Northlander promotes loyalty tool

David Espiner, Whangarei businessman.

If you've had dealings with a customer helpdesk or made a purchase from a nationwide retail store recently you may recall a follow-up email or question on the receipt asking you to rate your experience.

Usually the question is: "on a scale of 1-10 how likely are you to recommend us to friends or colleagues".

This customer loyalty assessment tool is called Net Promoter and Whangarei businessman David Espiner is its trained, certified consultant for Northland.

Mr Espiner, who has 30 years experience as a business advisor and chartered accountant, says Net Promoter (NP) helps businesses improve customer loyalty and profitability.

It does this by assessing what customers are saying and then acting on that to makes things better for all.

The system's follow-up action steps provide the tools to act and improve customer and employee loyalty and business results, he says.

"Results will vary by business depending on what their goals are as it is not just limited to financial results. However, it is no coincidence businesses that have the highest NP scores are also the market and financial leaders as well," Mr Espiner said.

"It has been well proven that leaders in the customer experience field [most use Net Promoter in some form] have profitability and growth at least two to three times the market, they outperform and out last their competitors, and have a lasting competitive advantage."

As the only certified provider in Northland, that he knows of, Mr Espiner says his Profit Hub business is always looking for ways to stay relevant and to provide bankable value to clients.

That search led to Net Promoter which he says was the "best in class" business improvement system, based on customer experience.

"We have always found that if you want to see what is going to impact NZ businesses in the future look overseas. The US is usually five years ahead of us and Aussie up to two years.

"Many businesses discount Net Promoter because they think it is for large multinational businesses only.

"They couldn't be further from the truth."

The Net Promoter question and measurement is being used by an ever-growing list of NZ businesses such as supermarkets, banks, clothing retailers, real estate firms, insurance companies, hotels, Mr Espiner says.

He says technology definitely improves the process, but it is not technology dependent.

"People often lose sight that this whole process revolves around the customer, who is a person, not a piece of technology, so you have to design around the person not the technology. You also use face-to-face, phone, written forms as well.

"The customer, fuelled by technological advances, has an ever-increasing impact on, and power over, businesses these days and this is predicted to continue for at least the next 10 years; what people are calling the 'Age of the Customer'."