level 3: “I‟m engaged.” Employees at this level begin to understand how their actions make a difference on the organization’s overall success. They understand performance expectations and have walked a mile in the customer’s shoes, yet they still distrust management somewhat and lack confidence in the organization’s ability to deliver a consistent customer experience.

Customer Experience Result: Inconsistent experience, which sometimes leads to frustration; somewhat satisfied, but still not loyal

Level 4: “I‟m very engaged. (I think, speak, and behave the brand.)” Employees here clearly understand the brand of the organization and the experience being promised. They are focused on what to do for customers and are becoming more committed to behaving the brand and delivering the desired experience. These employees feel empowered (properly trained) on how to do the right thing.

Customer Experience Result: Consistent, above average experience; sense of belonging that leads to loyalty

Level 5: “I‟m extremely engaged. (I am an experience stager.‟)” These are your star performers who are passionate advocates of your organization’s brand. They love working for your organization and tell people about their experience. They feel appreciated for their efforts and are confident in their ability to provide consistent, above average, and sometimes even WOW experiences to customers.

Customer Experience Result: Extreme brand loyalty, which leads to increased referrals; customers here feel as if they are “members” of your brand, i.e., a part of your cult following.

I was speaking to an audience of business leaders a few weeks back and one of the leaders asked me a great question, the gentleman asked:

"What is the greatest "branded" experience you've ever had?"

I thought for a second and then almost broke into tears of joy in describing the experience I had with the "man in the white jumpsuit"...

"You look like you might need some assistance. May I help you get to your next Disney adventure?" the man asked as he approached us. Naturally, my wife and I obliged." Your daughters would love the Beauty and the Beast Show that begins in 45 minutes. I would suggest one of you get in line for that now. Also, in about five minutes, Mickey Mouse will be coming out 30 feet behind me. Why don't one of you take the kids there and then meet up at the Beauty and the Beast Show line? That way, your kids won't need to wait very long for either attraction." He completed the experience by providing precise directions and a map on how to get to the Beauty and the Beast entrance.

What is truly amazing to me about this experience is that Disney recognizes that their maintenance workers are major frontline customer touchpoints. Therefore, they should be trained and equipped with the capabilities, skills, and knowledge to be social coordinators. They also realize that positive experiences will be communicated by happy customers to potential new customers. While this man was dressed and accessorized for cleaning the park, he was equipped with way more than a broom and dust pan. Not only was he friendly, professional, and knowledgeable of daily attractions, he knew quite a bit about avoiding long lines.

Don't think for one second this gentleman showed up for work his first day understanding how to deliver a flawless customer experience as a maintenance worker. He was enrolled in the Disney culture/brand and trained on behaviors that demonstrate everyone in the company, regardless of title, role, etc., is responsible for delivering a memorable customer experience.

Is your company a theme-park where you make "dreams come true"? Probably not... but, like Disney, you should be fanatic about designing and delivering memorable customer experiences no matter what industry you work in.

What does it look like in your business to orchestrate and deliver meaningful experiences that delight your customers? Give it more than lip-service and philosophical nods of importance, and get to work designing your customer experience.

Recently I was checking in to a hotel and was greeted by the front desk receptionist. She was wearing a button with bright red letters that read, “Service 10.” This caught my attention and I immediately asked her what “Service 10” was all about.
Unfortunately, for the receptionist, here’s how our conversation went:

Me: What is “Service 10”?
Receptionist: (Blank stare)
Me: Certainly it must mean something?
Receptionist: (Looks over to manager at next terminal and asks, “What is 10 Service?
Can you help me explain it?”)
Me: Never mind.

Now, this was not a random motel on the interstate. It was a high-end hotel chain that any leader in corporate America would know about—a chain selling rooms for more than $150 per night. Later that day, I found a sign in the lobby telling customers that “Service 10” was the company’s goal to provide great customer service. Considering that the main point of contact for checking in a guest didn’t even know the definition of great service, I knew that my stay probably wouldn’t deliver an experience worthy of rave reviews.

This is a great example of why some companies have employees who are consistently poor at delivering customer service, while others seem to be able to “outbehave” the competition, leading to stronger business results. Winning organizations understand that employees are constantly onstage, exhibiting behaviors as part of their performance and orchestrating the memorable experiences that help attract and retain business.

Companies that build trust with their customer base and within the work culture do so by focusing on branding from the inside out. You can have the best marketing message and flashiest Web site in the world, but if you can't back it up with employees who deliver consistently good customer experiences you're only "Branding for the Neighborhood."

An approach of branding for the neighborhood may feel good as you develop new logos and taglines, create a new brochure, update your Web site, and launch an ad campaign. But it's superficial. You paint the house, plant flowers, and look great from a distance. But this only works if you don't want anyone to come inside. The good feeling won't last when the financials are due, stress is high, and your top employees decide to leave. A profitable and sustainable brand must be built from the inside out through the right people, operational processes, and programs that are in alignment with organizational goals and objectives.

Don't let your company's branding efforts be focused solely in the marketing department. Rather, focus on the operational processes and people systems necessary to deliver on the promises you want to make. Then make the promises your employees can and will deliver to drive customer loyalty and sales.

Top five things I hate about doing business with companies that don't focus on behavior-based branding:

1. Encountering a robot: the employee with a blank face, no emotion. I want to say, "I'm human, I think you are. Let's act like it... smile and say hello!"

2. Suffering from "invisible customer" syndrome. While I'm sure that whomever you're talking to on the phone is important, I just walked into the store and I'm the only customer around so please acknowledge my existence and validate that I'm just dreaming your service couldn't be this bad.

3. Getting the "I could help you, but what's in it for me?" reaction. Which employee do you think is more likely to go above and beyond to help out a customer... the employee who receives instruction on best practices and behaviors for interacting with customers and when his actions are noticed by a manager, receives a pat on the back or some other form of recognition (whether incentive-based or not) or the employee who is left on his own to decide how to respond to customers and only hears from his manager when he screws up? Employees who do not feel the benefit of good customer service are less likely to make an effort when a situation arises. Employees who understand and feel the benefit (through positive reinforcement, rewards systems, etc.) are more likely to go out of their way to help customers, which ultimately leads to a better experience and greater customer loyalty.

4. The millions of missed opportunities. This one ties into number three above. I cannot tell you how many times a frontline worker or even a manager misses an opportunity to earn a customer for life. Every time a manager says, "there's nothing I can do for you," it lessens the chance that the customer will come back again. Rather than conceding to negativity, frontline workers and managers should be equipped with positive responses, such as "I hope there is some way we can help you out today, Ms. Smith. If we don't have product A, perhaps you would like product B?" Anything is better than a "no" or a negative reaction.

5. The "Jekyll and Hyde" Experience. Or the "never know what you're going to get" store. One day employees are helpful, eager to assist and drive a pleasant experience. The next they are distant, sometimes impossible to find, or even outright rude. The inconsistency in experience is aggravating and unsettling. Especially in times like these, the experience makes all the difference when customers decide if they want to shop at your store or the megamart down the street. Most people would rather shop somewhere where they know what to expect (whether it's a positive or negative experience) over an ever-changing experience. Consistency is king!

Companies that set expectations for basic frontline customer service behaviors, communicate about them, and hold their employees accountable for living the desired behaviors every day and in every interaction will have a strong, more productive employee base as well as a more satisfied, loyal set of customers who keep coming back and are eager to refer the company to their friends and family.