Monica Pesce

Consultant and globetrotter

Monica Pesce - Consultant and globetrotter

Tag Archives: customer experience

Aren’t you interested in making women happy clients?

This time I am talking specifically to car manufacturers and dealers. Women represent either decision makers or influencers in approximately 70% of purchases. Women buy a car because they need it to go to work, shopping, to bring kids to school or whatever and they might not be so interested in the technical features men usually look at – even though I warmly suggest that you don’t give this for granted, or you might end up irritating a woman so much she will turn saying bad things about your brand into her personal mission!

Queue commons

Anyway, most of the times, be it because they are way too busy managing multiple lives or simply because they don’t pay attention, women tend to become nervous when it gets to managing the car’s regular maintenance.

I am surprised that no car manufacturer or, most important, no car dealer ever thought of using this to their advantage becoming women’s best friend.

What about a standardized but personal enough email or sms to regularly remind women who bought their car from you about the most important maintenance deadlines?

The tires must be changed or at least checked every x Kilometers, what is the best oil change timing, what is the regular major servicing timing, …? This is such an easy, but valuable service to women (and not only women, let me add) that I truly don’t understand why it is not part of the “standard and basics toolkit” of car manufacturers and dealers!

photo: freefoto.com

The top 10 things that drive me crazy as a (woman) customer

I have always been a strong believer of the key role of social impact in determining our attitudes and behaviour, including those related to gender.

However recent studies demonstrate that the difference is not only influenced by the context but also determined by genetics: the brains of men and women react differently to the same stimuli.

Red brake light

Whether caused by DNA or by the social context I was raised in, here are the top 10 things that annoy me as a woman consumer. Some of them come from direct experience and some of them from stories women friends told me.

  1. sex as a selling point. Half naked women that are seducing a man thanks to your product will convince me straight away that your product is not worth my money (just two illuminating examples: Salame Cacciatore TV advertisement and Caffè Borghetti TV adv). By the way, also a naked man seducing a woman will generate the same reaction!
  2. stereotypes about the role of women. Whenever you present women as housewives whose only concern is how to make the house look beautiful and dinner at home better than restaurant or women as super-models only thinking about how to look 20 years old even when they are 40 like me…I automatically start taking your brand and products out of my shopping list
  3. stereotypes related to women’s technical skills and intelligence. I am smart enough and educated enough to understand almost everything, you don’t need to slow down when explaining technical features or suggest that we skip them. And if something is not clear I will ask for explanations, don’t worry.
  4. learn the magic of storytelling. It is not only about the functional features of your product – quality of materials, technical characteristics, uniqueness of you production process, … – and it is not only about the allure or status of your brand. What is your selling proposition? What is your identity? But most important of all, what is the story behind your product? Why should I spend my time and money to purchase your product/service? Sell me magic, sell me a dream, sell me values I relate to.
  5. Listen. If something went wrong with the product or service, I want to be able to explain with as many details as possible the context or the express in detail all my concerns and their origin, it will help you better understand my needs. If you don’t let me speak two things might happen: a) you make the wrong assumptions and don’t solve the problem or meet my needs, b) you irritate me because I feel you only did half of the job you’re supposed to do
  6. stereotypes related to how much a woman earns. I cannot afford a Ferrari (yet), so I will never enter a Ferrari store and ask for information, but if I enter a Mercedes or BMW store you should not ask me if I am sure I can afford one of your cars. And if I walk into a luxury apparel store wearing a pair of jeans and sneakers I expect the sales people will not make assumptions on how much money is in my wallet or credit card…or I will walk out as quickly as I walked in (and this happens more frequently than you can think of)!
  7. Don’t waste my time. Women are usually willing to invest time: they want you to sell them a dream or to listen to their concerns (all of them). But don’t waste their time with useless bla bla that doesn’t add value. And make sure you don’t waste their “special time”, the time they have for themselves and their family. If you want to propose me a great new offer, product, service don’t call me on my mobile (???) on a Saturday afternoon (???) or in the evening at 20 when I am finally with my family having dinner
  8. stereotypes related to the ability of women to manage money. If I am buying a house, a boat or a car, if I am planning on investing my money or thinking of a pension scheme be sure: I know what I am doing or at least I know what information I want to take a rational decision. And if by any chance I enter your bank with my partner or my father, keep on talking to ME, because the money is mine!
  9. Smile and make me feel comfortable. I always say hello and goodbye, as well as ask how are you and wish you a good day, so I expect others to do the same. If I am inside a shop to spend or invest time and money, I want to be treated nicely, welcomed and greeted as you would do with your best and more loyal customer.
  10. Your products don’t take into account my evident needs. When you create and develop your product or service do you think carefully about who is your target customer and what are his/her needs you are willing to satisfy? Do you ask them or at least try to put yourself in their shoes? What about the ePad Femme example? Is this the answer to women needs in the world of high tech products?

