Fatal Assumptions that are Killing the Customer Experience

7/23/2025

Last evening I had dinner with a good friend. We proceeded through our typical topics of family and travels after which she conveyed her disastrous treatment by store personnel after her purse was taken from her cart. Completing her saga of the poor customer interactions she suffered, she added, “Foxy (solely ideated from my last name), I immediately thought of you. You've dedicated your career to improving customer experiences. Why are they still so terrible?”

Splendid question, and one I continually ask myself.

At first glance, it appears that we have failed. All the noise: books, seminars, training exercises and cheerleading about the customer experience have not produced significantly better customer experiences on a consistent basis. However, an important evolution of thought has taken place over the last couple of decades. We’ve transitioned from focusing on front line personnel as the provider of customer experiences to understanding that the entirety of the organization provides customer experiences. AND, most importantly, we’ve come to understand that company culture is the milieu from which all customer experiences spring.

Hope is Not a Strategy but a Perfect Mindset to Begin

Despite or perhaps because of stories of insolent cashiers, phone calls not being returned, car repair hell, endless waits in a physician’s office, frustrating phone systems without human access, indifference, there is a huge opportunity. McKinsey & Company states that declining customer satisfaction rates across a range of companies suggest that many companies have lost their focus on the customer. There are certainly exceptions to these bright spots. You can name a few. However, many other organizations are still operating under potentially fatal assumptions.

Potentially Fatal Assumptions

Assumption #1—Our Service is Good

Just a dollar, that is all I want for every time I’ve been told by an organization that they are “known for great service.” When asked to defend that statement, anecdotal evidence prevails. A random call from a customer, a five star google review or the fact that they have received few or no complaints, are the answers given most often. Many companies assume that if there are just a few or no complaints their service is at an acceptable level. After all, why would an organization put resources into improving service if they believe it’s fine?

Assumption #2—Service Matters but not That Much

Another reason companies choose not to allocate resources to improve the customer experience is a failure to understand that experience quality actually impacts the bottom line. Multiple surveys of CEOs present data where the CEOs state that the customer experience is a top priority, yet, few put actual resources, either human or financial, into improving it.

There is a tendency to sense that service matters but to believe that it does not matter that much, at least not enough to impact real growth and profitability.

Let’s be candid. Resource allocation, that part where expenditures are made to improve the customer experience, is a harder dollar to spend than expanding marketing efforts or upgrading your physical environment, or your website.

Without a commitment of resources, a service initiative is merely “lip service,” like saying your health is a priority, while puffing on a cigarette.

Let’s get to the Heart of the Matter

Imagine you wake up in a different country, especially one that differs from North American culture, you are likely to notice indicators of the local culture right away. Language, dress, road rules, values, menu items, behavior, and definitions of crime all vary across cultures. In Singapore, for instance, selling or importing chewing gum is banned to maintain public cleanliness. Cultures reveal themselves clearly.

In parallel, when an organization intentionally embeds values, speaks a language of customer focus, has engaged employees, creates policies and processes with the customer in mind, generates performance standards at each and every touchpoint, AND hires to standards with the customer in mind, the customer will notice a positive difference. They will ‘feel served.’ Yes, I used that term intentionally. There is a difference between ‘getting served,’ and ‘feeling served.’ People remember how we make them ‘feel.’ When a customer ‘feels served,’ they are more likely to recommend you, buy more, casually talk about you. They’ve become loyal, and loyalty is a matter of the heart.

The most significant concern any organization can have today, is whether their customers “feel served.” In the behavior sequence, feelings precede action. Said another way: How people behave is critically affected by how they feel. Customer retention depends on this fact. Customer acquisition, through promoters and referrals is an outcome.

Getting Started

Each employee inside an organization owns a part of whether the customer feels served. The customer will only feel served however when all the impressions from all the touchpoints scream loudly with one voice.

If you are wondering how to begin to create the culture described here, start with a few questions and get your entire staff involved. Good starter questions are:

What systems, processes and policies need to be in place for our customers to feel served? Which ones need to be changed?
How would you rate the customer experience we provide on a scale of 1-10? What can we improve upon?
How would you rate the internal customer experience on a scale of 1-10? What can we improve?
What tools and resources do you need to do your job better?
What does the leadership do well? What can leaders improve upon?
When our customers feel served, what have they experienced?
What touchpoints is each staff member responsible for and how can they be improved?

Please note that a culture which automatically cultivates loyal customers does not happen overnight, without struggle and without a strategy. It is only possible when leaders are on board, committed to change and relentless in their drive to bring their aspiration to reality. The leader’s heart is really the heart of the matter.

Are you creating or killing customer loyalty? Joan Fox takes the stage at CANA's 107th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention to present what it really takes to succeed with customers and grow your business.

There's still time to register! Join Joan and CANA in Phoenix on August 6-8, 2025, register here. Teams of 2 and more save $200!

The author, Joan Fox, has provided speaking, training and consulting solutions for some of the world’s best organizations for more than 30 years. She has noted expertise in improving the customer experience, organizational culture and leadership teams. Joan is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Chronicles of Sir Vival: Customer Service Under Siege, endorsed by Ken Blanchard. Her clients include AT&T, IBM, Xerox, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Wells Fargo, Safran Landing Systems, Johns Hopkins, Mitsui Sumitomo and numerous others.

