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IntercomProblem & solution
Real customer delight isn't over the top - The Intercom Blog
Summary
Many businesses emulate Zappos’ over-the-top customer support, but research in The Effortless Experience shows that striving to delight customers by going far above and beyond typically harms more than helps. The study finds low effort is the true driver of customer loyalty, as customers simply want their issue fixed quickly so they can resume their job. Support teams lower perceived effort by anticipating needs rather than focusing on objective exertion, since subjective emotional factors make up 65.4 percent of how customers evaluate effort. A more effective metric than First Contact Resolution is Next Contact Avoidance (NCA), which addresses the customer’s entire job by proactively handling their next logical question, like suggesting export documentation. Finally, eliminating valueless ‘dumb contacts’ and closing the feedback loop by using customer insights to improve the product are essential for efficient, low-effort support.
Context
The post argues against the common focus on over-the-top customer delight (exemplified by Zappos) and advocates for a low-effort approach supported by research from the book The Effortless Experience. It states that most businesses cannot replicate Zappos’ culture-driven delight strategy and that focusing on reducing customer effort through anticipation, Next Contact Avoidance, and eliminating dumb contacts is more effective for building loyalty.
Approach / What changed
Focus on low-effort support: resolve issues quickly with minimal steps. Reduce perceived effort by anticipating customer needs and asking clarifying questions. Use Next Contact Avoidance (NCA) to address the customer’s entire job-to-be-done, not just the immediate question. Eliminate valueless ‘dumb contacts’ and feed customer feedback into product improvements to boost signal-to-noise ratio.
Takeaways
Low effort, not over-the-top delightful service, is the primary driver of customer loyalty. Customers want issues resolved quickly and with minimal hassle so they can return to their job.
Perceived effort is more impactful than objective effort: subjective emotional factors account for 65.4% of how customers evaluate effort. Anticipation and understanding reduce this subjective burden.
Next Contact Avoidance (NCA) is a superior metric to First Contact Resolution (FCR) because it proactively handles the customer’s next logical step, such as suggesting export documentation when answering a reporting question.
FAQ
Why is Zappos' delight strategy not suitable for most businesses?
Zappos has systematically built its entire culture around going above and beyond, requiring immense resources and stamina. Research shows that striving to delight customers typically does more harm than good unless customer delight is the core of the company's identity.
How can support teams reduce subjective effort?
Teams can reduce subjective effort by anticipating customer needs and asking the right questions to fully understand the issue. This helps customers feel understood, and since subjective interpretation accounts for 65.4% of effort evaluation, it significantly lowers perceived effort.
What is Next Contact Avoidance and how does it differ from FCR?
Next Contact Avoidance (NCA) goes beyond solving the immediate issue by understanding the customer's broader job and proactively addressing their next step. For example, when a user asks about reporting, an NCA approach also suggests documentation for exporting reports, preventing a future contact.
Source and freshness
- Source
- intercom.com
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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