Engineering the Customer Experience
You know what an interview is and you’ve probably even heard of an exit interview. But consider conducting “stay interviews.” — This means interviewing your most loyal and engaged team members and asking them what compels them to stay with your company; to what, specifically, they attribute their loyalty? After all, the customer experience is in direct correlation to the employee experience.
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If you must attach a marketing/promotional/invitational document to an e-mail, a PDF is much more professional (and usually more convenient for your customer to view) than an MS Word doc. And if it’s information you’d like for them to pass along and share with others, a web link is most effective.
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The customer experience is in direct correlation to the employee experience.
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“Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.”
-Kevin Stirtz
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If you absolutely must use the word “no” with a customer, at least say it with a sincerely apologetic tone. Then move quickly toward offering what you *can* do.
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A satisfied customer is nowhere near as powerful as a WOWed customer. WOW experiences help to create customers for life, while satisfactory service barely gets you in the game.
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You’ve probably noticed that some clients prefer to communicate in-person or via telephone, while others prefer to communicate mostly via e-mail or even text messaging. Once you’ve established a relationship with a client, take note of this and be mindful of their preferred method of communication.
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Don’t make excuses with your customers and clients. Just make it right.
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“You don’t always have to make [the customer] feel special, you just have to listen. Focus on the customer and what they need at the moment. Be polite. We learn this lesson in kindergarten, but sometimes it’s the simplest lessons that have the most impact. People will come back to places they feel welcome.”
-Bernie Pitzel
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Eliminate anything that could come between you and your customer, serving as a possible distraction (i.e., flashy jewelry, visible tattoos, dark sunglasses, strong cologne/perfume, mobile headset, or even sports apparel). It’s more difficult for people to get to know you when they are distracted.
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