Successful Succession Planning

7/9/2025

When discussing succession planning, I always like to start by asking: How many of you are actively engaged in succession planning? If the answer is anything less than “everyone,” it’s a missed opportunity. Succession planning isn’t just for business owners; it’s critical for managers, employees, and everyone in between. It’s about fostering redundancy, nurturing talent, and preparing both individuals and organizations for a seamless future. Done effectively, succession planning allows you to focus on the most critical tasks as an owner, manager, or employee.

Starting with the End in Mind

A successful succession plan begins with a clear vision of the future. Ask yourself:

What’s your path forward?
As an owner, when do you envision retiring? Will you step back partially or fully? Will you remain involved in the business in any capacity?
What’s the future health of your business? What does it look like one year, five years, or ten years from now?

Assessing Your Business as a Living Entity

Think of your business as a significant relationship. Is the future bright, or are there issues brewing? Here are some key questions to consider:

Are you the sole keeper of your business’s critical knowledge and processes?
Are family dynamics, such as involvement of children, creating complexities?
Do key employees play a central role in your succession plan?
Are you reinvesting in your business, or are you depleting its resources?

The answers to these questions can significantly shape your succession plan. Ultimately, your goal is to build equity in your business and ensure its longevity, even if you step away. To assess your progress, consider having a business valuation done along with a business assessment to assist in crafting annual strategic plans. These tools can help you determine whether your business can thrive without you.

Four Pillars of Business Success

When evaluating businesses, I focus on four key areas:

Customer Service
- Measuring satisfaction through meaningful surveys.
- Fostering a culture of customer experience (CX) by implementing training. programs. A recommended resource is The Customer Service Revolution by John DiJulius.
Workplace Culture
- Utilizing effective onboarding and employee development tools to strengthen your organizational culture which will enhance productivity and employee satisfaction.
- Holding regular meetings, including daily huddles, to boost morale and align goals.
- Conducting employee satisfaction surveys.
Marketplace Position
- Having an effective pre-need and aftercare follow-up program.
- Hosting lunch-and-learns and other events.
- Engaging with key influencers to amplify your business’s story.
Financial Health
- Maintaining robust accounting and budgeting practices to ensure financial stability.
- Ensuring the correct balance sheet metrics of cash, receivables, and debt load.

Maximizing Business Value

A well-planned succession strategy aligns with periods of high opportunity and low risk, translating to high value. Businesses with strong life expectancy typically attract the best offers during a transfer. Here are two critical metrics that highlight the importance of effective succession planning:

Case Count Trends
Consider three funeral homes, each with a 500-call volume:

One sees an upward trend.
Another is stable.
The third is experiencing a decline.

Even with identical call volumes, their values differ significantly based on the trend direction. Positive trends generally enhance value, while declines diminish it. The mere notion of trending indicates that you need to start now to impact the future positively as it takes time!

Average Sale
Rising cremation rates and low-cost competitors can impact average sale prices, affecting a business’s overall value. For example, a $100 decrease in average sale at a 500-call firm can equate to a value loss of $300,000 or more. Conversely, increasing average sales can yield substantial gains.

Analyzing performance within your team can reveal disparities in how individual employees contribute to or detract from the business value through their own individual average sale. Aligning compensation with these contributions is essential. (i.e. Incentive Compensation Plans).

The Challenge

In conclusion, ignorance may feel blissful, but it’s far from strategic. Knowing your business’s value today, yesterday, and tomorrow is crucial. By proactively creating a vision and tenaciously pursuing it, you can dictate your success. Succession planning isn’t just about transferring ownership; it’s about ensuring that your business thrives long after you’ve stepped away.

For additional guidance or questions, reach out to Johnson Consulting.

A funeral home is more than a business—it’s a legacy. But what happens when it’s time to pass the torch? This August 6-8, at CANA's 107th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention, Jake Johnson leads a motivating session. Exit with Success: Succession Planning and Your Business is designed to help funeral professionals take charge of their future, their value, and their exit strategy.

Success isn’t just about luck; it’s about preparation and perseverance. By working hard, you can create your own “luck” and ensure a thriving future for your business. Join Jake Johnson at CANA’s 107th Annual Convention this August 6-8, 2025. Special rates are available for teams to learn, grow, and implement strategies together. Plus, the schedule is redesigned to ensure you can explore the Valley of the Sun in the cool mornings and evenings and fully savor the networking and learning in the air-conditioned Convention hall during the heat of the day. Visit cremationassociation.org/CANA25 to learn more and register today!

President & CEO at Johnson Consulting, Jake Johnson began his career at Keystone Group Holdings (now Dignity Memorial Network) as Associate Director, Corporate Development. This job included financial analysis, bank and equity partner presentations, along with accounting and system setup with acquired funeral homes. Jake then went on to work at Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries in Las Vegas, NV, which at the time handled 6,500 funeral home families and over 2,200 cemetery cases out of 6 locations. Here Jake conducted funeral directing, funeral arranging, funeral home management, cemetery operations management, and sat on the executive board. Jake’s ability to problem solve business issues contributes to his success in currently owning a funeral home and cremation center in Sun City, AZ, along with a small-town funeral home in Batesville, IN.