If there is a secret weapon for improving or creating an excellent Customer Experience, it is the interview. It is all about seeing for yourself, unfiltered, what people think about your Product and Service and how they use it. You can’t get this information from a report or a survey. Many top-performing managers do this on a consistent basis.
The most convenient interviews you can obtain are within your own organization. They are your internal customers – your employees. Employees, especially those who come in contact with customers, can be a wealth of valuable, direct information. In America, we refer to it as “Walk-Around Management.” In Japan, the term is Genchi Genbutsu - which translates into “Go and see for yourself.” There are no short cuts. The higher you are within the organization, the more you need to mingle with employees and customers because you are that much further away from the front lines.
One-on-one sessions and groups composed of employees at the same level can be the most revealing. It is helpful when interviewing that you ask some “warm-up” questions before asking the more penetrating ones. Multi-level groups are less productive as employees can be afraid to “open up” in front of their managers.
Your workers will know if your organization’s strategy is working, or if it needs tuning. Their views on policies, customer contacts, growth, and their job satisfaction can tell you a lot. Toniq (toniq.com), a New York brand development firm uses client employee interviews with great succes. You can too.
Intermediate and Final Customers are also critical in obtaining honest and valuable information. Focus Groups and actual observation of Product use are usually employed to capture this information. Professional moderators are not necessary as open, honest sessions with you or other company representatives can get the job done. After all, who knows your organization and its products better than you do? (Follow this link for more information on "Go and See for Yourself".)
Social Media is a new term that deals with customers communicating with one-another. It can be either good or bad. It can include websites, blogs, twitter and other technologies. The key here is to be tuned in to what customers and outsiders are saying about you. Social Media is also good for gathering suggestions. What is absolutely critical is to be able to quickly address negative issues to the satisfaction of a reasonable customer. You can monitor comments, good and bad, in social media with Google Alerts.
You can’t always be perfect but you can apologize, make corrections and keep your brand viable. You will additionally be able to gain a lot of insight into product issues, service process shortfalls and be able to prioritize change.
You now should have what you need to create a successful Plan.
The most convenient interviews you can obtain are within your own organization. They are your internal customers – your employees. Employees, especially those who come in contact with customers, can be a wealth of valuable, direct information. In America, we refer to it as “Walk-Around Management.” In Japan, the term is Genchi Genbutsu - which translates into “Go and see for yourself.” There are no short cuts. The higher you are within the organization, the more you need to mingle with employees and customers because you are that much further away from the front lines. 
Social Media is a new term that deals with customers communicating with one-another. It can be either good or bad. It can include websites, blogs, twitter and other technologies. The key here is to be tuned in to what customers and outsiders are saying about you. Social Media is also good for gathering suggestions. What is absolutely critical is to be able to quickly address negative issues to the satisfaction of a reasonable customer. You can monitor comments, good and bad, in social media with Google Alerts.