I pulled into this bank and was so appalled to see this sign I had to share it with you. I’m sure Wells Fargo didn’t intentionally mean to hurry you along – but the message they are sending to their customers is, “Don’t spend any longer than an hour with us or we will tow your car.” I personally know Wells Fargo is dedicated to improving their NPS number (Customer Service Net Promoter Scores) But this threatening signpost serves to denigrate their score. Every financial institution we’ve ever consulted with would LOVE to have customers spend all afternoon with them. The more time you spend with a bank, a credit union, or a financial advisor is invaluable for (1) building relationships and (2) getting more of the customers wallet. In this case, whoever was in charge of the parking lot was obviously ONLY concerned with traffic turnover…not that Well Fargo is in business of earning and retaining customers. THAT complex process doesn’t have a 60-minute time limit. What’s the solution (besides yanking the sign immediately)?
At Ross Shafer we are in the business of designing and engineering predictable customer outcomes. We can accomplish higher Net Promoter Scores when the company is willing to examine their operations from the customer’s experience…inch by inch. If we worked for Wells Fargo we would create an emotional Customer Journey Map of every tiny touchpoint from the parking lot – to the greeter – to the teller – to the signs in the lobby – to the handshake of the personal banker – (et al) and back to parking lot. If you don’t, you can quickly degrade your customer base…and never know why. What’s worse, is that (thanks to Social Media) we live in a ‘Recommendation Economy’ where your customers can tattle on your poor practices to thousands of their friends. Some of them might even write a blog…about an insulting sign they saw 😉