I’m excited to share the first in a series of new Customer Experience Vigilante videos with you.

Armed with only a camera and my determination to “enlighten the public,”  I’m taking the CEV on the road to look at the successes and challenges of today’s companies as they strive to deliver great customer experiences.

 I invite you to watch my first CEV video – as I brave the wilds of IKEA in Atlanta in search of a bed for my home.  We’ll take a look at the realities of th customer experience at this popular retailer.

What’s your experience of IKEA?  Share your thoughts by posting a comment. 

I’d also love your thoughts on my video series.  Post your comments here!

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Atlanta-based homebuilder John Wieland has been in the news for his Get Housing Moving tour. Wieland is traveling across the southeast in his customized motor home, “camping out” in unfurnished, unsold homes in Wieland neighborhoods until they sell 101 homes. Why 101? Because Wieland says it’s time to get back to the fundamentals – he’s going out to talk personally with prospective buyers about low interest rates and price cuts.  

I’m sure some people will dismiss Wieland’s trip as a gimmick, but they’re missing the mark. When you talk about engineering the customer experience – about listening to your customers – you have to acknowledge what a great learning experience it will be for him. He’ll be at ground level, seeing and hearing about the economic climate from his customers, rather than reading about it in marketing studies. To navigate at the top, you have to LISTEN on the ground.

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It’s no secret that our economy has seen better days. Prices are up on everything from gasoline to rice, while employment rates and consumer confidence are down. Businesses are hurting. What should they do to stay afloat while the undertow of an unsteady economy sucks the others under?

Recent studies reveal that a customer-centric approach to business is the equivalent to a life jacket in a sea of economic uncertainty. If research doesn’t move you, look at computer giants Dell and Apple. Why is one trading at a dismal $21 a share while the other is soaring at $187? How do they differ? You might answer, “Well, their marketing strategies are different.” I agree. Or you might say, “Apple has more innovative products.” Again, I can’t argue with that. But what I think makes the most difference is the manner in which each company treats their customers, current and potential.

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