It's pretty simple. You need to take care of your customers, especially your most valued ones. Long accumulated goodwill can be eroded quickly by mistreating them, and then failing to rectify the situation.

Here is a perfect example.

The incident

1. A few weeks ago I received a terse email from Progressive announcing that my home insurance policy had been suddenly terminated. No explanation, nor any prior warning or courtesy alert.

2. Incredulous and upset, I called their customer service center the next day for an explanation. The representative who answered could not have been less empathetic to my situation, as further worrying details emerged. Apparently, there was an internal miscalculation or miscommunication that resulted in a negative discrepancy between my payment amount vs. the policy premium for the grand sum of $1.50.

3. When I asked how it is possible that a discrepancy of just $1.50 can terminate the policy of a longstanding Progressive customer who pays thousands in combined annual premiums, moreover that I received no prior warning or opportunity to rectify, the only response was 'These things happen'.

4. The representative then proceeded to put me on hold, saying it was necessary for me to wait because once the issue is finally resolved internally, I will have to make the (ridiculous and demeaning) payment of $1.50 over the phone in order to reactivate my policy. After over an hour of waiting, I finally hung up in indignation without any seeming resolution.

5. After another 24 hours of anxiety, I called again and received news that my policy has in fact been reinstated and a letter was issued stating" "Please disregard any previous cancellation notices we've sent related to Underwriting reasons -- we'll continue providing you coverage without any interruption."

6. In light of my disturbing saga, I wrote an email to Lori Niederst, Customer Relationship President at Progressive. This set in motion of flurry of correspondence by numerous agents. However, these served only to magnify the lack of transparency in the company’s customer interface and negligence in providing a clear and consistent understanding of my account status.

7. And when I asked what they planned to do to make me feel better and to compensate me for all my wasted time and anxiety, a hollow apology was provided, along with the excuse that industry regulations don’t allow for any compensation. In essence, Progressive is acknowledging customer mistreatment, then hiding behind external factors to do nothing about it.

Of course, I understand that hiccups can happen in the treatment of customers. What really defines the fabric of a company is how it handles such situations, whether it makes the impacted customer feel cared for and treated right. If handled well, such incidents can actually strengthen customer attachment.

Regretfully, this was not the case here. Nowhere during the post-incident interaction was I made to feel better. And as a result, a valuable,

long-standing customer relationship is needlessly broken.

#progressive #customerexperience #leadership #businesslesson #customercare

It is not often that you associate a McDonald's restaurant with such architectural beauty and opulence that it becomes a top tourist attraction in its own right.

But this is exactly what the newly renovated McDonald's at the Western Train Station in Budapest has achieved. The NY Post hails it a '5-star hotel restaurant' and the most beautiful McDonald's in the world.

https://nypost.com/2024/09/03/lifestyle/worlds-most-beautiful-mcdonalds-reopens-inside-old-train-station/

The restaurant is situated within the grand structure designed in 1877 by The Eiffel Company (founded by Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower), and became a beacon of freedom when it first opened shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990.

The renovation placed special emphasis on incorporating natural materials, preserving the building's historic integrity, and creating a highly enjoyable customer environment.

Re-Imagining the customer experience by blending together seemingly incongruous components - in this case historic, elegant architecture with cutting-edge, tech-based order placement and comfortable, sustainability-driven eating space - is very smart application of the Innovation Shortcut.

In what way are you taking advantage of the shortcut to combine previously separate or seemingly incompatible components in order to unlock new customer value?

#innovation #smartstrategy #leadership #mcdonalds #transformation #customerexperience #architecture

There is no shortage of unnecessary inventions - things brought to life that offer solutions to a problem that doesn't exist or doesn't really solve. Most of the time these inventions are naturally weeded out by lack of market interest and soon disappear.

One, seemingly curious exception seems to be the mysterious shoe shining machine. These strange contraptions can be found in hotels and office buildings, offering a variety of automated brushing and polishing options to invigorate your footwear. Strangely, the use of these machines is free, and there seems to be hardly anyone using them or asking for them. Yet numerous facilities opted to invest in procuring and operating them and they are still abundant. What gives?

What unnecessary inventions have you noticed lately in your industry, and how does it help you to make sure yours don’t fall into that category?

By the way, there is a wonderful online resource called https://unnecessaryinventions.com/ - the brainchild of self-proclaimed 'evil genius' Matty Benedetto - bringing to life a continuous stream of inventions that purposely probe the absurd. Exploring them can help you plant the seed for not just viable but market-driving innovation.

#innovation #transformation #strategy #leadership #invention

With the Paris Olympics in full swing, it’s the perfect time to draw inspiration from sporting pioneers who re-imagined their sport. Daring to challenge conventional wisdom and set traditions, they redefined boundaries and blazed a trail of new heights.

My favorite Olympic example is Dick Fosbury. An American high jumper who passed away last year, Fosbury is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. He revolutionized the high jump event with a radical ‘back-first’ technique that became known as the ‘Fosbury flop’.

Fosbury introduced his new technique to widespread skepticism at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, but soon captivated the world by winning the gold medal and setting a new world record.  His innovative approach soon became universally adopted as the new standard for the sport.

With such inspiration, ponder this as you watch the Paris games:

What could be the next Fosbury Flop innovation in your industry? 

And how could you be the one to introduce it?

#Olympics #Parisgames #inspiration #sports #innovation 

Are you looking for a way to recalibrate and refresh your life?  To embrace a more simple, healthy, and meaningful approach that will invigorate you?  To reconnect with nature, slow down and enjoy the present through all your senses?