Engineering the Customer Experience
The subconscious mind loves analogies, metaphors, visualizations, and positive terms. So, imagine sitting down to an amazing lunch with a favorite client at your favorite restaurant while excitedly sharing future success stories … in great detail. Now, how’s that feel?
“Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!”
-Gene Buckley, President of Sikorsky Aircraft
At the end of a call, let the customer hang up first. Otherwise (if they’re still there and hear that click (or worse, a slam)) it may appear that you are rushing to get off the phone.
Keep a tidy voicemail inbox. If callers hear, “This mailbox is full and cannot accept any messages,” what might that imply about you?
If your goal is to have your front-line staff make your customers and clients feel smart, important and valued, then you must be doing your part in having your *front-line staff* feel smart, important and valued. The customer or client experience will never exceed the employee experience … at least not for long.
After any interaction, your client will likely be left feeling one of two ways: 1) “I felt they were acting in my best interest;” or 2) “I felt they were acting in their own best interest.” How do you and your team leave people feeling?
“Customers don’t always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was stale and they weren’t enjoying it. Once they tasted ours and experienced what we call “the third place”.. a gathering place between home and work where they were treated with respect.. they found we were filling a need they didn’t know they had.”
-Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks
“Our goal is that each and every client feels that we’ve ‘thought of everything.’ What do you think that might look like?”
When using printed name badges for your attendees choose either around-the-neck lanyards or magnets (rather than stickers or clips) for a professional and universal feel and design. Also, make their first name the largest (most easy-to-read) field.
When writing to (or about) someone, don’t risk the chance of misspelling their name. Instead, copy/paste their name from a reliable source (i.e. Google profile, LinkedIn, their own e-mail signature block, company directory, etc.).
