July 9, 2020 • 46 mins
Delivering Iconic Customer Experiences: It’s Now Back To Basics
Episode #4
COVID-19 has brought on many challenges for everyone across the globe. Customers’ wants and needs are changing constantly, and you have to change just as fast to keep up with them.
In this episode, Calvin and John discuss how delivering ICONIC customer experiences in this environment is all about focusing on the basics of customer service. Beyond adapting new measures to ensure safety, learn what you can do to set your business apart from the competition by focusing on 5 ICONIC strategies that will differentiate your brand when engaging with your customers and employees today and in the future.
- 0:01:12 - Intro: Delivering iconic customer experiences
- 0:09:34 - The Customer Service Game Changer
- 0:15:37 - Strategy #1: Retention is the new acquisition
- 0:19:58 - Strategy #2: Focus on delivering effortless customer experiences
- 0:25:24 - Strategy #3: Be Proactive
- 0:28:50 - Strategy #4: Don't forget about your employees
- 0:35:39 - Strategy #5 - Double down on digital
- 0:42:46 - ICONIC Points
To learn more about John Avola and Calvin Stovall, visit iconicpresentations.net. All The ICONIC Mindset episodes can be downloaded at theiconicmindset.com. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please subscribe to our show. Remember to select a star rating and/or write a review for The ICONIC Mindset podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Introduction (00:07):
Welcome to the ICONIC Mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business idea ormovement iconic.
Here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:36):
Calvin, how are you today?
Calvin Stovall (00:37):
Hey John, what's going on, man?
John Avola (00:39):
Calvin, I've been working on my posture a little
bit since our last podcast.
There's this brand calledUpright.
It's a little device that sticksin the center of your back.
I've been sore.
I realize how much I slouchduring the day.
(00:59):
I'm excited to be here today.
I know our listeners are excitedto hear from us.
In the last couple of episodeswe went through the four Ps and
kind of broke each P down andshared some examples.
Calvin Stovall (01:11):
Today we're going to be covering delivering
iconic customer experiences.
It's now back to basics.
John Avola (01:19):
Back to basics.
Calvin.
I couldn't agree more.
It is time to look back andreally uncover what the
fundamentals of basic businessrelationships, customer service,
and marketing are, especially atthe time that we're in.
Businesses are beginning torebuild and the basics is where
(01:40):
it begins.
Calvin Stovall (01:41):
Absolutely.
Losing precious customersusually means you probably
wronged or offended them ordidn't meet their needs and
expectations.
However, this time, John, weexperience the plot twist.
I love movies with a plot twist,like Usual Suspects, Se7en, and
the Sixth Sense.
But you know what?
The weird thing is the topreason for lost business right
(02:04):
now is that the customerlandscape changed in ways beyond
our human control, the so-calledblack swan event of COVID-19.
John Avola (02:13):
You're right.
The COVID-19 has brought on somany challenges.
And we've mentioned in previouspodcasts, it's brought up
challenges for everyone in theworld.
It's affected all businesses,entrepreneurs, sole proprietors,
even large corporations andiconic brands.
No company was spared and entireindustries have been shut down.
(02:33):
Companies of all sizes have beenforced to adapt and evolve and
everything has changed.
Today businesses across theworld are transforming the best
that they can.
There have even been studies outthere showing that people are
trusting businesses and brandsover governments due to some of
the inconsistent informationthat's been out there.
In fact, a recent study byEdelman Trust Barometer says
(02:56):
that 62% say the country willnot make it through the crisis
without brands playing acritical role in addressing
challenges.
So no pressure, right?
Calvin Stovall (03:06):
That's crazy.
Yes.
It's been a long three months,13 weeks and a gazillion hours
of Zoom calls, but who'scounting?
Like you said, people arewalking the streets again,
hopefully six feet apart andmasked.
Hopefully masked.
I always say your brand isdefined by the experience you
create for your customers.
(03:26):
And you can either stand out orstand by it.
I'm a believer that you're onlyas good as your customer's last
Amazon brand experience.
And today, you're being comparedto the best of the best in
customer experience regardlessof the industry you're competing
in today because the Amazons ofthe world shape the customer's
expectations.
John Avola (03:46):
Absolutely.
And you've seen it.
Brands are working around theclock to adapt to what I like to
call the next normal, hittingthose customer expectations,
making opportunities easier forcustomers, making their lives
better, and just simply bringingback that normalcy to their
lives in a more convenient andeasy way.
I think we'll be talking aboutsome of those examples today,
(04:07):
won't we Calvin?
Calvin Stovall (04:08):
Absolutely.
We're talking about having aniconic mindset and what we need
to do.
We have examples of peopleadapting to new measures to
ensure safety.
The obvious first step is toupdate and maintain stringent
health and safety standards.
Like CDC is saying, notifyingcustomers about your changes and
helping them interact as safelyas possible.
(04:30):
Brands like Disney, they'vetaken extra precautions as they
reopened the gates in phases.
And just take note, John, abouthow they present the
information.
They're complete and thoughtfulas possible without being
overbearing.
They're pretty simple anddirect, but it keeps their brand
in mind too.
And many businesses will need tomake some operational changes as
(04:52):
well, to encourage safeinteraction.
For example, restaurants.
John Avola (04:56):
Yeah.
It's a different way to dine outthere today.
It's true to what you said,brands are re-imagining those
customer experiences just tostay alive.
Calvin Stovall (05:07):
They're offering takeout services in lieu of
standard dining.
They're still seating tables,but they're far fewer and in
between, but they have plenty ofspace in between them.
Costco, their stores won't evenlet you in without a mask and
only one per card.
Some stores are even providingon-site mask and sanitizing
(05:28):
stations at the door.
John Avola (05:30):
I've got to stop you there.
I've got to tell you about thisCostco experience real quick.
I was in there the other day inthe return line.
And you know, sometimes peopledon't necessarily wear the masks
correctly.
You might see it just covertheir upper lip, completely
missing their nose.
So there's one lady that wasstanding behind me.
Her mask looked like shemight've worn it since the start
of COVID.
It was falling apart.
(05:53):
She might as well not have had amask.
Later on in the store, I'mwalking around and get my items.
I see the same lady.
Costco came out and gave her anew mask.
They replaced her mask.
Calvin Stovall (06:10):
I don't know how to feel about that.
Should I be mad?
Or should I be happy?
John Avola (06:20):
Customer experience, Calvin.
Customer experience.
Calvin Stovall (06:24):
So here's the deal.
Those are the basic things.
Making sure that your place isclean.
Making sure that you'refollowing safety measures and
things of that nature.
But our intent today is to movebeyond what I like to call
tickets to the ballgame.
The cleanliness and the socialdistance, the protocols, are all
basic customer expectations.
People are going to expect youto do those anyway.
(06:46):
These are things they're goingto have to do just to be in the
game, period.
But we're here.
You and I are here to helpbrands and businesses become
iconic.
Beyond those things, what elsecan you do to set yourself apart
from the competition during thisCOVID pandemic and beyond?
I believe you're going to need agame plan.
(07:09):
And again, a game plan beyondthese new measures to ensure
safety is imperative.
I believe that you keep aniconic mindset by staying in
tune with the changing needs,wants, and expectations of your
customers and acting on them.
John Avola (07:23):
That's the most important part there.
It's not just being in tune, butacting on those needs and wants
from your customers.
There was actually a study byMcKinsey and Company that came
out with three priorities thatwould define a memorable
customer experience.
The study went into theimportance of digital
excellence, which I know we'lltalk about today, that safe and
(07:46):
contactless engagement, whichcustomers and consumers around
the world are now expecting.
And then of course you have yourdynamic customer insights, which
is all about the data, thetechnology, being able to evolve
in the current marketplace andreally almost kind of predicting
what your customers need beforethey actually know they need it.
Calvin Stovall (08:05):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
And some companies do it a lotbetter than others and John, I
think you and I are very, verybright people.
John Avola (08:14):
I'll take a compliment, Calvin!
Calvin Stovall (08:18):
But I do know you and I can't predict the
future but we know what we cando.
We're going to focus on that.
We can make sense of what'sgoing on right now.
Customers' wants and needs arechanging constantly.
And again, you have to changejust as fast to keep up with
them and that's what we're goingto help our listeners with
(08:38):
today.
John Avola (08:39):
Awesome.
I think this content isabsolutely relevant.
I know we've heard a lot fromour listeners that they really
appreciate the tips and bestpractices that we're providing
them on how to not only rebuildand refocus their brand, but to
keep that iconic statusregardless of the size of the
business.
You could be a Costco or aDisney, or I've got to bring it
(08:59):
up, you can be that dumplingcompany.
It doesn't matter the size ofyour business Calvin.
Calvin Stovall (09:08):
The dumpling company is back! Here we go
again.
John Avola (09:10):
They are our most featured brand.
I think they've made it in allfour episodes.
The size of the company doesn'tmatter.
It's the experience that you'redelivering, that's what counts.
Calvin Stovall (09:21):
So what I want to do today, I'm going to throw
this out there.
Here's the premise of today'spodcast.
This is going to be pretty mucheverything we talk about today
because it's going to be ourmain focus.
Customer service is going to bethe game changer in this market.
I believe that customer serviceis going to be a really
(09:42):
important aspect of the customerexperience.
It's going to be a hugedifferentiator when dealing with
customers today and in thefuture.
I really believe that.
And we're going to use someresearch in here.
We're going to talk about thattoday and we're going to show
our listeners how to usecustomer service to take things
(10:02):
to the next level.
John Avola (10:04):
And now more importantly than ever before.
