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CMO Ranks Home Depot Tops In Customer Experience

Get to the point and keep messages consistent. Might seem like a simple idea, but many brands don't communicate the same information across a variety of marketing and advertising pieces. So says a study released this week by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council that examines 25 brands.

"The Variance in Customer Experience" highlights inconsistencies in delivering messages across online, print, outdoor, viral, mobile, radio and television. It also examines information posted to company Web sites, making certain that it's consistent with that given by the call-in center. Among other things, it asks: Is the messaging accurate, and can consumers see three different versions of the company's logo there?

"The customer experience doesn't end with each individual piece, whether the Web site or the call center or the online advertising," says Liz Miller, VP, CMO Council. "Marketers need to look at the complete picture so all pieces have a consistent message."

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AT&T and Cingular, two big brands with unique identities and personalities, faced a challenge as they tried to meld the two companies without alienating subscribers of either brand. Cingular had a cool, hip bouncy guy, and AT&T had the more sedate corporate vision. "The fact you can visit AT&T's Web site and not randomly find a Cingular logo is fantastic, because [seeing one would] throw off consumers," Miller says.

The CMO Council, whose 3,500 members control more than $100 billion in annual marketing spend, ranked Home Depot No. 1 in overall customer experience. The big-box home improvement store was followed by Marriott Hotels, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Allstate Insurance and Dell. Those scoring at the bottom of the list included DirectTV, Major League Soccer, JetBlue, Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, MTV and Comcast.

Many of the losers had inconsistent information found at on the company's Web site or at the call center, which Satmetrix CEO Richard Owen says will turn away consumers in a flash.

While always important, the need to focus on the overall customer experience has become critical. Call centers are often viewed as a big expense, the council found, but this may be one area where companies don't want to cut to save on costs. "The message in this study says call centers have a very substantial impact on customer loyalty," Owen says. "Companies that cut back on consumer-facing applications generally fare much worse when money tightens compared with those that don't."

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