Talk about vindication.
Faced with the difficulty of marketing a little-known, albeit talented fighter as a credible threat to all-time great Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Championship, UFC worked overtime to position Chris Weidman as a legitimate danger.
Armed with some highlight reel finishes (albeit ones few casual UFC fans even saw) and testimonials from numerous fighters who felt he could defeat Silva, UFC positioned Chris Weidman as the blueprint for beating the man no UFC fighter had beaten in seven years. The man who, confident in his superior skills, speed and reflexes, routinely toyed with his ineffectual opposition. The man who, with increasing frequency, is labeled the best fighter of all-time.
Whether or not the messaging inspired casual mixed martial arts fans to purchase Saturday’s UFC 162 remains to be seen, but it had little effect on betting lines, which continued to label Weidman the clear underdog. And though most analysts did feel Weidman had the skillset to conceivably beat Silva, they still grew resentful of the ferocity behind UFC’s marketing.
Then it happened. Chris Weidman, written off by so many "experts" as the latest victim for the dominant Silva, ended one of the most impressive win streaks in the sport’s history by knocking out the champion. Most impressive was that he did it playing striking ace Silva’s game; instead of staying composed and focusing on his wrestling, Weidman took the showboating Silva’s bait and cracked him on the jaw.
Whether UFC—and the fighters who spoke on Weidman’s behalf—were as confident as they claimed to be became moot; Weidman did win, and the aggressive marketing campaign behind his competency was proven correct.
But Weidman’s win—and Silva’s loss, his first ever in the UFC and first overall since a disqualification in 2006—does more than justify those who make bold marketing claims. It also presents numerous lessons of relevance for customer management professionals.
No One is Invincible
That the aging Anderson Silva would eventually lose was inevitable. But insofar as never shown any signs of that age—and, in fact, seems to get more dominant, more creative and more skillful with each fight—few mixed martial arts fans and analysts approached a Silva fight anticipating his loss. They might recognize a fighter like Chris Weidman’s theoretical ability to beat Silva, but that did not mean they ultimately had confidence he would find fault in the invincible Silva.
That aura of invincibility went out the window Saturday. And brands, too, need to remember that no matter their talent or reputation for customer service, they are still capable of "losing."
No matter one’s previous level of excellence, every customer service interaction—just like every fight—represents a new opportunity to succeed or fail. If an organization, even one with the reputation of a Zappos, does not put its best foot forward at every moment of its customer experience journey, it can absolutely fail, losing customer loyalty and hurting its reputation for excellence in the process.
Customer-facing organizations, just like fighters, will rarely win on the strength of their previous accomplishments. They build—or destroy—loyalty based on the now, and if they do not perpetually remain as driven for success and as prepared for the unknown as they were when they built their reputations, they will—whether immediately or gradually—see their reputation endure the black marks of failed customer service interactions.
But Setbacks Can be Overcome
Though he did not help his chances by so aggressively showboating, Anderson Silva was not "screwed" in his loss to Chris Weidman. He did not land on the bad end of a poor judging decision. He lost via a definitive knockout a round after Weidman had easily—and dominantly—taken him down. Whether he would have won the fight had he employed a different strategy remains to be seen, but he absolutely lost his UFC 162 main-event.
But, in the wise words of UFC President Dana White, only "creeps and weirdos" would suggest that the knockout loss destroys Silva’s legacy as the greatest of all-time. All fighters lose; virtually none have Silva’s skills or resume of accomplishments.
Customer management professionals are wise to recognize this reality. No matter how much they care about the customer, how seriously they take the customer experience and how adeptly they prepare for challenges, they will, inevitably, fail from time to time. In the moment, those failures can absolutely impact the business’ reputation, loyalty and bottom line.
But for how long—and to what extent—will that impact rear its head? That question is up to the business. The better its historical reputation for caring about customers, the more tolerant its customers will be of a single mistake. And even in cases where that mistake does negatively affect a long-standing reputation for excellence, if a business does all it can to minimize the impact of that mistake—and then shows an immediate and significant desire to improve and avoid such mistakes down the road—it can absolutely set itself on the road to recovery.
