WaterRemarks -- April 2022
News and views from customer experience advisory firm Watermark Consulting
A Message From Watermark Founder Jon Picoult
Should you stop trying to delight your customers?

That's the advice of some customer experience experts, who believe the key to building loyalty lies not in delighting customers, but rather, just making their experiences easy and effortless.

But then there are other experts who vehemently argue that customer loyalty is best forged through the delivery of exceptional experiences that far exceed customer expectations.

So, who's right? And, more importantly, what does it mean for your customer experience strategy? That's the question I tackle in this month's lead story.

Best regards,

Jon Picoult
Founder & Principal
Watermark Consulting
Customer experience
The Great Debate: Should Customer Experiences Be Effortless or Exceptional?
There are two distinct schools of thought in the customer experience world, and they seem to be at odds with one another. One says the key to business success is in the delivery of exceptional, delightful customer experiences. The other says it's all about making things easy and effortless. Which is the correct strategy? In this article for Destination CRM, Watermark founder Jon Picoult offers a surprising answer. [5 minute read]
Why Customer Retention Is A Poor Measure Of Business Success
If you're doing well retaining customers, then your business must be healthy, right? Not so, explains Jon Picoult in this interview with the "Press 1 For Nick" podcast. Click on the excerpt above to learn why. [36 minute show]
Case study
Case Study: Creating A Customer-Centric Workforce
How do you get scores of employees scattered around the globe to deliver a consistent, industry-leading customer experience? You teach them Watermark's "12 Principles" -- the dozen techniques used by legendary companies to turn everyday customers into raving fans. [2 minute read]
Calendar flipping
ICYMI: Last Month's Edition Of WaterRemarks
Did you miss out on last month's edition of WaterRemarks? No worries, here's a link to access the newsletter and its lead story: "How Apple's Former Retail Chief Is Again Redefining The Customer Experience."
THE LAST WORD
"I am not in business, as a shareholder of Starbucks, to make every single decision based on the stock price for the quarter. Those days, ladies and gentlemen, are over."

-- Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, speaking to the company's U.S. store leaders at an internal forum earlier this month. This marks Schultz's third stint as CEO, and he has promised to invest in employees, cafes, and customers to help the company overcome its latest challenges.

Watermark helps companies impress customers, inspire employees and improve brand loyalty. Contact us to learn more.