Customer service should havealways been that differentiator.
But now it's an obviousdifferentiator, right?
This is it.
Customer service is going tomake or break brands as we head
into the future.
Calvin Stovall (10:18):
So to do that today, John, I want to highlight
a survey that was done by anorganization called Kustomer.
That's Kustomer with a K.
And they surveyed over 150customer service professionals
across a variety of industries,to truly understand how their
businesses and teams areaffected by the global pandemic.
(10:41):
They asked the question, whatpercentage of companies say
customer service is moreimportant than ever?
90%! I believe a lot oforganizations are going to be
focusing on this.
And then a follow up, they askedwhat percentage of customer
service organizations are beingsignificantly impacted by
(11:02):
COVID-19.
Now here's the deal.
The response was 79%.
So you say, well, what about theother percent of people?
It was on a sliding scale.
From not affected at all toaffected a great deal, like a
massive difference in yourbusiness.
Basically that 79%, I guess, hada massive impact on their
(11:26):
business.
Only 1% had no change at all.
Here's my question, who is that1%?
Who wouldn't be affected?
Most highly valued serviceattributes in order of
importance.
Okay, you ready?
(11:46):
Empathetic service, personalizedservice, quick service, flexible
policies, proactive outreach.
And then omni-channel supportlike email, phone website, chat
t exts, and all social platforms.
John Avola (12:03):
So empathy was first.
Calvin Stovall (12:05):
Empathy was first.
Probably before COVID, empathymight've been on the list, but
probably down, maybe a few.
John Avola (12:17):
And I'm even thinking some of that, the
digital marketing channels youmentioned there toward the
bottom of the list, was probablymore mid-tier prior to COVID.
There was a ton of focus ondigital marketing and reaching
your customer almost as apriority over customer service.
And that may be a little segueinto our next episode there
(12:37):
Calvin.
Reputation.
Reputation matters.
Calvin Stovall (12:41):
Yes, it does.
And they talked a little bitabout what customers need, and
we will talk a little bit morein detail about that, but they
said people want to feel likethey're being treated like
humans, not tickets, numbers, oritems.
Of course that's a good thing,but team members now, when
(13:03):
dealing with customers have anopportunity to do more than just
answer a question or address acustomer's problem.
Now, with empathy being soimportant, they have an
opportunity to really connectwith the customer and represent
your brand values and be theface of your brand.
It could be an opportunity toreally get a customer to build a
(13:26):
stronger connection with yourcompany.
John Avola (13:28):
I think social media also played a big role in giving
employees that voice.
You see now any company has asocial media policy, not just
for the organization, but it'spart of the HR handbook, how you
handle yourself as arepresentative of the company
you're working for.
So that alone.
(13:48):
Plus giving the employees theopportunity to make a
difference.
They're the frontline.
Any employee is the front lineof the company and giving them
the opportunity to make changes,innovate, re-imagine, giving
them the voice.
I'm sure there's someinformation out there on how
(14:08):
those companies have succeededby listening to the employee
feedback.
Calvin Stovall (14:12):
Here's the challenge that I see looking at
all this data.
I've already said that customerservice is going to be critical.
A lot of companies aresignificantly impacted by COVID
in that study, but they also saythat 63% of companies report
(14:35):
they had a need to cut costs,which means they've had to cut
staff.
The study also talked about thefact that a lot of these
organizations are dealing with ahigher level of greater requests
with less people.
I think that's going to bechallenging.
(14:55):
And those people that work incustomer service, they're having
to learn the policies.
They're dealing with morecomplex issues, and some of them
don't even have the resources todo their jobs effectively.
They're seeing an increase inupset customers.
It's going to be verychallenging to build
(15:16):
efficiencies and things of thatnature, but we've got to do it.
We've got to do it.
And that's what I'm hoping wecan do today with some of these
strategies.
John Avola (15:23):
I'm excited.
I think these strategies aregoing to be excellent takeaways
for our listeners.
Calvin Stovall (15:28):
Here we go.
Five key strategies to help youhave an iconic mindset, to
become an iconic business.
First strategy (15:34):
retention is the new acquisition.
What am I saying here?
How do you keep the customersyou have in the boat?
Or as I like to say, because Ilove music on the dance floor,
how do you keep your customerson the dance floor?
John Avola (15:49):
You want a dance floor that's full, right?
Calvin Stovall (15:51):
You want a dance floor that's full and they're
not walking off of it.
It's going to be difficult toshore up new business.
It's going to be challenging inthis market.
It's going to be expensive.
Businesses are seeing a 30% to50% reduction in website
traffic, not having nearly asmany face to face meetings, and
so forth.
Now I don't want people tothink, oh, Calvin, you've got to
(16:12):
always sell.
Yes.
I do think you've got to alwayssell.
And I'm going to talk a littlebit about that later too.
I'm not saying acquiring newbusiness isn't important.
You still need to do that, butit's going to be even more
important to not let any more ofyour customers fall out of the
boat.
I love soul music, right.
I'm a soul music fanatic.
(16:33):
And one of my favorite soulartists, from back in the day,
was a guy named Johnny Taylor.
He had a song called It'sCheaper to Keep Her.
So here's the deal.
This is my COVID-19 anthem.
It's going to be less expensivefor you to keep the people that
you have, except you've got tokeep her and him in this case,
(16:54):
you've got to keep them in theboat.
The thing is in that one, focuson retaining your customers, and
my next thing I'm going to talkabout as a follow-up to that,
you don't want to let anybodyfall out of the funnel.
John Avola (17:09):
Keeping those customers that you already have
is extremely important becausethose are the customers that are
going to bring you that newbusiness, keeping those
customers happy.
A good example here is you lookat the hospitality industry,
right?
Hotels.
They've got regulars that maycome in or used to come in on a
(17:29):
business trip or maybe vacation.
Here we are in the summertime.
And so they've had to do a lotaround retaining their business,
whether it's opening up daysuites, or you've seen a lot of
price reductions as well, tryingto get their regulars back in.
We're in a differentenvironment.
You can't let the newenvironment take over.
(17:49):
You've got to continue toinnovate and be strong, but also
remember those customers thatyou have and focus on how
they're feeling.
Calvin Stovall (17:56):
Absolutely.
We talked about the iconicframework.
This is that people one, theconnection one.
Focusing on that and stayingconnected with them.
I really believe customers aregoing to remember the decisions
you make during this time.
I think we've talked about thisbefore, but you've got to find a
way to stick with yourcustomers.
(18:16):
They're going to remember whenyou got in the trenches with
them and fought with them versusagainst them.
John Avola (18:23):
A good point to that, Calvin, too, is that
retaining customers can alsomean a slight change in your
product as well.
A transition to what you'reoffering could also help that
retention.
I want to talk about Mattel, forexample.
They recently came out with anew new superhero and we're not
talking about a new Marvel orSuperman.
(18:44):
We're actually talking about thesuperhero that's in front of all
of us and that's our essentialworkers.
Mattel created a new line ofFisher Price action figures,
directed exactly at what we'retalking about, their current
customer base, allowing thosethat are avid Mattel consumers
to purchase figures or figurinesthat represent essential
(19:07):
workers, delivery, drivers,grocery store workers,
healthcare professionals.
This pivot shows that Mattelunderstands who people are and
how they're supporting them.
And they're honoring thesepeople in the time that we're
in.
Then I was reading a little bitmore and not only have they
remanufactured these new items,but they're also giving back on
(19:29):
a charitable note.
75% of the purchase price ofthis first responder initiative
is going back to healthcarefirst responders.
You can order online, shipmentsbegin early this fall, and you
can support your localhealthcare first responders
while also picking up some oneof a kind new essential worker
(19:50):
figurines.
Calvin Stovall (19:52):
I love that.
Alright.
First strategy is retention isthe new acquisition.
Second strategy (19:58):
you've got to focus on delivering effortless
customer experiences.
And what I mean by that is Ithink we're starting to see a
shift in brand advocacy a littlebit.
For example, pre-COVID, a brandcould kind of live on its brand
alone.
Nike, if you like Nike, you likeNike, even when they mess up.
I still like Nike.
(20:19):
But I think we're starting tosee a shift in the marketplace.
We're in what I'm hearing now iskind of a"frictionless economy."
People are going to go whereverthey get the least amount of
friction.
Whether that's ordering foodonline or whether they're
changing flights, customers arelooking for ease and simplicity
(20:41):
today.
And the brands that do thisexceptionally well will score
high.
If they do well on theeffortless scale, they will be
the ones that are going to winin this market because people
are stressed out.
They're stressed outfinancially, physically,
mentally.
They're just worn out, and Ibelieve the sentiment now is I
(21:02):
don't really care what yourbrand did in the past.
What are you doing?
What have you done for melately?
Remember that song?
What have you done for melately?
I'm in a song mode through this,but people want ease and
simplicity today.
The companies that do this aregoing to be well positioned to
take advantage of where thismarket is headed.
(21:23):
You've got to make it easy foryour customers to do business
with you.
It's back to basics.
That's iconic.
John Avola (21:30):
They want it quick and they want it easy and they
want it effortless.
You mentioned their orderingline or ordering food online.
You notice that many restaurantshave quickly adapted and are
(21:50):
selling fresh food items,whether it's online orders or
curbside pickup, offering easytakeout options and the ability
to quickly pull up and have yourfood brought out to you.
I've seen customers being ableto order vegetables, meats, even
those takeout adult beverages asopportunities there just to help
(22:11):
make it convenient for thecustomer.
I've seen many brands do thesame.
You have Panera, they'reoffering bread, milk, produce.
