Wow Customer Experience - What's That????!!!!!

In a brainstorm meeting yesterday, we were trying to define what constitutes a “Wow” customer experience. The five of us – four customer experience strategists and one brand guru had such interesting viewpoints that I feel compelled to share. We asked ourselves so many different questions including:-

• Is it when that hotel has all your booking details and remembers your preferences including choice of room and preferred drink?
• Is it when that restaurant welcomes you and has the food just right and the service is both respectfully aloof but warmly attentive at the same time?
• Is it when your bank calls you for no particular reason but to appreciate you for your custom over the years?
• Is it the government office that you visit and you are mighty surprised at the pleasant service and efficient operations that have you in and out in half the time you expected?
• Is it your mobile service provider who not only responds to your enquiry fully but goes on to advise you on how you can make your experience more cost effective for your good?
• Is it the supermarket attendant who personally walks you to the shelf and shows you where the product you are asking for is and offers to carry your shopping basket to the till?
• Is it when the matatu conductor waits until you get to the door of the vehicle, greets you, asks you where you want to sit and then holds your luggage as you get in and ensures your comfort?
• Is it when you write an email to that yoghurt manufacturer and make a suggestion and not only do they respond to thank you, but implement it and provide you samples in gratitude?
• Is it when you visit the garage and not only does your mechanic finish repairing the car on time as promised, but also throws in a thorough car wash ensuring your car is sparkling?
• Is it when the shop keeper near your house goes the extra mile to pack your eggs in a newspaper first before putting them in the paper bag to ensure your walk home is comfortable?  

We had quite a number of examples of what we felt were “Wow” customer experiences and given their diversity, we sought to see if there was a common thread running through them. We sort of agreed on a few things that seemed to be consistent. What was coming through was that these experiences: had the effect of making the customer feel special; had an element of surprise and delight built in; demonstrated that thought and care had gone into the actions; had the customer feeling like a VIP irrespective of the value of their transaction; and provided an opportunity for the provider to expressly give meaningful attention to the customer’s needs.

If these are the things that elicit enjoyable and treasured customer experience, then it is worth noting that they are not costly initiatives in the least. Some don’t involve any monetary implication at all, and yet have an emotive effect that would have customers very endeared to the brand and have them most definitely regularize their custom.

Isn’t it time therefore that we bust that myth that seems to imply that to implement customer focused activities big budgets are required? Clearly the evidence on the ground indicates quite the opposite! So yes go out there and “Wow” your customers – they deserve it.

“Bad Service” From Your Customer? Ditch Them!!!!

Good customer service dictates that we should love our customers and bend over backwards for them whilst going the extra mile. This is the mantra we should all live by because the customer is the business and business is the customer and that’s just the way it is. BUT…………

We must acknowledge that there are customers who are a royal pain! I’m not talking about challenging customers who complain and get us out of our comfort zones to be more creative and solution oriented. No. Not those ones. Not the ones who ‘make noise’ with a view to having their grievances resolved so that they may return. No. Not those ones either. I’m talking about problem customers. The ones, who completely drain you, drain the business, drain the staff and drain everything valuable to the organization – time, resources and money.

First, let it be clear that you must identify these customers and second, after identification, you must DITCH them immediately! Divorce them! Let go of them and run without ever looking back!

Strange customer service advice right?

However radical, this is just the way things need to be done in order to keep sanity alive and the enterprise going. There’s a common saying that you cannot please everyone. That is just the way the world works. Whilst maintaining an excellent customer service ethic in dealing with customers, it is important to not allow these exceptional few to derail you. And in general they are an exception rather than the norm. There will always be that customer who behaves in a manner that would have the team cringe at the thought of them and dread any interaction with them.