For most, Anderson Silva’s UFC 162 loss represents human error; a forgivable black mark on an excellent career. But even those who see it as something more damning would have no choice but to forgive if he bounces back from the loss with some big wins.
Silence is not the Same as Approval
Aware of his advantages in technique, speed, reflexes and positioning, Silva was known to showboat against fighters. These antics, which included dropping his hands, lifting his chin up, encouraging opponents to take free shots and dancing around, doubled as arrogant showmanship and as attempts to bait his lesser-skilled opponents into engaging with strikes.
Prior to Weidman, no one had ever taken advantage of this element of Silva’s game, which provided him with the confidence needed to continue going to the well.
Silva’s cocky in-ring antics represent the antithesis of sound fighting technique, but insofar as no challenger had ever been able to take advantage, he had no motivation to change his strategy.
Many customer-facing organizations succumb to this same "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" philosophy. As long as revenue is up and complaints are in check, they assume that all facets of their customer experience are in great condition and that no sweeping change or significant investment is needed. Resting on their laurels, such organizations blind themselves to more meaningful customer sentiment and subtle changes in the market and become vulnerable against competitors who do stay more in tune with the marketplace.
Forgetting that tolerable is not the same as admirable, these organizations succumb to customer experience inertia, missing out on opportunities to gain more ground—and build more loyalty—in the marketplace. And though they, like Silva, might maintain a considerable advantage over most competitors, when their version of Chris Weidman comes along, they will pay the price for their complacency.
It’s Okay to Break Protocol
When Weidman, a standout wrestler who successfully took Silva down on his first try, accepted Silva’s bait and demonstrated a contentedness to stand with the talented striker, thousands of fans and analysts instantly wrote off the possibility of an upset victory. Like so failed challengers many before him, Weidman was going to move away from his gameplan, fall into Silva’s trap, and succumb to a humiliating knockout.
Obviously, that did not happen. Weidman, due to an apparent combination of ego, confidence and desire to avoid expending the energy associated with constant takedown attempts, engaged with the showboating Silva. His decision paid off; had he focused purely on wrestling and staying outside of Silva’s striking range, he would have missed out on the opportunity to crush Silva with the decisive left hand.
Customer-facing organizations, too, need to exhibit versatility in their practices. They are absolutely right to prepare—the stakes are too high to let agents engage customers willy-nilly—but they must also remain flexible enough to account for the unexpected.
If a business—or one of its agents—identifies an opportunity to provide a better experience than would be delivered by standard protocol or policy, it must absolutely be empowered to seize on that opportunity. Customer management is not a black-and-white endeavor, and for all the planning a business devotes to its strategy, it must remain open to functioning in the gray.
Do Not Settle for Defeat
Though the sappiest of lessons, it is arguably the most valuable for customer management professionals.
Facing Anderson Silva is a tremendously tall order, and it is one that proved too tall for his fourteen previous UFC opponents. Weidman, however, embraced the challenge, and demonstrated confidence not only in his ability to survive Silva’s onslaught but to decisively beat him.
After successfully taking Silva down in the fight’s early moments, it would have been easy for the talented wrestler to retain top position and coast to a victorious first round on the judges’ scorecards. Instead, believing he could finish Silva, Weidman dropped back for a leg submission—and actually lost his advantageous position in the process.
Once back on the feet, Weidman easily could have stayed on the outside and bided his time until another takedown opening emerged. Save for one half-hearted attempt, he never again tried to bring Silva down, and instead demonstrated confidence that he could outstrike a dominant champion known as one of the best kickboxers in mixed martial arts. His strategy was successful; he won by knockout.
Weidman’s combination of confidence and determination resulted in an historic victory. Customer-facing organizations that dare to be bold and dare to question the status quo stand to achieve similar success. By refusing to accept notions that contact centers cannot be efficient while also customer-centric and by leading the team to improve on its customer service metrics, even those which are high by market standards, businesses will prove that refusing to settle is the surest way to achieve success.