California Pizza Kitchen, theyintroduced a CPK market.
The market features lettuce wrapkits, build your own pizza kits
for kids.
And then they also sell thosebasic essential items, like
(22:32):
milk, rice flour, meats, pasta,bread, and they even have an
alcohol option as well, forthose that want to take a six
pack out to the car, along withtheir food.
It's an innovative way.
And I think the other brand thatwe have to mention here around
effortless and easycommunication, and that's one of
our favorites, Calvin, that'sSubway,
Calvin Stovall (22:55):
Subway, man.
We used to eat so much Subway.
John Avola (23:01):
For those of you who don't know, Calvin and I used to
work together and we ate Subwayprobably three out of the five
days a week.
This little gas station on thecorner, we'd head over there.
And they knew us by name.
It was a great experience.
What they're doing, which isreally interesting, is they've
(23:22):
offered a new line called SubwayGrocery.
They're marketing this as anopportunity to"skip the line and
get grocery essentialsdelivered." The idea behind this
strategy is to introduce freshfood, like baked rolls, sliced
meats, onions, and tomatoes,where customers can simply pull
(23:44):
up and get a few of thoseessential items and head out
without having to really dealwith a mass amount of people or
crowds.
I did a little more research onSubway.
They have nearly 50,000locations worldwide and they are
actually the restaurant with themost locations in the world.
(24:06):
Over Starbucks, over McDonald's,Subway has the most locations.
And so you put that inperspective and you look at
national grocery chains likehere in Memphis, we have Kroger,
in the Southeast, maybe Publix,in the Northeast is Stop and
Shop, but you look at Subway.
If they were to roll this out tomore of their stores, think of
(24:28):
the convenience for thecustomer.
There's a Subway almost on everycorner versus having to travel
miles to your nearest grocerystore.
So there could definitely be alot of opportunity there.
They've rolled out SubwayGrocery in about 250 locations.
And so far from everything I'veread, it seems to be going very
positive.
Calvin Stovall (24:46):
That's innovative.
And then customers don't have todeal with the big crowd.
Probably it's not a lot ofpeople in there too.
John Avola (24:54):
Less crowds, immediate service.
It's Subway.
You just walk through that line.
You don't even have to shop,Calvin.
It's just one counter.
Calvin Stovall (25:03):
Get your sandwich and the tomatoes!
John Avola (25:08):
Grab a meatball sub.
That Italian BMT.
Grab a little extra lunch meat,some cheese, and you've done
your shopping and you havelunch.
Calvin Stovall (25:17):
That's awesome.
Great way to offer an effortlesscustomer experience.
Good job, Subway.
All right, let's move on tonumber three.
You've got to get proactive.
This one here, John is going toseparate the Elton Johns from
the Milli Vanillis.
This is a biggie.
You just can't sit on yourassets and wait for your
(25:39):
customers to come to you.
Now is the time to go outboundwith your communications with
your customers.
This, again, is highlighting thepeople, the P in the framework.
You've got to reach out to them,but don't just reach out to them
with your typical COVID-19message.
You want to add value in yourcommunications.
(25:59):
Don't bombard them with thewhole COVID messaging.
I think people are getting wornout with it.
I know people are aware of itthat it's out there, but they
don't want to hear that all thetime.
But people love talking aboutthemselves and what they're
dealing with.
This is a time to offer value toyour customers.
I truly believe if you givevalue, you get value.
(26:21):
So just be a bit more human.
Be empathetic.
We talked about that customersare looking for empathy.
Just be a little more creativein your approach, and really
talk to them about how you cansupport them in their journey.
People are dealing with a lotout there.
You want to try to just becreative, be a little different,
and be real in yourcommunications.
(26:42):
But you've got to start.
Don't wait on them.
Get proactive.
John Avola (26:50):
I like what you said around to give value, to get
value.
We've seen a lot of opportunity,too, around partnerships in that
same regard.
Companies like Papa John's, forexample, they're expanded their
digital capabilities aroundinstant ordering, but they did
that through Facebook.
They looked at Facebook andthat's where their customers
(27:11):
are.
That's where their people arespending most of their time,
especially being indoors underquarantine.
They partnered with FacebookInstant Ordering.
They were one of the firstcompanies to take advantage of
that opportunity.
And Papa John's was beingproactive in that they were
going out to their customers andnot only being empathetic, but
delivering a service instantlyfor them in their natural
(27:32):
environment.
They didn't need to switch overto a different app or a
different website.
They're just natively lookingthrough Facebook and click on a
Papa John's ad, place theirorder, and continue scrolling
down their feed.
So it really opens up that easeand simplicity, but also being
proactive and trying somethingnew for your customers.
Calvin Stovall (27:52):
They're taking advantage of that Omni channel
thing that I talked aboutearlier.
John Avola (27:57):
Then you have companies like Walgreens, who
have partnered with Postmates,very similar to Shipt, a goods
and service delivery service.
And their whole idea to partnerwith Postmates is to deliver
those quick, convenienton-demand delivery items.
Look at Walgreens, morecosmetics, even over the counter
medicines.
With Postmates, they can havethat delivered instantly to
(28:21):
anyone who needs it.
Again, kind of being proactivein that if you can't leave your
house, or you're uneasy aboutleaving your house, but you need
to get to Walgreens for thosedaily personal items, you've got
an opportunity now where you canhave those delivered instantly
and brought to your home.
Calvin Stovall (28:38):
There it is.
Get proactive, get proactive.
So we've covered retention asthe new acquisition, delivering
an effortless customerexperience, getting proactive.
Number four is you can't forgetabout your employees.
Employee experience, employeeexperience, employee experience.
(28:59):
Now I know a lot oforganizations have had to have
their employees work remotely.
There's flexible workspace and Ibelieve some companies are doing
a great job with communicatingwith their employees.
I've seen things like dailyvirtual huddles, Zoom socials.
John Avola (29:17):
And those virtual happy hours, right?
Calvin Stovall (29:19):
Yes.
I like those.
I want to pose a question to theleadership out there.
How is the remote situationgoing?
Ask yourself that question,because you have some people on
your team that are living alone.
They may not have working Wi-Fiin some cases.
And some people are working fromhome and they're not in an ideal
(29:41):
situation in every case.
John Avola (29:44):
No, you're right.
It's the same storm, but we'reall in different boats.
Calvin Stovall (29:48):
There it is.
I love that.
Great analogy.
You have some people who areparents having to homeschool,
with two, three kids.
One spouse is furloughed.
All possible scenarios could begoing on.
And a lot of people are at homedealing with a lot of anxiety.
And I think as leaders, we haveto find ways to keep these
people engaged, keep theminvolved, and find ways to make
(30:11):
sure that they still feelconnected, cared for, loved.
You've got to show them love andempower them to make sure they
can continue to enthusiasticallydeliver those brand experiences
your customers come to expect.
It's a challenge, but you've gotto do it.
You've got to take the timeagain.
We're lifting up their people- Pagain.
It's about connection.
(30:32):
You've got to connect with them.
Can't forget about youremployees.
John Avola (30:36):
No, you can't.
It's a simple question.
How are you doing?
And it's one that I've asked myteam regularly.
It's a question that never getsold.
Just having that empathy, goingback to that first stat there by
Kustomer, it's showing empathy,not necessarily with the company
outward to your customers, butalso as the company to your
(30:57):
employees.
And you mentioned a reallyinteresting thing there, Calvin,
and you know I love my stories.
You mentioned having parentsworking from home, but also
managing school activities.
And then you mentioned the wordabout feeling connected and that
just kind of triggered anexample there that I was looking
at recently, which was Lego.
(31:19):
And Lego, as you know, they'rebuilding blocks.
Thinking about being connected,working from home, an
opportunity for education,they've put together an
initiative which is called#letsbuildtogether.
Love that hashtag.
I think it's perfectly brandrepresentative.
And the whole idea around#letsbuildtogether isn't
(31:40):
necessarily for the children.
It's for the parents to helpkeep their kids entertained and
educated with daily inspiration,content, different challenges.
So really trying to look at anopportunity to bring in what
they know as their own product,but use it in a way to help
their customers.
What I love about this idea andwhere I'm going with this is it
(32:02):
wasn't a customer requestedidea.
It was an employee who thoughtof the idea on let's build
together.
And they brought that to theleadership team.
The leadership team not onlyloved it, went forward with it,
but also added a charitablegiving component.
In addition to the initiativearound helping parents work with
(32:23):
their children, there are alsodedicated factories to help make
protective glasses and masks,and Legos donated 500,000 Lego
sets to children in need.
And t hey're just overall agreat example of how a company
is leveraging its skills, reallyfor the k now h ow a nd the
greater good of not only theiremployees, but their customers
(32:43):
as well.
Calvin Stovall (32:44):
That's awesome, John, and I think we talked
about that in the last podcast.
Listen to your employees.
You have to, because they havesome great ideas and then Lego
did a good job with that.
John Avola (32:57):
I agree.
And another one is Under Armour.
They've done a 30 day fitnesschallenge that also came from an
employee as a way to get peoplemotivated or to stay in shape or
to exercise during the pandemic.
And this 30 day fitnesschallenge, again, was brought to
leadership.
Not sure exactly theconversations that were had, but
(33:18):
the outcome was a$2 millionpledge,$1 million going to
Feeding America.
The second million is, I guess,a promotion around getting users
to sign up for the 30 daychallenge.
So depending on those that signup, I'm sure there's some dollar
equivalent for a number ofregistered users, but they're
(33:39):
benefiting Good Sports, whichensures youth leagues have the
necessary sports equipment andapparel.
