Now, let's suppose the above mentioned graph were charting the failure rate for your company's customer experience, perhaps measured through product defects, complaints or some other indication of an experience gone wrong.
Because that's really what the NTSB Go Team (along with other countries' aviation safety agencies) do. They root out the underlying reason for failing in the experience. Granted, when it comes to the NTSB, they're looking at failures that may be grave, leading to harm to dozens if not countless passengers. But the worth of the NTSB's approach is applicable to any business, regardless of product or service sold.
Think from it this way: There's a finite number of reasons why a plane will suffer an operational failure. By rigorously investigating every failure, and directing aviation partners to pursue remedial action, the NTSB and FAA have gradually narrowed their email list of potential failure points. Therefore, the remarkable and steady long-term decline in accident rates.
The same logic pertains to your business. There's a finite number of reasons why your customer experience may fail, from a product design flaw to an outdated hyperlink to an inaccurate instruction sheet. There may be a long list, but it's a finite list.
You could be remiss then, should you didn't go ahead and take opportunity to investigate failures when they occur, target the root cause and address the actual issue. Only by doing so are you able to start to check items from that finite list and begin removing potential causes of experience failure out of your customers' lives.
To bring the NTSB's proven method of your organization, keep three things in mind:
- Invest in investigation. When experience failures arise, people's focus is (rightly) on solving the issue for that affected customer. Once that's done, though, organizations just proceed to the next task – answering the next call, resolving the next complaint, manufacturing the next widget. Resist that temptation. Culturally, people in your organization must realize that an essential a part of experience recovery is wondering, “How did my customer even find themselves in this case?”
- Turn insights into action. It does not help anyone if your field sales rep or perhaps a answering services company agent understands the main reason for a customer experience failure, however doesn't have a power outlet to communicate that to people who can do something about it. In the end, the NTSB's investigations could be pointless without their safety recommendations and the FAA's associated airworthiness directives. Make sure there's a clear avenue for your staff to talk about their findings with people who can drive change, like a manager or an internal CX improvement team.
- Make it about progress, not punishment. Interestingly, conclusions from an NTSB investigation cannot be entered as evidence in a court. That is by design: The architects of the NTSB wanted the business to become considered an independent party, centered on preventing future accidents, not facilitating litigation. In the industry arena, staff have to be forthcoming to assist with root cause analysis. When they sense that the exercise is punitive, they'll likely hesitate to participate in a genuine way. Keep your exercise constructive, with an emphasis on continuous CX improvement.
Every company, even legendary ones, needs to occasionally deal with customer experience failures. What separates the great from the great is how the business approaches the resolution of these issues. Will it fix the problem for starters customer, or will it address the issue for all customers later on. The NTSB has certainly demonstrated its proficiency in the latter approach, chipping away at root causes and turning airline travel in to the safest transportation experience on the planet.
So, the next time your business encounters a customer experience failure, think about, “Who's on our Go Team?” Maybe it's a responsibility that lies with a dedicated unit, or perhaps an accountability that's baked into every staff member's role – ensure this investigative work consistently gets done, because it's that discipline that will keep your business flying higher.
