MY MANTRA, “Give value and do more than is expected,” is the cornerstone of exceptional customer service. Living up to this mantra requires a shift in mindset. You must constantly prioritize your customers’ needs above your own, while simultaneously asking yourself how you can improve your quality of service. By doing so, you will establish trust with your clients, make them feel heard, and ensure they feel cared for in a way that will make them want to repeat the experience with you again and again.
Brand loyalty is developed when employees establish a positive and authentic emotional connection with the consumer. Start by looking for small ways to exceed customer expectations, and over time you’ll gain the skills necessary to keep a customer for life.
Be sure to deliver (or over-deliver) when it comes to your promises! Remember, just doing what is expected typically means performing at a minimal level.
Think of Your Customer as Your Partner
Create a brand promise so compelling and effective that it makes your customers think of you as a partner rather than a vendor. Your brand promise must be apparent in every touchpoint a client encounters with your company.
Let’s look at Dell Inc. as an example. They started by asking their customers what they wanted their computers to do—both at present and in terms of future product development.
Then they connected with their suppliers and challenged them to develop innovative plans so the changing needs of their customers would be met.
Brand loyalty is developed when employees establish a positive and authentic emotional connection with the consumer.
Treating customers as partners continues to be a foundational strategy throughout Dell. The company’s founder, Michael Dell, has a reputation for anonymously entering internet chatrooms where individuals openly discuss their purchasing likes and dislikes. This practice serves as a tremendous learning opportunity for both Dell and his company.
Know your customers by segment, by spending, by market, and by product, and work to make them advocates of your company’s efforts. Actively listen to your customers and seek their input. All feedback is a gift to be cherished!
Give Your Customers a Membership Experience
Whether or not your customers are actual members, treat them as such—special!
Customer membership is a powerful strategy that can leave clients with lasting positive impressions. Make it obvious that you’re happy to have them on board. Loyalty programs and social media networks are dynamic features in the membership experience because they create an appearance of being exclusive and socially popular.
Think of the airline industry, which is known for giving a great membership experience to its frequent flyers. They offer benefits in the form of redeemable travel miles, upgrades, preferential seating, unique perks, and more.
When customers subscribe to membership clubs like StitchFix, Dollar Shave Club, and FabFitFun, they receive handpicked products from the company that are tailored to their member profile.
Treat each customer like they’re your only customer, and you can own their loyalty; they will likely go on to rave about their experiences with you to others.
The best customer memberships are interactive in some way and keep the customer thinking about you and your brand in a positive and emotionally connected light.
Treat each customer like they’re your only customer, and you can own their loyalty; they will likely go on to rave about their experiences with you to others.
Get Team Members Excited About Working for You
Creating positive work experiences for your employees is critical because customers can often perceive the “atmosphere” of your company’s culture—whether it’s enthusiastic, cheerful, and caring… or not! You want to keep your employees happy, and there are many ways you can accomplish this through leadership action, engaging activities, strategic communications, training, and an emphasis on brand awareness.
Happy employees will attract friends, family, and—most importantly—customers to your brand. There are multiple benefits that come from creating an environment where your employees are happy and committed:
• There is an observable ripple effect when people are happy.
• Success is often linked to happiness.
• When people enjoy their work, it’s reflected in their attitude.
• Happy people are less stressed, and reducing stress increases productivity.
• Creativity rises during periods of contentment.
• People gravitate toward happy people.
• When the right conditions exist, your employees bring extra positive energy to work, and your customers benefit from it.
Remember, your employees are a powerful tool when it comes to guaranteeing exceptional customer experiences. Honor and treasure them.
Delivering Great Customer Experiences Generates an Environment Where Employees Win and are Proud of Their Work
Making adjustments to keep pace with a changing world can only happen with a motivated team. Receiving fantastic feedback from your clients can be a real encouragement to your team, and they’ll want to continue providing the ultimate customer experience. One way to accomplish this is by developing innovative internal recognition and reward systems that are tied back to the desired customer outcomes.
Make it easy for your employees to do business within the company. Encourage employee interactions with executives by making them accessible, by setting appropriate policies, and by making information available using internal websites and HR systems. C-suite leaders (especially) should be transparent in their actions.
Maintain open lines of communication with your team to motivate and inspire them. Constantly make them feel valued, and they will be encouraged to continue working for you.
Google’s mantra is, “Do cool things that matter.” This mantra is exhibited well, both internally and externally. Google provides its employees with great perks and a neat campus-style workplace that inspires them and keeps their performance levels high. This translates into great customer experiences, which serve as positive reinforcement for the employees and make them proud of the brand. Note how the pattern becomes a continuous cycle.
When the customer experience demonstrates caring and commitment to excellence across the journey, your brand will be in the consumer’s top of mind each time they look to buy!
Tony Jeary—The Results GuyTM—is a prolific author and a strategist. His organization, TJI, facilitates powerful meetings, keynote events and coaches high performers to accelerate their results.