Another great example oflistening to your employees.
Under Armour is a majorworldwide brand, and you have a
few that got together to say,let's start a fitness challenge.
And here we are.
Not only are they going to doit, but they added some donation
(33:59):
to the experience as well.
Calvin Stovall (34:01):
That's awesome.
And again, John, I think what'sreally great about some of the
things we're talking abouttoday.
I think you said this in theearlier part of the podcast,
being iconic and having aniconic mindset, it doesn't
matter what size your company isor where you're located.
All of that is irrelevant.
Some of these things that we'retalking about, really, they're
(34:23):
not expensive.
They don't cost you anything.
To retain new customers, what isthat?
Phone calls?
Customer experiences that mighttake some effort to erase some
pain points and looking at yourcustomer journeys a little bit
differently, really no money.
There's time to sit there and doit.
Getting proactive,communicating.
(34:45):
How do you do that?
Email, social phone calls,whatever, really no money.
And then the employeeexperience, that just takes
heart and caring and beingempathetic.
Again, no money.
Putting all these things inplace, you can do it.
It doesn't matter.
John Avola (35:00):
I think some of that's being shown.
I know we were talking a littlebit before the podcast around
channels that have seen thebiggest increase in usage.
And I think you mentioned phone.
We've talked a little bit priorto getting on here today.
But I think phone calls wereprobably one of the highest
increased usage channels.
That one-to-one relationship,actually picking up the phone
(35:22):
and talking to somebody.
Having been at home all day it'sgood to get on the phone.
You might have some other statsthere.
I think email was a close secondaround an increased channel, but
that's good information.
Calvin Stovall (35:35):
It was phone and then email and then social.
And that leads into my laststrategy.
It's all in digital, all indigital customer.
Your customer is going tocommunicate with you the way
they want to communicate withyou.
And you've got to double down onyour digital platform efforts.
You've got to start thinkingabout an Omni channel experience
(35:56):
that you deliver.
Now, I know most organizationsout there, we love our email.
We love our phone and you needto use those things, but you've
got to start thinking about theother ways customers want to
engage with brands.
I think you mentioned Papa Johnis doing that, with the social.
I'm sure there are other brandsthat are doing it.
A perfect example of this waswhen COVID hit.
I have two little boys and ofcourse they couldn't go back to
(36:19):
school and I have to tell you,John, I was super impressed with
how their education platformquickly shifted to digital.
It was absolutely a phenomenalthing to see.
Of course my boys were reallyexcited because they didn't have
to go to class, but I was reallyimpressed with how they just
(36:42):
pivoted.
Could you imagine if thishappened maybe five, six years
ago?
I don't think the educationalsystem would have been ready for
that.
John Avola (36:52):
How quickly your boys adapted, too.
Both sides, the teachers andyour kids.
Calvin Stovall (36:58):
Yeah.
I think it was the adults thathad the most problem with it.
It was no big deal.
I mean, they were up, they weredoing Zoom calls with their
teachers as a class, individualcoaching sessions with their
teachers, assignments wereuploaded.
It was just a phenomenalexperience to see.
And I felt good about it becausethey were still very active and
(37:22):
learning and things of thatnature.
So the only thing they missedwas the social interaction, but
they did the best they couldwith that, via the Zoom calls.
But I just couldn't imagine thishappening several years ago.
We just wouldn't have beenready.
John Avola (37:34):
I wanted to make a point too.
You mentioned all in digital,almost going back to the
McKinsey and Company studyaround digital excellence.
And I pulled out a quote fromtheir article that reads,
"companies that accelerate theirdigital offerings can see an
increased engagement now and beprepared for lower cost
operations years ahead.
(37:56):
They should focus on creating avirtual digital experience that
is on par with the in-personexperience." So education.
I couldn't think of a betterexample than what you just went
over, right?
Think about it, being in theclassroom or being at home, but
replicating that digitalexperience that's on par with
the in-person experience.
Calvin Stovall (38:16):
Sephora is a brand that has always been
focused on delivering digitalexperiences.
They actually closed all theirstores in mid-March to help
flatten the curve, and then theywaived all shipping fees for a
time, but they do a great job ondigital.
(38:38):
Another company that does agreat job at this and I didn't
even realize it until the otherday, right before we did the
podcast.
I'm a member of Planet Fitness.
I thought about this and Ihaven't seen any debits from
Planet Fitness.
They stopped charging in Marchwhen they closed down and I
(39:00):
didn't even realize it.
But the other thing, I went backand looked through my emails and
they have done a wonderful jobstaying connected and creating a
digital experience.
They've produced a series ofdaily workout videos.
They have included streaming onsocial media and video archives
(39:20):
or YouTube.
And they've been constantly andconsistently communicating via
email about the digitalresources and how they're
handling COVID.
And when I look back, theyhaven't even charged.
John Avola (39:36):
And you have access to all the content, live
streaming.
Wow.
Calvin Stovall (39:42):
It all caused me to become, I guess you would
say, a little more endeared tothe company.
I just was so impressed withtheir efforts to stay connected
with me as a member and offerresources until they reopened.
Here in North Carolina, theycan't open for another three
weeks here.
So I just think that was great.
And the experience has caused meto want to remain a member.
John Avola (40:03):
They're not charging you and they're offering you
content.
That's pretty cool.
I've seen a few other kinds offitness facilities that had to
get creative when their physicallocations closed.
I was at the Peloton app andthey were offering 90 days free
for anyone.
That worked for my wife becauseshe used it for all 90 days and
(40:26):
now she's a subscriber.
We have another company, OrangeTheory.
And so what they did for theircustomers is they not only made
home workouts, streaming online,but they used household items.
Instead of having to purchase aweight set in order to complete
the workout, they were lookingat items that were common around
the house that people could workout with, like maybe lifting the
(40:50):
chair.
It's just kind of neat to seehow they were incorporating
household items into theirworkouts as well.
So it's going back to that.
Re-imagining looking at new waysto really get the same product
across, but making it morecomfortable and convenient for
your customers.
Calvin Stovall (41:10):
Yes sir.
It's all in digital though.
For you listeners out theretoday, if you thought going
digital was a joke before, oryou were being a wallflower
because you didn't want to makethe investment, it's time.
It is time to start putting adigital strategy together, when
(41:33):
things are slow.
So when things turn around,you'll be ready.
John Avola (41:36):
It's time.
To back up that point, Calvin,we all know Target, right?
They average close to about25,000 downloads per day.
They decided to take their appand go completely digital during
COVID.
The app also started anintegration with Shipt, another
(42:00):
delivery service.
The prominence of going digitalplus the integration with Shipt
has doubled the number ofdownloads so now, they're
averaging 52,000 downloads aday.
Over doubled the app downloadsbased on integrating with Shipt
(42:25):
and making their app theirprimary focus among any other
marketing capability.
Calvin Stovall (42:32):
Wow.
That's incredible.
So that was our five, John.
And I think now we're coming tothe close on our podcast, but we
cannot leave without iconicpoints.
All right.
Number one is back to thebasics.
Ladies and gentlemen, back tothe basics.
(42:53):
Customer service is going to bea game changer for you.
Customer service is going to beking, and it's going to be a
really important aspect of thecustomer experience.
So focus on delivering aseamless frictionless customer
experience.
Focus on ease and simplicity.
Whatever you can do to erase thepain points for your customers,
do it.
(43:14):
That's going to help you standout, particularly in this
market.
Number two, be human, beauthentic, be personable, be
real, be iconic.
John Avola (43:30):
One more.
Be empathetic.
Calvin Stovall (43:32):
Yes, absolutely.
Gotta be.
Not only to your customers, butalso to your employees.
That leads to number three, stayconnected with your team.
Again, all work from homesituations are not optimal.
Make sure you're stayingconnected with them, make sure
you're showing them the love,make sure they're thriving and
doing well so they can continueto deliver those experiences
(43:55):
that your brand represents.
John Avola (43:58):
And teamwork, right?
That's what it all comes downto, teamwork.
Ask, how are you doing?
Calvin Stovall (44:04):
How are you doing?
Simple.
No cost there.
Alright.
Last but not least.
Get in the digital game now.
The time is now.
You have to make the investment.
You don't have to do a wholehuge overhaul.
But you've got to start thinkingabout, how can I make my
(44:25):
experience on a more digitalplatform and omni-channel.
You have to think about that aswell.
John Avola (44:32):
I couldn't agree more.
I think that one may be myfavorite just because of the
digital marketing background Ihave.
But, focusing on digital willhands down increase your return
on investment.
I can't stress that enough.
Doubling down.
Go digital.
It's going to benefit you.
Calvin Stovall (44:50):
Well, John, I'm feeling pretty good about today.
I hope our listeners got a lotout of this.
And again, I know that the fivestrategies that we talked about,
not a lot of investment, butyou've got to be deliberate
about it and focus on it.
And again, you can betterposition your organization to be
(45:10):
ready for the market now and inthe future.
John Avola (45:13):
Absolutely.
And I think that's the key pointof everything we talked about
today, Calvin.
It's not just immediacy, as innow, but it's in the future.
You're making the investmenttoday to prepare yourself for
whatever the future holds, thatnext normal that we mentioned.
You've got to invest now.
You've got to do the best youcan.
And hopefully things will workout in your favor.
Calvin Stovall (45:36):
So John, as we close, what are we going to talk
about next podcast?
John Avola (45:39):
Well, thanks Calvin.
I think next week I'd reallylike to dive into brand
reputation and specifically whybrand reputation matters.
