Maritz & Disney to boost customer experiences

In the US, marketing firm Maritz has partnered with the Disney Institute to launch a new service called 'CustomerExperienceAdvantage Plus' to help Fortune 500 companies improve their overall customer service experience.

The new service aims to go beyond customer service best practices and has been structured to help its users adapt and implement best practices already used and proven by Disney.

Service defection issues
Highlighting the potential for a poor customer experience to detract from a brand, a recent Maritz study found that more than two out of three consumers (68%) had, during the past two years, defected or considered defecting from a company they had frequently used. Of those who actually defected, 43% cited the "service experience" as their main reason for doing so.

According to Brian Carlin, president for Maritz Learning, the study suggests that poor customer service is a common problem and that, by implementing the kind of customer service best practices used by popular firms such as Disney, companies will be able to more effectively form a strategy that consistently exceeds their customers' expectations.

Empowering employees
The CustomerExperienceAdvantage Plus programme draws from the combined experience of Maritz and the Disney Institute to identify and modify best practices that can be transferred to client companies, to help them connect with customers in more personal and meaningful ways by providing employees with the right tools, processes, support and examples of customer-centricity.

According to Maritz, the learning process for those organisations using the new service involves four main steps:

1. Understanding through consumer market research: Maritz identifies high-value customer experience opportunities by conducting and analysing the voice of the customer, as well as employee engagement research at the location level.
2. Innovation: In Disney theme parks and resorts, participants see how Disney delivers its legendary service at the front line, as well as behind the scenes. Maritz provides interactive education sessions throughout and helps to identify which Disney practices can be transferred, adapted, and refined.
3. Empowering employees: To make sure that best practices for improving the customer experience are relevant to each location, Maritz uses 'localised intervention', providing each business location with the necessary tools, training and support to address region-specific customer issues.
4. Motivating employees: To make sure that the improvements reach customers effectively, Maritz also helps to motivate employees through ongoing incentive rewards and communication programmes.