Want an Incredible Customer Experience? Don’t Copy Zappos, Apple or Disney

                                                                                                                                    
Zappos, Apple and Disney . . . some names often mentioned for the great customer experience offered.  I am not here to debate whether they are or not.  The issue is YOUR service organization should NOT copy any company, process, technology, best practice or anything from another company any time.  That means never.

Salespeople will tell you about the standard option or what is hot.  Technology salespeople are wizards at this and will say things like “it is best practice” and “everybody uses it this way in the industry.”

You see the problem is what works for another company won’t necessarily work for your organization.  Systems thinking tells us that each organization is unique by structure, culture, management thinking, work design, etc. and copying another organization without understanding the differences is to create waste and sub-optimization.  

While doing bank management consulting I saw banks copying other banks all the time.  The front office, middle office and back office design was copied over and over again.  The design in most cases was faulty and they had to have the added expense of buying technology to move things from front to back office making their technology costs sky rocket and their service get worse.

A company that has success, usually has success because of its unique abilities.  Copying another organization just makes you a “wannabe.”  It is not very original to tell your customers we are just like Zappos, Apple or Disney.  In the words of Genie (from Aladdin) . . . “Be yourself.”

Leave me a comment. . . share your feedback!  Click on comments below.

Tripp Babbitt is a speaker, blogger and consultant to service industry (private and public).  His organization helps executives find a better way to make the work work.  Download free from www.newsystemsthinking.com “Understanding Your Organization as a System” and gain knowledge of systems thinking or contact us about our intervention services at [email protected].  Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.

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