You know, we talked a lot aboutcustomer experience today, but
if you look at the companyitself and the importance of
having a positive reputation,one that you can continue to
build over time, one that youcan invest all your efforts
(46:02):
into, it's extremely importantfor success.
We can come across with somereal good takeaways for our
audience that I think will bereally relevant to their
businesses and how they continueto improve upon their own
business in an effort to be thaticonic brand.
Calvin Stovall (46:17):
Well awesome, John.
Thank you.
This has been a blast, asalways.
I'm excited to talk to you and Ihope our listeners got something
out of the day and I lookforward to seeing you again
soon.
John Avola (46:29):
That's right.
Likewise, Calvin, absolutelyenjoy this time together.
Thank you as well.
And I guess until next time,don't just be.
Be iconic.
Welcome to the ICONIC Mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business idea ormovement iconic.
Here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:36):
Calvin, how are you today?
Calvin Stovall (00:37):
Hey John, what's going on, man?
John Avola (00:39):
Calvin, I've been working on my posture a little
bit since our last podcast.
There's this brand calledUpright.
It's a little device that sticksin the center of your back.
I've been sore.
I realize how much I slouchduring the day.
(00:59):
I'm excited to be here today.
I know our listeners are excitedto hear from us.
In the last couple of episodeswe went through the four Ps and
kind of broke each P down andshared some examples.
Calvin Stovall (01:11):
Today we're going to be covering delivering
iconic customer experiences.
It's now back to basics.
John Avola (01:19):
Back to basics.
Calvin.
I couldn't agree more.
It is time to look back andreally uncover what the
fundamentals of basic businessrelationships, customer service,
and marketing are, especially atthe time that we're in.
Businesses are beginning torebuild and the basics is where
(01:40):
it begins.
Calvin Stovall (01:41):
Absolutely.
Losing precious customersusually means you probably
wronged or offended them ordidn't meet their needs and
expectations.
However, this time, John, weexperience the plot twist.
I love movies with a plot twist,like Usual Suspects, Se7en, and
the Sixth Sense.
But you know what?
The weird thing is the topreason for lost business right
(02:04):
now is that the customerlandscape changed in ways beyond
our human control, the so-calledblack swan event of COVID-19.
John Avola (02:13):
You're right.
The COVID-19 has brought on somany challenges.
And we've mentioned in previouspodcasts, it's brought up
challenges for everyone in theworld.
It's affected all businesses,entrepreneurs, sole proprietors,
even large corporations andiconic brands.
No company was spared and entireindustries have been shut down.
(02:33):
Companies of all sizes have beenforced to adapt and evolve and
everything has changed.
Today businesses across theworld are transforming the best
that they can.
There have even been studies outthere showing that people are
trusting businesses and brandsover governments due to some of
the inconsistent informationthat's been out there.
In fact, a recent study byEdelman Trust Barometer says
(02:56):
that 62% say the country willnot make it through the crisis
without brands playing acritical role in addressing
challenges.
So no pressure, right?
Calvin Stovall (03:06):
That's crazy.
Yes.
It's been a long three months,13 weeks and a gazillion hours
of Zoom calls, but who'scounting?
Like you said, people arewalking the streets again,
hopefully six feet apart andmasked.
Hopefully masked.
I always say your brand isdefined by the experience you
create for your customers.
(03:26):
And you can either stand out orstand by it.
I'm a believer that you're onlyas good as your customer's last
Amazon brand experience.
And today, you're being comparedto the best of the best in
customer experience regardlessof the industry you're competing
in today because the Amazons ofthe world shape the customer's
expectations.
John Avola (03:46):
Absolutely.
And you've seen it.
Brands are working around theclock to adapt to what I like to
call the next normal, hittingthose customer expectations,
making opportunities easier forcustomers, making their lives
better, and just simply bringingback that normalcy to their
lives in a more convenient andeasy way.
I think we'll be talking aboutsome of those examples today,
(04:07):
won't we Calvin?
Calvin Stovall (04:08):
Absolutely.
We're talking about having aniconic mindset and what we need
to do.
We have examples of peopleadapting to new measures to
ensure safety.
The obvious first step is toupdate and maintain stringent
health and safety standards.
Like CDC is saying, notifyingcustomers about your changes and
helping them interact as safelyas possible.
(04:30):
Brands like Disney, they'vetaken extra precautions as they
reopened the gates in phases.
And just take note, John, abouthow they present the
information.
They're complete and thoughtfulas possible without being
overbearing.
They're pretty simple anddirect, but it keeps their brand
in mind too.
And many businesses will need tomake some operational changes as
(04:52):
well, to encourage safeinteraction.
For example, restaurants.
John Avola (04:56):
Yeah.
It's a different way to dine outthere today.
It's true to what you said,brands are re-imagining those
customer experiences just tostay alive.
Calvin Stovall (05:07):
They're offering takeout services in lieu of
standard dining.
They're still seating tables,but they're far fewer and in
between, but they have plenty ofspace in between them.
Costco, their stores won't evenlet you in without a mask and
only one per card.
Some stores are even providingon-site mask and sanitizing
(05:28):
stations at the door.
John Avola (05:30):
I've got to stop you there.
I've got to tell you about thisCostco experience real quick.
I was in there the other day inthe return line.
And you know, sometimes peopledon't necessarily wear the masks
correctly.
You might see it just covertheir upper lip, completely
missing their nose.
So there's one lady that wasstanding behind me.
Her mask looked like shemight've worn it since the start
of COVID.
It was falling apart.
(05:53):
She might as well not have had amask.
Later on in the store, I'mwalking around and get my items.
I see the same lady.
Costco came out and gave her anew mask.
They replaced her mask.
Calvin Stovall (06:10):
I don't know how to feel about that.
Should I be mad?
Or should I be happy?
John Avola (06:20):
Customer experience, Calvin.
Customer experience.
Calvin Stovall (06:24):
So here's the deal.
Those are the basic things.
Making sure that your place isclean.
Making sure that you'refollowing safety measures and
things of that nature.
But our intent today is to movebeyond what I like to call
tickets to the ballgame.
The cleanliness and the socialdistance, the protocols, are all
basic customer expectations.
People are going to expect youto do those anyway.
(06:46):
These are things they're goingto have to do just to be in the
game, period.
But we're here.
You and I are here to helpbrands and businesses become
iconic.
Beyond those things, what elsecan you do to set yourself apart
from the competition during thisCOVID pandemic and beyond?
I believe you're going to need agame plan.
(07:09):
And again, a game plan beyondthese new measures to ensure
safety is imperative.
I believe that you keep aniconic mindset by staying in
tune with the changing needs,wants, and expectations of your
customers and acting on them.
John Avola (07:23):
That's the most important part there.
It's not just being in tune, butacting on those needs and wants
from your customers.
There was actually a study byMcKinsey and Company that came
out with three priorities thatwould define a memorable
customer experience.
The study went into theimportance of digital
excellence, which I know we'lltalk about today, that safe and
(07:46):
contactless engagement, whichcustomers and consumers around
the world are now expecting.
And then of course you have yourdynamic customer insights, which
is all about the data, thetechnology, being able to evolve
in the current marketplace andreally almost kind of predicting
what your customers need beforethey actually know they need it.
Calvin Stovall (08:05):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
And some companies do it a lotbetter than others and John, I
think you and I are very, verybright people.
John Avola (08:14):
I'll take a compliment, Calvin!
Calvin Stovall (08:18):
But I do know you and I can't predict the
future but we know what we cando.
We're going to focus on that.
We can make sense of what'sgoing on right now.
Customers' wants and needs arechanging constantly.
And again, you have to changejust as fast to keep up with
them and that's what we're goingto help our listeners with
(08:38):
today.
John Avola (08:39):
Awesome.
I think this content isabsolutely relevant.
I know we've heard a lot fromour listeners that they really
appreciate the tips and bestpractices that we're providing
them on how to not only rebuildand refocus their brand, but to
keep that iconic statusregardless of the size of the
business.
You could be a Costco or aDisney, or I've got to bring it
(08:59):
up, you can be that dumplingcompany.
It doesn't matter the size ofyour business Calvin.
Calvin Stovall (09:08):
The dumpling company is back! Here we go
again.
John Avola (09:10):
They are our most featured brand.
I think they've made it in allfour episodes.
The size of the company doesn'tmatter.
It's the experience that you'redelivering, that's what counts.
Calvin Stovall (09:21):
So what I want to do today, I'm going to throw
this out there.
Here's the premise of today'spodcast.
This is going to be pretty mucheverything we talk about today
because it's going to be ourmain focus.
Customer service is going to bethe game changer in this market.
I believe that customer serviceis going to be a really
(09:42):
important aspect of the customerexperience.
It's going to be a hugedifferentiator when dealing with
customers today and in thefuture.
I really believe that.
And we're going to use someresearch in here.
We're going to talk about thattoday and we're going to show
our listeners how to usecustomer service to take things
(10:02):
to the next level.
John Avola (10:04):
And now more importantly than ever before.
Customer service should havealways been that differentiator.
But now it's an obviousdifferentiator, right?
This is it.
Customer service is going tomake or break brands as we head
into the future.
Calvin Stovall (10:18):
So to do that today, John, I want to highlight
a survey that was done by anorganization called Kustomer.
That's Kustomer with a K.
And they surveyed over 150customer service professionals
across a variety of industries,to truly understand how their
businesses and teams areaffected by the global pandemic.
(10:41):
They asked the question, whatpercentage of companies say
customer service is moreimportant than ever?
90%! I believe a lot oforganizations are going to be
focusing on this.
And then a follow up, they askedwhat percentage of customer
service organizations are beingsignificantly impacted by
(11:02):
COVID-19.