Let’s be clear here…. these are the types who:

•                    Constantly manifest abusive tendencies to you and your staff, where the abuse may be verbal or physical. No matter what the problem is, there is really no need for a customer to be constantly abusive. There are instances where it may be an overreaction to something, and often genuine customers have been known to come back and apologize for their over-reaction. But a customer who is constantly abusive? No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly issue threats to you and your staff, where these threats take the shape of violent threats, threats to your physical wellbeing, threats to go to the competition, threats to take the complaint to social media and other public places, and threats to have your business closed down. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly make unreasonable demands on you and your staff. These types constantly try to take advantage of your business for their gain. This could take the shape of wanting unreasonable refunds, wanting free services rendered, wanting more than they paid for and wanting to constantly be waited upon over and above the scope of the business transaction. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly flout your payment terms. These customers completely ignore the payment terms on your contracts and invoices, demand huge unreasonable discounts not inclusive in your agreements and that are injurious to the business, have you run into debt trying to service the impact of their non-payment. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

Problem customers are extremely toxic and as with all things toxic, the great author Israelmore Ayivor tells us to “Save your skin from the corrosive acids from the mouths of toxic people.” These customers usurp the precious time you and your team need to focus on taking care of and delighting other customers. There is no return on investment for babysitting problem customers of this nature.

Granted it is not easy, but it is in every business’ best interests to bite the bullet and in the most professional manner possible, part ways in the most professional manner possible. Please remember that the golden rule of handling all customers with courtesy, dignity and respect still applies here. With utmost professionalism, cut off the customer and let them go gently. In all the research I’ve done on this topic this fantastic blog by Nicholas Reese has by far the best description of scripts available that can be customized to use to let go of your problem customer.

So yes……..do it today today today! Take action. Protect yourself and your team. You owe them that much.  Protect your business from the financial and emotional trauma of problem customers. You owe the business that much. And most importantly STOP thinking about, worrying about and strategizing how to handle that customer. Just DITCH Them! Because “Letting toxic people go is not an act of cruelty, it’s an act of self-care.” – Author Unknown

Customer Service and The Business Hierarchy of Needs

I recently sat through a technical sales training session by sales excellence expert Sam Kariuki who was coaching Energy Engineers to effectively communicate and ‘sell’ their world changing passions. He referred to page 66 of his book on entrepreneurship The Guy Who Fired His Boss - where the business hierarchy of needs is outlined. As Sam went on to expound on the critical need to understand where in the hierarchy a business is, to effectively match the communication, I kept thinking about the role of customer service excellence within this hierarchy and where and when to apply it.

So let’s unpack the hierarchy and make note of exactly where customer service plays a role and to what extent the space in which an organization is playing within this hierarchy, influences service delivery.

When examining the issues affecting organizations, and what must occupy their boardroom thoughts as they transition through the triangle, providing superior customer service stands out as a solution to all pressing problems.

When faced with financial survival needs – there is no better, more cost effective and more impactful tool ever created than word of mouth marketing. Viral word of mouth is a direct result of excellent customer service experiences that turn customers into brand ambassadors. The solution for enterprises at this stage of life is to apply delightful customer experiences always.

Businesses, plagued with productivity issues, requiring to increase efficiency and optimize on the resources available, stand an optimistic chance of delivering on their objectives by upping their internal customer service game. An enthused workforce that knows that the leadership of the organization cares and is rooting for their success, are the very source of brilliant ideas on how to cut costs and increase efficiency. The solution for enterprises at this stage of life is to completely delight the internal customer and wait for positive results.

In their advisory to customers, Sales Force © mentions that “The most successful businesses have one thing in common - great customer service. Unlike differentiators of quality, innovation or price, great customer service is a differentiator that can't be bought; it's a competitive advantage that can only be earned.” Enterprises worldwide need not look any further than at this description of what delivering excellent customer service can do for a business and how impactful it is on the bottom line. The solution for organizations fighting for competitiveness in the business hierarchy of needs is to purposefully create delightful customer experiences.

Self-actualization for corporates aligns directly with brand equity that is loosely defined as the commercial value derived from consumer perception of a brand name rather than from the product or service itself. The question then begs – what creates powerful brand names? Human beings are emotional creatures and the ‘feel good’ factor is what drives up brand value. Brands that create emotive connections with customers get recognized for it and have reputation to protect and live up to. To fight to keep in brand leadership position requires maintenance of delighted customers through the brand life cycle.

So there you have it! At no point in an organization’s life cycle is customer service execution more or less important than the other. It pays to focus on the customer and to have the entire business aligned to customer centricity. The question of how to sustain customer delight, and how to ensure products and services are geared towards eliciting a feel good outcome for customers, should never be far from any entrepreneur’s lips. Whether just starting out or already at conglomerate level, the prescribed medicine is the same - Customer Delight To Be Dished Out To Customers In Huge Doses.