Being the best in your field is not limited to creating a marvelous product. It’s much more than that. To be heads above the competition you must create a fabulous Customer Experience.
Pants. I was eager to buy some pants. I had cash in hand, had taken the day off work to go into the city (a grand day out), and was on a mission! Turned out I was on Mission Impossible.
By store #3 my eager optimism turned to depression. I felt like I was a leper, somehow, I had become an invisible person. Why was no one acknowledging me much less helping me? Did I look frumpy like I didn’t have money to spend in these stores? Did I have a massive bitch face when I walked in? Was it because I wasn’t twenty-something?
No, no, a thousand times no!
After store #4 I got ticked off. I said, “screw the pants, I’m going into the chocolate company and heading home.”
Four businesses lost my money that day. They lost me. I came in prepared to drop some serious coin and left not ever wanting to step foot in these stores again. Awful.
Contrast this to my experience I had with a service business, Columbia Laser Skin Center.
My regular gal was out on maternity leave, so I got someone new to me. Pleasant surprise this woman was congenial, asked me questions, listened, she made me feel at ease.
My next visit was with the same new gal. I was stunned when she asked me something about my business that was VERY specific. I don’t even recall what it was; I just remember thinking, “holy cow, either this woman has an AMAZING memory, or she wrote this down! I don’t even remember talking about this!”
Either way, the result was that I felt she really took the time for ME. She wasn’t just providing the service on yet another customer, she was seeing and knowing ME. Me the real live person.
She didn’t simply provide me a service, she provided me
with an excellent experience.
Want to be heads above the competition? Take fifteen minutes and follow these three easy steps. It’s time to be YOUR customer!
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Walk Through Your Front Door
Think like your customer, dress like your customer, anticipate your order or the service you’re about to receive. Get in the frame of mind like your customer. As yourself these questions.
- Is this place well lit?
- Do I know what to do or where to go when I walk in?
- What does it smell like?
- What are the sounds I hear?
- Who greets me and how quickly do they greet me?
-
Belly up to the Bar (so to speak)
Place or order or check in. Do the thing your customers do. As yourself these questions.
- Is this person friendly and helpful?
- Do they look me in the eye and smile?
- How are they presented? If this employee was mingling with customers would I be able to tell the difference?
- How helpful are they?
- What “extra” thing do they do that makes me feel welcome? (or are they doing the minimum to make the sale?)
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Exit Stage Right
When you leave answer the following:
- Did other customers/guests seem to be happy and enjoying themselves?
- What’s the walk like back to my car/bike?
- Was I encouraged to post or engage in some form of social media? Hashtags, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
- Would I bring or refer my boss (or another respected person that’s important to you) to this place?
- How did this business reach out to me when I’m out the door? Thank you receipt? Customer Survey? Invitation to join social media or e-news? Was I asked for a kind review (and given a link)?
To be the best, the top of the heap, pay extra attention to e on every step above.
#5 is where you’ll enhance the customer experience.
#5 is where you get ahead of your competition.
#5 is what wins you loyal customers.
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Kaizen.zone
Grow your business through creating excellent customer experiences!