Have you ever lived through a major renovation project or lived through construction of a house or condo? I say “lived through” because it can be harrowing, on a #firstworldproblems level for sure, but harrowing nonetheless.
Selecting the right shade of gray or arguing with your spouse about 1-inch or 1.5-inch tile becomes exhausting. And then when it all comes together, you need to walk through your new home or renovated first floor and create a final “punch list” with the contractor.
I have no idea why it’s called a punch list, but it’s really just a final checklist of what needs attention. Here’s an example.
I remember creating our punch list moving into a new home in 2007. My husband and I scoured each room, looking for imperfections which needed fixing before we took final ownership of the house. There were a few big things – lights installed incorrectly, for example. However, the bulk of the list was a litany of small to medium items.
- Corner of living room ceiling requires touch-up.
- Pencil marks on wall in upstairs bathroom.
- Broken tile in corner of hallway
I’m pretty sure it took 1-2 days to complete the repair of every single item on our punch list.
Customer experience can be a lot like this!
There are some big things, but within the customer journey there can be a crazy amount of small things.
One exercise I’ve done with clients is to create a CX Punch List. Make it a mission to correct or repair every small thing that’s preventing your customers from completing their task or creating unnecessary effort for them. Here’s how to do it.
Gather up a group of either your department or several others, if you can. Then challenge the group with the question: what can we do something about in the next month?
Make it a sprint.
Make it easy. Reward those “fixes” that are the easiest and simplest to attack. The goal is to under-complicate the entire process, then keep it moving.
Here’s an example of some of quick CX wins, thanks to a CX Punch List.
- Stop the duplicate mailing – send the new business welcome letter from salesperson only.
- Get phone number on mobile home page of site.
- Correct typo on invoices.
- Provide customer service number on delivery forms.
- Create template for “problem order” emails from account reps.
- Share Jane’s technique for speedier transactions via quick video.
- Dust the lights over display!
It’s not about making huge, dramatic impacts.
In fact, it’s really about the small things that add up to a better experience for your customers. But want to know the real secret to this technique?
You will find some big things. You will discover what should be a priority. Then you’ll fix a small thing and pull the thread a little more and realize there is something to correct upstream that makes everyone’s lives easier.
Are punch lists important when you are signing off on a new home? Yes, absolutely. Are they important to your customer journey? Yes, they are.
Put on your hardhat, grab that clipboard, and get to work!
