MY BLOGS
“Treat every customer like your only customer and make them feel like #1...because they are.” - Dr. Teresa Woolard
Introduction:
First of all, let’s define customer experience and how it differs from customer service.
Customer experience is a connection or feeling your customer gets from using your product or service (within your environment, or not) with the goal being that its memorable and positive enough to encourage the customer to return and share their experience with others.
While customer experience inspires a continued long-term, positive relationship, customer service, on the other hand, is more tactical and satisfies in the moment. Customer service focuses more on what went wrong and how to fix it while customer experience is part of an ongoing, strategic plan that aligns with your business goals.
Everyone wants to feel loved and connected (that’s what makes us human!). Get to know your customers. Engage them, show your gratitude; treat them as number one! Develop that first-time connection opportunity into a long-term relationship. They will become a loyal fan and an ambassador for your business!
Make your customers feel comfortable in your establishment. The “walls” will go down around them, they will feel more comfortable to chat, ask questions, provide feedback, feel heard, so you can gain more information about them and get to know them better; make a better connection.
Be a source of trusted information for your customers so they can learn to trust and like you. Then they will not only return, but perhaps become a “regular” and bring their friends, too!
Both externally (through your customers), but also internally (through your employees). Go on a customer journey through your business and anticipate potential customer questions. Teach and engage your employees how to properly answer such questions and hence, be able to better interact with your customers, ultimately improving the customer experience. Nothing hurts a customer experience more than that first interaction between customer and employee when the employee can’t answer their question.
Get creative with methods of interacting and showing your gratitude for them.
Well-known companies have implemented some or all of the above points into their business and experienced huge returns. Perhaps try it/them for your own business. I know I will!
Reference: Unlock the Secrets webinar, Allegra Marketing.