I've just returned from a lovely few days in Rome where I watched the Scotland rugby team beat rivals Italy. Now those of you who know me are probably wondering why I was there as Rugby isn't high on my interest list! Wonderful food, historical sights and a trip to Sorrento are just a few reasons for starters!

It's actually only the second time I've been to a rugby match; the first one being two years previously in Rome where Scotland also beat Italy. Had I not listened to the media commentators or followed social media I would be forgiven for thinking that the Scotland team were in fact superstars, as I'd only ever seen them win.

In terms of this particular customer journey I was an infrequent traveller, unlikely to be vociferous either way so long as the experience matched expectations.

We all have infrequent passive travellers in our customer bases; all too often drowned out by the outliers who demand instant attention. Knowing where to focus valuable resources takes savvy skill; how do you try to pacify the detractors whilst seizing and building on the positives; all the while being aware that the vast majority are neither but could be moved up with a little attention?

And critically how should we balance the resource allocated to measuring customer experience with that spent actually delivering it real-time?

Like most of us I'm often frustrated by the volume of requests to find out what I think of a service; sometimes before I've actually experienced it. Clumsily constructed demands for our opinion which don't allow real expression of views are a huge waste of money and ultimately lead to a diminution of brands; even where the view may be neutral until that point.

Conversely, timely interventions at an appropriate point in our journey can build brand advocacy and even negate the need to ask duplicate questions as the answers are captured throughout the experience. Walking through an airport and pressing the smiley or grumpy face is a simple but effective way of capturing opinion real-time; a questionnaire two days later about the security experience is unlikely to provide accurate insight.

Helping many organisations along the way with understanding customer journeys and areas of strength in the business is CCA Global Standard. It’s a non-prescriptive set of common sense principles embracing the customer, employee engagement, data security, technology, business performance and communication – and more. It is geared to helping organisations identify and address gaps and evolve a culture of excellence in customer experience. It’s more a journey, a step-by-step exploratory process, recognising successes at both the organisational and individual level, and provides support and guidance in addressing any weaknesses. For more info click here.