Now here's the deal.
The response was 79%.
So you say, well, what about theother percent of people?
It was on a sliding scale.
From not affected at all toaffected a great deal, like a
massive difference in yourbusiness.
Basically that 79%, I guess, hada massive impact on their
(11:26):
business.
Only 1% had no change at all.
Here's my question, who is that1%?
Who wouldn't be affected?
Most highly valued serviceattributes in order of
importance.
Okay, you ready?
(11:46):
Empathetic service, personalizedservice, quick service, flexible
policies, proactive outreach.
And then omni-channel supportlike email, phone website, chat
t exts, and all social platforms.
John Avola (12:03):
So empathy was first.
Calvin Stovall (12:05):
Empathy was first.
Probably before COVID, empathymight've been on the list, but
probably down, maybe a few.
John Avola (12:17):
And I'm even thinking some of that, the
digital marketing channels youmentioned there toward the
bottom of the list, was probablymore mid-tier prior to COVID.
There was a ton of focus ondigital marketing and reaching
your customer almost as apriority over customer service.
And that may be a little segueinto our next episode there
(12:37):
Calvin.
Reputation.
Reputation matters.
Calvin Stovall (12:41):
Yes, it does.
And they talked a little bitabout what customers need, and
we will talk a little bit morein detail about that, but they
said people want to feel likethey're being treated like
humans, not tickets, numbers, oritems.
Of course that's a good thing,but team members now, when
(13:03):
dealing with customers have anopportunity to do more than just
answer a question or address acustomer's problem.
Now, with empathy being soimportant, they have an
opportunity to really connectwith the customer and represent
your brand values and be theface of your brand.
It could be an opportunity toreally get a customer to build a
(13:26):
stronger connection with yourcompany.
John Avola (13:28):
I think social media also played a big role in giving
employees that voice.
You see now any company has asocial media policy, not just
for the organization, but it'spart of the HR handbook, how you
handle yourself as arepresentative of the company
you're working for.
So that alone.
(13:48):
Plus giving the employees theopportunity to make a
difference.
They're the frontline.
Any employee is the front lineof the company and giving them
the opportunity to make changes,innovate, re-imagine, giving
them the voice.
I'm sure there's someinformation out there on how
(14:08):
those companies have succeededby listening to the employee
feedback.
Calvin Stovall (14:12):
Here's the challenge that I see looking at
all this data.
I've already said that customerservice is going to be critical.
A lot of companies aresignificantly impacted by COVID
in that study, but they also saythat 63% of companies report
(14:35):
they had a need to cut costs,which means they've had to cut
staff.
The study also talked about thefact that a lot of these
organizations are dealing with ahigher level of greater requests
with less people.
I think that's going to bechallenging.
(14:55):
And those people that work incustomer service, they're having
to learn the policies.
They're dealing with morecomplex issues, and some of them
don't even have the resources todo their jobs effectively.
They're seeing an increase inupset customers.
It's going to be verychallenging to build
(15:16):
efficiencies and things of thatnature, but we've got to do it.
We've got to do it.
And that's what I'm hoping wecan do today with some of these
strategies.
John Avola (15:23):
I'm excited.
I think these strategies aregoing to be excellent takeaways
for our listeners.
Calvin Stovall (15:28):
Here we go.
Five key strategies to help youhave an iconic mindset, to
become an iconic business.
First strategy (15:34):
retention is the new acquisition.
What am I saying here?
How do you keep the customersyou have in the boat?
Or as I like to say, because Ilove music on the dance floor,
how do you keep your customerson the dance floor?
John Avola (15:49):
You want a dance floor that's full, right?
Calvin Stovall (15:51):
You want a dance floor that's full and they're
not walking off of it.
It's going to be difficult toshore up new business.
It's going to be challenging inthis market.
It's going to be expensive.
Businesses are seeing a 30% to50% reduction in website
traffic, not having nearly asmany face to face meetings, and
so forth.
Now I don't want people tothink, oh, Calvin, you've got to
(16:12):
always sell.
Yes.
I do think you've got to alwayssell.
And I'm going to talk a littlebit about that later too.
I'm not saying acquiring newbusiness isn't important.
You still need to do that, butit's going to be even more
important to not let any more ofyour customers fall out of the
boat.
I love soul music, right.
I'm a soul music fanatic.
(16:33):
And one of my favorite soulartists, from back in the day,
was a guy named Johnny Taylor.
He had a song called It'sCheaper to Keep Her.
So here's the deal.
This is my COVID-19 anthem.
It's going to be less expensivefor you to keep the people that
you have, except you've got tokeep her and him in this case,
(16:54):
you've got to keep them in theboat.
The thing is in that one, focuson retaining your customers, and
my next thing I'm going to talkabout as a follow-up to that,
you don't want to let anybodyfall out of the funnel.
John Avola (17:09):
Keeping those customers that you already have
is extremely important becausethose are the customers that are
going to bring you that newbusiness, keeping those
customers happy.
A good example here is you lookat the hospitality industry,
right?
Hotels.
They've got regulars that maycome in or used to come in on a
(17:29):
business trip or maybe vacation.
Here we are in the summertime.
And so they've had to do a lotaround retaining their business,
whether it's opening up daysuites, or you've seen a lot of
price reductions as well, tryingto get their regulars back in.
We're in a differentenvironment.
You can't let the newenvironment take over.
(17:49):
You've got to continue toinnovate and be strong, but also
remember those customers thatyou have and focus on how
they're feeling.
Calvin Stovall (17:56):
Absolutely.
We talked about the iconicframework.
This is that people one, theconnection one.
Focusing on that and stayingconnected with them.
I really believe customers aregoing to remember the decisions
you make during this time.
I think we've talked about thisbefore, but you've got to find a
way to stick with yourcustomers.
(18:16):
They're going to remember whenyou got in the trenches with
them and fought with them versusagainst them.
John Avola (18:23):
A good point to that, Calvin, too, is that
retaining customers can alsomean a slight change in your
product as well.
A transition to what you'reoffering could also help that
retention.
I want to talk about Mattel, forexample.
They recently came out with anew new superhero and we're not
talking about a new Marvel orSuperman.
(18:44):
We're actually talking about thesuperhero that's in front of all
of us and that's our essentialworkers.
Mattel created a new line ofFisher Price action figures,
directed exactly at what we'retalking about, their current
customer base, allowing thosethat are avid Mattel consumers
to purchase figures or figurinesthat represent essential
(19:07):
workers, delivery, drivers,grocery store workers,
healthcare professionals.
This pivot shows that Mattelunderstands who people are and
how they're supporting them.
And they're honoring thesepeople in the time that we're
in.
Then I was reading a little bitmore and not only have they
remanufactured these new items,but they're also giving back on
(19:29):
a charitable note.
75% of the purchase price ofthis first responder initiative
is going back to healthcarefirst responders.
You can order online, shipmentsbegin early this fall, and you
can support your localhealthcare first responders
while also picking up some oneof a kind new essential worker
(19:50):
figurines.
Calvin Stovall (19:52):
I love that.
Alright.
First strategy is retention isthe new acquisition.
Second strategy (19:58):
you've got to focus on delivering effortless
customer experiences.
And what I mean by that is Ithink we're starting to see a
shift in brand advocacy a littlebit.
For example, pre-COVID, a brandcould kind of live on its brand
alone.
Nike, if you like Nike, you likeNike, even when they mess up.
I still like Nike.
(20:19):
But I think we're starting tosee a shift in the marketplace.
We're in what I'm hearing now iskind of a"frictionless economy."
People are going to go whereverthey get the least amount of
friction.
Whether that's ordering foodonline or whether they're
changing flights, customers arelooking for ease and simplicity
(20:41):
today.
And the brands that do thisexceptionally well will score
high.
If they do well on theeffortless scale, they will be
the ones that are going to winin this market because people
are stressed out.
They're stressed outfinancially, physically,
mentally.
They're just worn out, and Ibelieve the sentiment now is I
(21:02):
don't really care what yourbrand did in the past.
What are you doing?
What have you done for melately?
Remember that song?
What have you done for melately?
I'm in a song mode through this,but people want ease and
simplicity today.
The companies that do this aregoing to be well positioned to
take advantage of where thismarket is headed.
(21:23):
You've got to make it easy foryour customers to do business
with you.
It's back to basics.
That's iconic.
John Avola (21:30):
They want it quick and they want it easy and they
want it effortless.
You mentioned their orderingline or ordering food online.
You notice that many restaurantshave quickly adapted and are
(21:50):
selling fresh food items,whether it's online orders or
curbside pickup, offering easytakeout options and the ability
to quickly pull up and have yourfood brought out to you.
I've seen customers being ableto order vegetables, meats, even
those takeout adult beverages asopportunities there just to help
(22:11):
make it convenient for thecustomer.
I've seen many brands do thesame.
You have Panera, they'reoffering bread, milk, produce.
California Pizza Kitchen, theyintroduced a CPK market.
The market features lettuce wrapkits, build your own pizza kits
for kids.
And then they also sell thosebasic essential items, like
(22:32):
milk, rice flour, meats, pasta,bread, and they even have an
alcohol option as well, forthose that want to take a six
pack out to the car, along withtheir food.
It's an innovative way.
And I think the other brand thatwe have to mention here around
effortless and easycommunication, and that's one of
our favorites, Calvin, that'sSubway,
Calvin Stovall (22:55):
Subway, man.
We used to eat so much Subway.
John Avola (23:01):
For those of you who don't know, Calvin and I used to
work together and we ate Subwayprobably three out of the five
days a week.
