Engineering the Customer Experience
When things go awry, saying to your customer, “This has never happened before!” isn’t wise. Telling them that they’re the only one who has ever been affected like this isn’t going to make them feel any better … in fact, it will likely make them feel worse, or unlucky at best. Instead, empathize with their situation and move quickly into recovery mode.
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For a simple solution to “warming up” this favorite mode of communication — Rather than just a first initial or name fragment, find a way to fit your entire first name into your e-mail address. (Of course, this may be more challenging for large companies who employ more than two dozen Marys, but certainly not impossible.)
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“Empathy is the ultimate form of customer insight.”
-Don Peppers
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Never underestimate the importance of studying and becoming expert at knowing your products and/or services. Doing so not only makes you a valuable asset and resource for your clients, but your personal sense of preparedness and expertise will give you tremendous confidence.
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Designing the most effective impeccable customer experiences begins with a dialogue, not a policy. Your people will support what they help to create and “ownership” trumps “buy-in.”
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If you have a professional social media presence (and you should), people want to see you engaged; participating in conversations and not just broadcasting.
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“Companies with highly satisfied customers generate superior returns because customer satisfaction is critical for repeat business, and that type of business is usually very profitable. That is, loyal customers tend to be highly profitable as long as their loyalty comes from their satisfaction and not because prices are low.”
-Claes Fornell, Founder of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)
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When it comes to dropping the ball with your customers and clients, taking responsibility is just that … owning the problem and taking responsibility. In other words, it doesn’t have to equal guilt, blame, fault, or shame.
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The customer experience is in direct correlation to the employee experience… Survey your staff and ask, “On a scale from 0 to 10, overall, how likely are you to recommend us as a great place to work, to a friend or relative?” You might follow that up by asking, “What’s the primary reason for the number you chose?”
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Interview Question
Ask, “If you could fly, be invisible, or read minds, which would you choose? (pause after their answer) Why did you choose ___________?” You might just discover something very telling about their character, intentions, and/or values.
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