Maybe the above points only irritate me or maybe it is not a gender issue…what are your thoughts and experiences on this?

What is it that drives you crazy as a customer?

photo: freefoto.com

Italian women only – take a very short survey on companies and women customers

Studies seem to show that women are the real target customers of companies, whether producing food, apparel or cars.
But do women feel that companies put them at the center of their offer, in every phase of the overall customer experience?
What are the sectors that are more sensitive? Are there better performing brands?
Take a very short survey and share with us your experience!
You can take the survey here

How do you define luxury?

The concept of luxury as I interpret it is based on four key elements:

  • Uniqueness
  • Respect
  • Quality
  • Care

 These apply to the evaluation of accommodation too, as I experienced it at Evason Ma’in and Six Senses Spa in Jordan.

Uniqueness – The context in which the resort is placed is simply unique: by a hot spring and hidden among mountains, you can sip a drink looking at the many lights of Jerusalem on the other side of the Dead Sea. The design, furniture and atmosphere are unique and you have the wonderful perception that you are in a place that is “different”, instead of one of the many excellent – but standardized – chains. You feel privileged and deeply touched, experiencing the luxury of the context.

Respect – The whole concept is developed around the value of respect. We should be willing to respect the environment in which we live and operate and be aware that our resources are scarce, hence they should not be wasted: moderate the usage of air conditioning, no plastic bottles available, recycled paper and materials are the norm, …

We should be willing to respect people around us and let them enjoy the beauty of the context: no mobiles allowed by the swimming pool, people make sure they don’t talk too loud and try not to annoy you in any way, … This is what I find more luxurious, given that I spend most of my time in a social context, in a busy and noisy city like Milan: the possibility to spend some time in a relaxing environment appreciating the “sound of silence” is simply invaluable.

Quality – Is quality a key element when evaluating luxury? I would rather consider it a basic element, which you give for granted. However many direct experiences have taught me that quality is not necessarily a fundamental feature of luxury products.

The selection of raw material, the freshness of fruits and vegetables, the wide offer that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding customers, together with the perfect and discrete service create a luxurious experience you will always remember with pleasure.

Care – The moment you enter Evason Ma’in the staff will spend time and energy taking care of you and making sure your experience is perfect. Starting with sincere smiles and a caring attitude, proceeding with tasteful, well presented and abundant food together with an excellent selection of spirits and ending with a delicious sorbet (“It’s so hot, you need some refreshment!”) while you are resting by the swimming pool. Not to mention the icy water always available, which is fundamental when the temperature outside reaches 40° easily.

 Every single detail has been structured and developed so that you feel pampered from the beginning until the end. Noting is ordinary in this place.

No need to mention that every room is provided with a wide HD television and a wifi connection…however when would you even consider using them, given the unique context and the relaxing opportunities visiting the surroundings, by the swimming pool or in the Spa?

Heavy rain, an enchanting customer experience

Even though I don’t play PS games and never did, I am definitely my partner’s provider when it comes to PS3 videogames.

The game shop close to my house is well known and I am slowly becoming an expert on plots and structure of PS3 games.

I chased “Heavy rain” for more than 3 weeks: the reviews of the game were excellent and experts were forecasting a new era in the world of videogames.

Last Saturday I finally found it and when I got home I suggested my partner to immediately give a look at the new game. We opened the box and, together with the disc and the game booklet, we found a squared piece of paper supposedly dirty with blood…we looked at each other puzzled…

When the installation of the game begins a request appears on the screen: get the squared piece of paper and click here. And step by step you are taught how to create an origami…that exactly resembles the origami that is found on the dead bodies of the victims in the game. By the time the origami is ready, the boring installation is over and you can start playing.

As I already mentioned, I am not a videogame fan, but I consider myself a marketer and I was enchanted by this simple however involving customer experience.

“Heavy rain” creators have focused on their customers and tried to be marketing oriented, this led them to:

  • find a way to entertain their clients during a very boring, sometimes long but still necessary phase;
  • create a bond between the players and the game already before the game started;
  • set the atmosphere, connecting the player to the origami creator in the game.

Since we enthusiastically enjoy such experiences as customers, as marketers we should also ask ourselves – and our clients – if we are able to create similar enchanting experiences for our own clients.

To be able to invent great customer experiences, first of all we need to make sure we ask some key questions:

  • what is the customer experience with my product/service based on?
  • what can I improve to make the experience more valuable?
  • what should I do or add to make the experience simply delightful?
  • how can I create some kind of connection between the client and my company (product, service) so that he/she will never forget about the experience?

Did you and your company ask yourselves the above mentioned questions? And how did you find answer to them?

photo: freefoto.com

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