This little gas station on thecorner, we'd head over there.
And they knew us by name.
It was a great experience.
What they're doing, which isreally interesting, is they've
(23:22):
offered a new line called SubwayGrocery.
They're marketing this as anopportunity to"skip the line and
get grocery essentialsdelivered." The idea behind this
strategy is to introduce freshfood, like baked rolls, sliced
meats, onions, and tomatoes,where customers can simply pull
(23:44):
up and get a few of thoseessential items and head out
without having to really dealwith a mass amount of people or
crowds.
I did a little more research onSubway.
They have nearly 50,000locations worldwide and they are
actually the restaurant with themost locations in the world.
(24:06):
Over Starbucks, over McDonald's,Subway has the most locations.
And so you put that inperspective and you look at
national grocery chains likehere in Memphis, we have Kroger,
in the Southeast, maybe Publix,in the Northeast is Stop and
Shop, but you look at Subway.
If they were to roll this out tomore of their stores, think of
(24:28):
the convenience for thecustomer.
There's a Subway almost on everycorner versus having to travel
miles to your nearest grocerystore.
So there could definitely be alot of opportunity there.
They've rolled out SubwayGrocery in about 250 locations.
And so far from everything I'veread, it seems to be going very
positive.
Calvin Stovall (24:46):
That's innovative.
And then customers don't have todeal with the big crowd.
Probably it's not a lot ofpeople in there too.
John Avola (24:54):
Less crowds, immediate service.
It's Subway.
You just walk through that line.
You don't even have to shop,Calvin.
It's just one counter.
Calvin Stovall (25:03):
Get your sandwich and the tomatoes!
John Avola (25:08):
Grab a meatball sub.
That Italian BMT.
Grab a little extra lunch meat,some cheese, and you've done
your shopping and you havelunch.
Calvin Stovall (25:17):
That's awesome.
Great way to offer an effortlesscustomer experience.
Good job, Subway.
All right, let's move on tonumber three.
You've got to get proactive.
This one here, John is going toseparate the Elton Johns from
the Milli Vanillis.
This is a biggie.
You just can't sit on yourassets and wait for your
(25:39):
customers to come to you.
Now is the time to go outboundwith your communications with
your customers.
This, again, is highlighting thepeople, the P in the framework.
You've got to reach out to them,but don't just reach out to them
with your typical COVID-19message.
You want to add value in yourcommunications.
(25:59):
Don't bombard them with thewhole COVID messaging.
I think people are getting wornout with it.
I know people are aware of itthat it's out there, but they
don't want to hear that all thetime.
But people love talking aboutthemselves and what they're
dealing with.
This is a time to offer value toyour customers.
I truly believe if you givevalue, you get value.
(26:21):
So just be a bit more human.
Be empathetic.
We talked about that customersare looking for empathy.
Just be a little more creativein your approach, and really
talk to them about how you cansupport them in their journey.
People are dealing with a lotout there.
You want to try to just becreative, be a little different,
and be real in yourcommunications.
(26:42):
But you've got to start.
Don't wait on them.
Get proactive.
John Avola (26:50):
I like what you said around to give value, to get
value.
We've seen a lot of opportunity,too, around partnerships in that
same regard.
Companies like Papa John's, forexample, they're expanded their
digital capabilities aroundinstant ordering, but they did
that through Facebook.
They looked at Facebook andthat's where their customers
(27:11):
are.
That's where their people arespending most of their time,
especially being indoors underquarantine.
They partnered with FacebookInstant Ordering.
They were one of the firstcompanies to take advantage of
that opportunity.
And Papa John's was beingproactive in that they were
going out to their customers andnot only being empathetic, but
delivering a service instantlyfor them in their natural
(27:32):
environment.
They didn't need to switch overto a different app or a
different website.
They're just natively lookingthrough Facebook and click on a
Papa John's ad, place theirorder, and continue scrolling
down their feed.
So it really opens up that easeand simplicity, but also being
proactive and trying somethingnew for your customers.
Calvin Stovall (27:52):
They're taking advantage of that Omni channel
thing that I talked aboutearlier.
John Avola (27:57):
Then you have companies like Walgreens, who
have partnered with Postmates,very similar to Shipt, a goods
and service delivery service.
And their whole idea to partnerwith Postmates is to deliver
those quick, convenienton-demand delivery items.
Look at Walgreens, morecosmetics, even over the counter
medicines.
With Postmates, they can havethat delivered instantly to
(28:21):
anyone who needs it.
Again, kind of being proactivein that if you can't leave your
house, or you're uneasy aboutleaving your house, but you need
to get to Walgreens for thosedaily personal items, you've got
an opportunity now where you canhave those delivered instantly
and brought to your home.
Calvin Stovall (28:38):
There it is.
Get proactive, get proactive.
So we've covered retention asthe new acquisition, delivering
an effortless customerexperience, getting proactive.
Number four is you can't forgetabout your employees.
Employee experience, employeeexperience, employee experience.
(28:59):
Now I know a lot oforganizations have had to have
their employees work remotely.
There's flexible workspace and Ibelieve some companies are doing
a great job with communicatingwith their employees.
I've seen things like dailyvirtual huddles, Zoom socials.
John Avola (29:17):
And those virtual happy hours, right?
Calvin Stovall (29:19):
Yes.
I like those.
I want to pose a question to theleadership out there.
How is the remote situationgoing?
Ask yourself that question,because you have some people on
your team that are living alone.
They may not have working Wi-Fiin some cases.
And some people are working fromhome and they're not in an ideal
(29:41):
situation in every case.
John Avola (29:44):
No, you're right.
It's the same storm, but we'reall in different boats.
Calvin Stovall (29:48):
There it is.
I love that.
Great analogy.
You have some people who areparents having to homeschool,
with two, three kids.
One spouse is furloughed.
All possible scenarios could begoing on.
And a lot of people are at homedealing with a lot of anxiety.
And I think as leaders, we haveto find ways to keep these
people engaged, keep theminvolved, and find ways to make
(30:11):
sure that they still feelconnected, cared for, loved.
You've got to show them love andempower them to make sure they
can continue to enthusiasticallydeliver those brand experiences
your customers come to expect.
It's a challenge, but you've gotto do it.
You've got to take the timeagain.
We're lifting up their people- Pagain.
It's about connection.
(30:32):
You've got to connect with them.
Can't forget about youremployees.
John Avola (30:36):
No, you can't.
It's a simple question.
How are you doing?
And it's one that I've asked myteam regularly.
It's a question that never getsold.
Just having that empathy, goingback to that first stat there by
Kustomer, it's showing empathy,not necessarily with the company
outward to your customers, butalso as the company to your
(30:57):
employees.
And you mentioned a reallyinteresting thing there, Calvin,
and you know I love my stories.
You mentioned having parentsworking from home, but also
managing school activities.
And then you mentioned the wordabout feeling connected and that
just kind of triggered anexample there that I was looking
at recently, which was Lego.
(31:19):
And Lego, as you know, they'rebuilding blocks.
Thinking about being connected,working from home, an
opportunity for education,they've put together an
initiative which is called#letsbuildtogether.
Love that hashtag.
I think it's perfectly brandrepresentative.
And the whole idea around#letsbuildtogether isn't
(31:40):
necessarily for the children.
It's for the parents to helpkeep their kids entertained and
educated with daily inspiration,content, different challenges.
So really trying to look at anopportunity to bring in what
they know as their own product,but use it in a way to help
their customers.
What I love about this idea andwhere I'm going with this is it
(32:02):
wasn't a customer requestedidea.
It was an employee who thoughtof the idea on let's build
together.
And they brought that to theleadership team.
The leadership team not onlyloved it, went forward with it,
but also added a charitablegiving component.
In addition to the initiativearound helping parents work with
(32:23):
their children, there are alsodedicated factories to help make
protective glasses and masks,and Legos donated 500,000 Lego
sets to children in need.
And t hey're just overall agreat example of how a company
is leveraging its skills, reallyfor the k now h ow a nd the
greater good of not only theiremployees, but their customers
(32:43):
as well.
Calvin Stovall (32:44):
That's awesome, John, and I think we talked
about that in the last podcast.
Listen to your employees.
You have to, because they havesome great ideas and then Lego
did a good job with that.
John Avola (32:57):
I agree.
And another one is Under Armour.
They've done a 30 day fitnesschallenge that also came from an
employee as a way to get peoplemotivated or to stay in shape or
to exercise during the pandemic.
And this 30 day fitnesschallenge, again, was brought to
leadership.
Not sure exactly theconversations that were had, but
(33:18):
the outcome was a$2 millionpledge,$1 million going to
Feeding America.
The second million is, I guess,a promotion around getting users
to sign up for the 30 daychallenge.
So depending on those that signup, I'm sure there's some dollar
equivalent for a number ofregistered users, but they're
(33:39):
benefiting Good Sports, whichensures youth leagues have the
necessary sports equipment andapparel.
Another great example oflistening to your employees.
Under Armour is a majorworldwide brand, and you have a
few that got together to say,let's start a fitness challenge.
And here we are.
Not only are they going to doit, but they added some donation
(33:59):
to the experience as well.
Calvin Stovall (34:01):
That's awesome.
And again, John, I think what'sreally great about some of the
things we're talking abouttoday.
I think you said this in theearlier part of the podcast,
being iconic and having aniconic mindset, it doesn't
matter what size your company isor where you're located.
All of that is irrelevant.
Some of these things that we'retalking about, really, they're
(34:23):
not expensive.
They don't cost you anything.
To retain new customers, what isthat?
Phone calls?
