\nAfter working in this area for 15 years and writing four books on Customer Experience<\/a> here are my top ten reasons why emotions are effectively ignored by many businesses:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0Businesses have not had to worry in the past. Businesses focus on their product and expanding their markets. With globalisation, the internet and mass commoditization this is forcing people to think of other ways of differentiating themselves, hence the rise of the importance of Customer Experience. 8. \u00a0Most senior people in organisations are 50-60 years old. In fact the median age for a CEO<\/a> is 55. I am 56. We baby boomers were brought up on \u2018big boys don\u2019t cry\u2019 and \u2018be a man\u2019. I bear the scars of trying to convince people that emotions are key aspects of dealing with Customers. When I was in corporate life, 95% of my colleagues were left brain focussed. I have struggled daily to get emotions accepted and on to the table to discuss. These areas are what have stopped people in the past. I am starting to see signs of people really starting to embrace emotions as an important part of the Customer Experience. Here are some examples.<\/p>\n Exhibit 1:<\/strong> Exhibit 2:<\/strong> Here is Forrester\u2019s independent case study<\/a> on Maersk that you will also find interesting.<\/p>\n Exhibit 3:<\/strong> “Emotional insights will take center stage.<\/strong> The idea that happy customers are more likely to remain loyal, try new products and services, and spread good news about their experiences has started to catch on. Over the past several months, we\u2019ve seen a rise in the number of companies pondering the connection between enjoyment and metrics like satisfaction and Net Promoter Score\u00ae (NPS\u00ae). In fact, one global company statistically demonstrated that several emotional factors trump NPS\u00ae in predicting customer loyalty<\/a>, effectively dethroning \u201cwould you recommend?\u201d as the ultimate question. As firms start to emphasize customer emotion in 2013, we expect to see more vendors developing offerings like Beyond Philosophy\u2019s Emotional Signature, which examines the rational, subconscious, and emotional elements of an experience.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We are very pleased they saw fit to mention our Emotional Signature\u00ae<\/a> service that quantifies the value ($) of evoking an emotions. Emotions have an enormous capacity to improve the revenues of your organization. It\u2019s taken some time, but the revolution has started. I look forward to seeing it blossom and grow\u2026<\/p>\n Does your organization focus on customer emotions?<\/p>\n
\n2. \u00a0Emotions are perceived to be hard to define and difficult to measure.
\n3. \u00a0Emotions are soft, fluffy and difficult to quantify and relate to $ outcome. My book the \u2018DNA of Customer Experience, how emotions drive and destroys value<\/a>\u2019, Palgrave MacMillan 2007, has gone a long way to dispel this myth and shows statistically how much $$$ can be gained.
\n4. \u00a0Business is about numbers. This requires an analytical approach. In the past there have not been many tools that will show the financial return that evoking an emotion in a Customer will generate.
\n5. \u00a0As a result of items 1-4, businesses like logical\/analytical people. These are the people that tend to get promoted and are now in senior positions in companies. These people tend to do what they are good at, the rational\/logical thinking. It\u2019s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
\n6. \u00a0Businesses have been traditional run by men. Just look at the great TV series \u2018Mad Men\u2019. You see how much women were down trodden in the work place and ignored.
\n7. \u00a0Women are better, in the main, at understanding their emotions than men. Women tend to be more empathetic but not enough are in positions of authority. We can have a great debate on whether that is nature or nurture and\/or societal effects but let\u2019s not get into that now.<\/p>\n![\"Why](\"http:\/\/www.beyondphilosophy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/cs_10-Emotions-being-ignored-300.jpg\")
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\n9. \u00a0Many of the people who are revered in business are the tough, \u2018go get them\u2019, \u2018let\u2019s charge over the hill and kill the competition\u2019 macho types, not the people who are experts on psychology, emotions and other \u2018soft\u2019 subjects.
\n10. \u00a0People may agree that they should focus on emotions but don\u2019t know how to do it.<\/p>\n
\nI was delivering a key note speech at a Telecoms event in Miami and SVP\u2019s from a Telecoms company told the audiences that understanding and designing Customer emotions into their experience was a key part of their strategy.<\/p>\n
\nOne of our clients, Maersk Line, the world\u2019s largest container shipping company, improved their Net Promoter\u00ae by 40 points in 30 months by focussing on three emotions: Pleased, Cared for and Trust. Take a listen to the webinar and case study<\/a> we conducted with them on how we help them do this.<\/p>\n
\nForrester\u2019s predictions<\/a> this year states:<\/p>\n
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