Low-Hanging Fruit - Part 3

In the previous two blogs that discuss the elephant in the room, this blog takes the next step in describing the elephant. As we describe the elephant using such terms as customer satisfaction, customer experience, customer loyalty, net promoter score, etc. various metrics are provided with the hope of describing the elephant. Metrics used by each of these majors often contain similar measures.

Each of the metrics that researchers derived for the various characteristics of the customer have assumed that the individual metrics captured sufficient information to describe the company/customer relationship. However, as described in parts one and two of this series of blogs, are only characterizing a fraction of the elephant. What has really been captured in the various metrics noted above is the “low hanging” descriptors of the elephant. The elephant, which I have used symbolically to describe the entirety of the company/customer relationship, has only been defined using easily measured parameters.  These parameters are generally limited to the direct interaction between the customer and the company and have only short-term and limited impact on long-term memory.

First Conclusion:  current metrics represent only the low hanging measures of the company/customer relationship

The first question that comes to mind once it’s recognized that only low hanging metrics are being used to describe the company/customer relationship is what measures are missing.  Within that question are the questions relating to other customer contacts not included with the low hanging measures and what measures are missing that are not direct measures.

A comprehensive measure of the company/customer relationship requires two components; namely, direct metrics and indirect metrics.  

            The DIRECT METRICS consist of the metrics of the direct interaction between the customer and the company.

            The INDIRECT METRICS consist of the non-interactive relationship be the customer and the company continues to have an impact on both the customer and the company.

Second Conclusion: the perfect relationship between a company and a customer occurs when all metrics are maximized.

Until all the metrics, between direct and indirect, are known, measured, and maximized the likelihood of understanding the state of the customer/company relationship can not be assessed.