Customer Experience Tip #1253

Your customers and clients are inadvertently dropping little hints about themselves ALL THE TIME. Are you catching it? … And are you using it to both build rapport and enhance their experience? A.B.C.I. = Always Be Collecting Intel.

Customer Experience Tip #1252

“We take most of the money that we could have spent on paid advertising and instead put it back into the customer experience. Then we let the customers be our marketing.”

–Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com

Customer Experience Tip #1251

If you’re going to reward new customers for becoming new customers, then you’d better be doing something (even greater) to acknowledge, honor, and reward those customers who’ve been loyal to you all along. Loyalty begets loyalty.

Customer Experience Tip #1250

If an internal process or even a job title that is currently being used carries a negative stigma with it — or is simply no longer accurate or adequate — consider reinventing it. If change is overdue and that change has the potential of improving the perception of customers and staff alike, then you shouldn’t wait for permission from your industry. Be the change.

Customer Experience Tip #1249

“What’s the ROI (Return on Investment) if we invest in customer experience?” What’s the “cost” if you don’t?! You can be intentional about what your customers experience from your team and their interactions OR you can leave it to chance. Can you guess which approach makes more business sense?

Customer Experience Tip #1248

Among your staff, you have people who are advancing the customer experience with their positive can-do energy and those who are holding it back with an outward appearance of indifference or even disdain. Do what you can to retain your best people — they will carry your culture forward and continue to attract great customers and clients.

Customer Experience Tip #1247

“The client experience is what we sell, the rest is often a commodity.” –Ryan A. Fox

Customer Experience Tip #1246

If you’re going to copy (adopt) what someone else is doing, then be sure to give credit where credit is due. You’ll be found out, and no one likes a rip-off artist. If you’re going to allow your product/service to be influenced by something you’ve seen elsewhere (adapt) then say where the inspiration came from. It makes you more credible and more likeable. And when you’re a pioneer (innovating) with your product/service, everyone will know it because you’ve demonstrated transparency and integrity all along your journey.

Customer Experience Tip #1245

The best time to share that difficult news with your customer is often in real time. They want to know as soon as you know (just as you would if you were in their shoes). If you can share it as it’s happening, then your emotions will be perceived as real … because they will be … and that customer will feel kept in the loop; in partnership with you. It’s never easy, but let’s remember that bad news does not improve with age.

Customer Experience Tip #1244

Become the expert your customers seek. Know your products and services so well that your customers trust your expert guidance and are even willing to pay more for it.