Customer experiences that mighttake some effort to erase some
pain points and looking at yourcustomer journeys a little bit
differently, really no money.
There's time to sit there and doit.
Getting proactive,communicating.
(34:45):
How do you do that?
Email, social phone calls,whatever, really no money.
And then the employeeexperience, that just takes
heart and caring and beingempathetic.
Again, no money.
Putting all these things inplace, you can do it.
It doesn't matter.
John Avola (35:00):
I think some of that's being shown.
I know we were talking a littlebit before the podcast around
channels that have seen thebiggest increase in usage.
And I think you mentioned phone.
We've talked a little bit priorto getting on here today.
But I think phone calls wereprobably one of the highest
increased usage channels.
That one-to-one relationship,actually picking up the phone
(35:22):
and talking to somebody.
Having been at home all day it'sgood to get on the phone.
You might have some other statsthere.
I think email was a close secondaround an increased channel, but
that's good information.
Calvin Stovall (35:35):
It was phone and then email and then social.
And that leads into my laststrategy.
It's all in digital, all indigital customer.
Your customer is going tocommunicate with you the way
they want to communicate withyou.
And you've got to double down onyour digital platform efforts.
You've got to start thinkingabout an Omni channel experience
(35:56):
that you deliver.
Now, I know most organizationsout there, we love our email.
We love our phone and you needto use those things, but you've
got to start thinking about theother ways customers want to
engage with brands.
I think you mentioned Papa Johnis doing that, with the social.
I'm sure there are other brandsthat are doing it.
A perfect example of this waswhen COVID hit.
I have two little boys and ofcourse they couldn't go back to
(36:19):
school and I have to tell you,John, I was super impressed with
how their education platformquickly shifted to digital.
It was absolutely a phenomenalthing to see.
Of course my boys were reallyexcited because they didn't have
to go to class, but I was reallyimpressed with how they just
(36:42):
pivoted.
Could you imagine if thishappened maybe five, six years
ago?
I don't think the educationalsystem would have been ready for
that.
John Avola (36:52):
How quickly your boys adapted, too.
Both sides, the teachers andyour kids.
Calvin Stovall (36:58):
Yeah.
I think it was the adults thathad the most problem with it.
It was no big deal.
I mean, they were up, they weredoing Zoom calls with their
teachers as a class, individualcoaching sessions with their
teachers, assignments wereuploaded.
It was just a phenomenalexperience to see.
And I felt good about it becausethey were still very active and
(37:22):
learning and things of thatnature.
So the only thing they missedwas the social interaction, but
they did the best they couldwith that, via the Zoom calls.
But I just couldn't imagine thishappening several years ago.
We just wouldn't have beenready.
John Avola (37:34):
I wanted to make a point too.
You mentioned all in digital,almost going back to the
McKinsey and Company studyaround digital excellence.
And I pulled out a quote fromtheir article that reads,
"companies that accelerate theirdigital offerings can see an
increased engagement now and beprepared for lower cost
operations years ahead.
(37:56):
They should focus on creating avirtual digital experience that
is on par with the in-personexperience." So education.
I couldn't think of a betterexample than what you just went
over, right?
Think about it, being in theclassroom or being at home, but
replicating that digitalexperience that's on par with
the in-person experience.
Calvin Stovall (38:16):
Sephora is a brand that has always been
focused on delivering digitalexperiences.
They actually closed all theirstores in mid-March to help
flatten the curve, and then theywaived all shipping fees for a
time, but they do a great job ondigital.
(38:38):
Another company that does agreat job at this and I didn't
even realize it until the otherday, right before we did the
podcast.
I'm a member of Planet Fitness.
I thought about this and Ihaven't seen any debits from
Planet Fitness.
They stopped charging in Marchwhen they closed down and I
(39:00):
didn't even realize it.
But the other thing, I went backand looked through my emails and
they have done a wonderful jobstaying connected and creating a
digital experience.
They've produced a series ofdaily workout videos.
They have included streaming onsocial media and video archives
(39:20):
or YouTube.
And they've been constantly andconsistently communicating via
email about the digitalresources and how they're
handling COVID.
And when I look back, theyhaven't even charged.
John Avola (39:36):
And you have access to all the content, live
streaming.
Wow.
Calvin Stovall (39:42):
It all caused me to become, I guess you would
say, a little more endeared tothe company.
I just was so impressed withtheir efforts to stay connected
with me as a member and offerresources until they reopened.
Here in North Carolina, theycan't open for another three
weeks here.
So I just think that was great.
And the experience has caused meto want to remain a member.
John Avola (40:03):
They're not charging you and they're offering you
content.
That's pretty cool.
I've seen a few other kinds offitness facilities that had to
get creative when their physicallocations closed.
I was at the Peloton app andthey were offering 90 days free
for anyone.
That worked for my wife becauseshe used it for all 90 days and
(40:26):
now she's a subscriber.
We have another company, OrangeTheory.
And so what they did for theircustomers is they not only made
home workouts, streaming online,but they used household items.
Instead of having to purchase aweight set in order to complete
the workout, they were lookingat items that were common around
the house that people could workout with, like maybe lifting the
(40:50):
chair.
It's just kind of neat to seehow they were incorporating
household items into theirworkouts as well.
So it's going back to that.
Re-imagining looking at new waysto really get the same product
across, but making it morecomfortable and convenient for
your customers.
Calvin Stovall (41:10):
Yes sir.
It's all in digital though.
For you listeners out theretoday, if you thought going
digital was a joke before, oryou were being a wallflower
because you didn't want to makethe investment, it's time.
It is time to start putting adigital strategy together, when
(41:33):
things are slow.
So when things turn around,you'll be ready.
John Avola (41:36):
It's time.
To back up that point, Calvin,we all know Target, right?
They average close to about25,000 downloads per day.
They decided to take their appand go completely digital during
COVID.
The app also started anintegration with Shipt, another
(42:00):
delivery service.
The prominence of going digitalplus the integration with Shipt
has doubled the number ofdownloads so now, they're
averaging 52,000 downloads aday.
Over doubled the app downloadsbased on integrating with Shipt
(42:25):
and making their app theirprimary focus among any other
marketing capability.
Calvin Stovall (42:32):
Wow.
That's incredible.
So that was our five, John.
And I think now we're coming tothe close on our podcast, but we
cannot leave without iconicpoints.
All right.
Number one is back to thebasics.
Ladies and gentlemen, back tothe basics.
(42:53):
Customer service is going to bea game changer for you.
Customer service is going to beking, and it's going to be a
really important aspect of thecustomer experience.
So focus on delivering aseamless frictionless customer
experience.
Focus on ease and simplicity.
Whatever you can do to erase thepain points for your customers,
do it.
(43:14):
That's going to help you standout, particularly in this
market.
Number two, be human, beauthentic, be personable, be
real, be iconic.
John Avola (43:30):
One more.
Be empathetic.
Calvin Stovall (43:32):
Yes, absolutely.
Gotta be.
Not only to your customers, butalso to your employees.
That leads to number three, stayconnected with your team.
Again, all work from homesituations are not optimal.
Make sure you're stayingconnected with them, make sure
you're showing them the love,make sure they're thriving and
doing well so they can continueto deliver those experiences
(43:55):
that your brand represents.
John Avola (43:58):
And teamwork, right?
That's what it all comes downto, teamwork.
Ask, how are you doing?
Calvin Stovall (44:04):
How are you doing?
Simple.
No cost there.
Alright.
Last but not least.
Get in the digital game now.
The time is now.
You have to make the investment.
You don't have to do a wholehuge overhaul.
But you've got to start thinkingabout, how can I make my
(44:25):
experience on a more digitalplatform and omni-channel.
You have to think about that aswell.
John Avola (44:32):
I couldn't agree more.
I think that one may be myfavorite just because of the
digital marketing background Ihave.
But, focusing on digital willhands down increase your return
on investment.
I can't stress that enough.
Doubling down.
Go digital.
It's going to benefit you.
Calvin Stovall (44:50):
Well, John, I'm feeling pretty good about today.
I hope our listeners got a lotout of this.
And again, I know that the fivestrategies that we talked about,
not a lot of investment, butyou've got to be deliberate
about it and focus on it.
And again, you can betterposition your organization to be
(45:10):
ready for the market now and inthe future.
John Avola (45:13):
Absolutely.
And I think that's the key pointof everything we talked about
today, Calvin.
It's not just immediacy, as innow, but it's in the future.
You're making the investmenttoday to prepare yourself for
whatever the future holds, thatnext normal that we mentioned.
You've got to invest now.
You've got to do the best youcan.
And hopefully things will workout in your favor.
Calvin Stovall (45:36):
So John, as we close, what are we going to talk
about next podcast?
John Avola (45:39):
Well, thanks Calvin.
I think next week I'd reallylike to dive into brand
reputation and specifically whybrand reputation matters.
You know, we talked a lot aboutcustomer experience today, but
if you look at the companyitself and the importance of
having a positive reputation,one that you can continue to
build over time, one that youcan invest all your efforts
(46:02):
into, it's extremely importantfor success.
We can come across with somereal good takeaways for our
audience that I think will bereally relevant to their
businesses and how they continueto improve upon their own
business in an effort to be thaticonic brand.
Calvin Stovall (46:17):
Well awesome, John.
Thank you.
This has been a blast, asalways.
I'm excited to talk to you and Ihope our listeners got something
out of the day and I lookforward to seeing you again
soon.
John Avola (46:29):
That's right.
Likewise, Calvin, absolutelyenjoy this time together.
Thank you as well.
And I guess until next time,don't just be.
Be iconic.
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