The Temkin Group's Bruce Temkin has a six-step philosophy for pleasing users. "The trick to getting customer experience right," he notes in an article at 1to1 Media, "is simply to apply a bit of common sense." Don't miss the complete article (sign-in required). In the meantime, here are a few of Temkin's tips:

Set goals for your customer-experience efforts. Take a hard look at your current customer experience. What about it could improve? Divide your answer into two sections:

• Attitudes: How do you want users to think and feel about your company?
  
• Behaviors: What do you want them to do?

Find the key to cultivating the customer attitudes and behaviors you seek in a way that is natural, not forced. This is a journey that can take years, Temkin notes. Remember, you're setting a path for them to follow—not pushing them, kicking and screaming, through a doorway.

Focus on the four core competencies of great customer experience. According to Temkin, they are:

1. Purposeful leadership. Make sure your team leaders operate consistently based on clear, well-articulated values.
   
2. Employee engagement with your goals.
   
3. Compelling brand values that drive decisions about how the customer is treated.
   
4. Customer connectedness. Offer easy ways for customers to provide insight—and integrate them throughout your organization.

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