Minding Your Own Brand

Have I resolved your problem ... Continued

In this example, everyone and everything had done what they were supposed to do:

the “No Fee” promo piqued my interest
my friend convinced me to open the account
the branch manager opened my account
the system produced my monthly statement
the system withdrew my monthly fee
the system generated the overdraft notice
Anna “resolved” my issue
my account was closed

Did all the “transactions” happen correctly? …. Yes
Did each step go according to the script? .... Yes
Was the customer satisfied? .... I guess so
Did the experience make me an advocate? .... No

Even though I was “satisfied” with each step, not one person or system deepened my relationship with the bank and it definitely did not turn me into an advocate. Each step was a “success” but because they operated independently, the entire experience was a failure. I still wanted to leave my big bank but this small bank offered me no compelling reason to get off my butt, close the old account and set the new one up. Even when I called Anna and told her exactly why I was underutilizing my account, she followed her script and allowed me to slip away without even offering a way to make my transition to her bank easier. So much for the more customer-focused regional bank.

In the beginning, this bank succeeded in making me a customer which is usually the hardest part. But instead of creating an extraordinary experience which would make me an advocate, they went through the motions and failed to keep me as a customer.

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The Ultimate Question

Driving Good Profits and True Growth

by Fred Reichheld

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