"Our Take" - Ego Snaps

(Past Editions by: Date, Title, Topic)

 
About "Our Take" 
"Our Take" is a collection of daily vignettes covering a wide range of CRM topics. It's an attempt to add our own spin to the world of CRM. We will use the column to share our perspectives, opinions, epiphanies, web nuggets, or quite frankly anything that moves us. Get ready to expect the unexpected. And, don't be shy about sharing your thoughts.
 
 
1/11/08 - Ego Snaps
Ego Snaps are not a new breakfast cereal. It is my new phrase for you. I recently came across the term during an airplane flight when the flight attendant paid a bit of attention to me and I got a good feeling about the encounter. Later, I was told by the person sitting next to me that I had just been party to an "ego snap." When I said that I had never heard the term, the observer told me the phrase was spontaneously inspired by the encounter.
 
Hmmm. . . I was a bit skeptical that such a bland encounter inspired such a neat phrase. But a quick Google search suggested that it was not a widely used term. Even if it existed, I had never heard it before. I've had the opportunity to use the phrase over the last few weeks and I really like it. I continue to ponder my feelings about the encounter and what that means in the context of the customer experience.
 
The more I thought about it, the more I believe the customer experience is often biased by that feeling of an "ego snap." I believe there is real power in giving the customer an "ego snap" now and again. Here is the interesting thought that I want you to consider. How much of the time is the "ego snap" conscious versus subconscious? If the observer sitting next to me on the plane had not said that I just got an ego snap, would I have consciously realized what had happened? Probably not. Do you agree?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
1/14/08 - Give Someone an Ego Snap
Did you read my Friday column on ego snaps? Many of you replied that a little bit of positive attention outside the norm of the customer experience can be an incredibly powerful thing.
 
I don't have research on the subject but the common reaction is that it "feels good when some one pays attention to you." That good feeling can linger longer than a 10% savings or a few extra points on the rewards card. For some businesses, it may be the number one factor to increasing loyalty.
 
Are you in a business where a few well placed "ego snaps" would directly translate to a bigger top line as well as a much larger bottom line? How do you encourage the use of ego snaps in your business?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)