Recently I was called by a call center agent. I was surprised that companies still apply the same old marketing mistakes. Call center and customer service agents should be the heart of the company. They should be the core of what the brand stands for. Zappos is one of those companies which gets it right. It is no surprise that they understood the power of the customer satisfaction tool which took the business world by storm: the net promoter score (NPS).

2. A tale about how I started working in
Customer
Service

3. A tale about how I started working in
Customer
Service

4. I once was told as a student
You should totally work in
a call center Steven

5. There is no better place
to understand customers
I once was told as a student

6. So I went for a job interview

7. I’m sorry, a job interview

12. 3 Reasons
why getting into
Mordor is easier ...

13. 3 Reasons
why getting into
Mordor is easier ...
…than getting into a
Call center

14. Mordor Call Center
1. Do you know who you are dealing with?

15. Mordor Call Center
✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

16. If websites were honest …

17. If websites were honest …

18. Mordor Call Center
✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea
2. Which department is responsible?

19. Mordor Call Center
✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea
✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea

20. Ever felt like the
hot potato being
tossed around in the
company’s maze?
Or tried to find your way
through the countless
selection menus?

21. Mordor Call Center
✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea
✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea
3. What do you need for your quest?

22. Mordor Call Center
✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea
✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea
✓ The Ring ✗ Name, age, client ID,
birth date, product code,
purchase date, dog’s name,
favorite unicorn color ...

23. It’s clear we have a
problem

25. … or did it happen
already?

26. Meet Tony Hsieh,
CEO of online shoe
retailer Zappos

27. The business model
✓ Free shipping.
✓ Free returns.
✓ 365 days returns.
 75% sales from
repeat customers.

28. The customer
service is
located on the
highest floor of
the building.

29. ... and the CEO
sits right in the
middle of it.

30. Human resources
✓ Seeking cultural fit.
✓ 1 month training
focused on culture.
✓ $ 3000 as a bribe
to quit the job.

31. Employee motivation
✓ Assign responsibility.
✓Give them a budget.
✓ Give people a voice.
✓Allow people to be
as they are.

32. So why do we
care?

33. Loyalty Steven, satisfied
customers, that’s the thing
What they tell you it is all about ...

34. Money, money, money!
What it is really all about ...

35. Because an accountant
won’t make the difference.
Profits from a happy
customer looks just the
same as profits from an
unhappy customer.

36. Departments are still all
too often accountable
for their results.
Not how they achieve it.

37. And we suck
at measuring satisfaction.

38. Traditional surveys
are too long and
waste the time of
the customer.

39. They often get lost as
a report in an
archive, instead of
changing behavior.

40. Most surveys are
anonymous,
making it impossible to
close the loop.

41. In B2B the surveys are often completed by
administrative clerks who can’t give relevant
feedback instead of key decision makers.

42. The surveys are written
in the language of
the researcher and
confuse the customer.

43. The results are easily gamed and
manipulated to make the reality
look better than it actually is.

44. So is there a
solution?

45. Say hello to NPS
the new customer
satisfaction hero.

46. Net
Promoter
Score

47. On a zero-to-ten scale, how likely is it that you
would recommend us to a friend or colleague?
Just one question matters:

48. Which leads to 3 types of customers:

49. The promoters, who give a 9 or 10


50. Promoters
generate 80% of
the positive
word of mouth.

51. “Do what you do so well,
that people can’t resist
telling others about you.”
- Walt Disney

52. Promoters have a
higher annual spend
and are less
price sensitive.

53. The passives, who give a 7 or 8


54. An average score of 7 or 8?
That’s awesome Steven!
I once heard:

55. NOPE

56. Passives got what
they came for.
No more no less.
Once done with
you, they will find
another company.

57. The detractors, who give a 0 to 6


58. Detractors cause 80% of the bad mouthing to friends
family, colleagues or anyone who will listen.
(social) media anyone?

59. Increasing
service costs by
reporting problem
after problem.

60. Detractors consume
more customer-
service resources
and demotivate.

61. But it’s not all
BAD

62. “Your most unhappy
clients are your greatest
source of learning”
- Bill Gates

63. So let’s dream …

64. And remember a time
when companies knew
our grandparents’ names
and preferences.

65. Whether we like it or not:
employees and
customers need each
other to be happy.

66. It’s a love story.
One yet to be told
by many companies.
But not an impossible one.

67. Check out these amazing books
at www.amazon.com

68. Thanks to the contributors of amazing
(and free) stock photos at:
picjumbo.com
nos.twnsnd.co
pexels.com
pixabay.com
freeimages.com
gratisography.com
morguefile.com
Credits for non-stock photos to:
zappos.com
amazon.com
wikipedia.com
eon.it
Cartoons by
(and inspiration taken from):
theoatmeal.com