by As a Customer Loyalty expert, I harp on about the customer experience. I spend a lot of time talking about the customers feelings and how each interaction directly impacts how they feel. I also spend a lot of time talking about the difference you can make to each of your customers, and I am often dismayed and frustrated when I see examples of businesses and employees not doing that or doing the exact opposite and making it difficult for the customer to do with business with them.
Whether it is a customer support interaction, online purchasing interaction or face to face interaction it doesn’t matter, in every interaction we have with our customers it is about making it EASY for them to do business with us.
As Zimmer Communications says,
We like ‘easy.’ Who doesn’t? In fact, the easier it is, the more we like it and the more we’ll keep on doing it. What’s true in life is also true in business. It’s not a complicated concept – make it easy for your customers to do business with you. The easier it is for people to buy your products and services, the more likely it is they’ll do it and keep doing it. Therefore, the last thing you want to do is unintentionally complicate the buying process.
And here’s what I’m talking about, recently my mother-in-law’s car broke down in the middle of nowhere. And so, the RACV towed the car back home. We then started the process of finding a company to come to her home and fix the issue. It’s important to note here that the company we chose to do business with was a word of mouth referral.
On contacting them they came out and after approximately 45 minutes of trying to fix the issue, advised us that they could not fix it at my mother-in-law’s home, it would need to go to the service center.
Normally this wouldn’t cause any concern right, it’s the norm! However in these current conditions, it brought up concerns around COVID for my mother-in-law, you know, the risk factor of close contact with multiple people to get her car there and get herself home again and then having to repeat the process to collect her car etc, etc.
This company heard her concerns and made it easy – they organised the pickup of the car, they fixed the issue and delivered it back to her one day later as promised.
In doing so, they went out of their way to remove all concerns and made it EASY for her to do business with them.
A simple example of excellent customer service. We wouldn’t consider using any other business ever again in this area and we are all raving about them to family, friends, and colleagues.
In one transaction, they converted a whole family – loyal customers who are actively recommending them to others and have ensured not just one family members repeat business, but us all.
Surely, this result has to be worth making it EASY for your customers to do business with you.
Delivering 10 out of 10 Customer Service – It’s not Rocket Science!
Are you getting into your customers world?
Are you looking at the needs of your customers and understanding that maybe what you are proposing may work for your company, but does it really work for your customers?
Have you given your employees permission to go above and beyond to deliver excellent customer service?
If it’s a hassle for our customers we must be flexible and willing to adapt our service standards when required and within reason.
My point is that, sometimes situations or the needs of the customer might look difficult, but it simply comes down to what can we as business owners do to make it EASY to do business with us and leave them with a memorable customer experience.
If you would like to have a chat with me about ‘Customer Loyalty Best Practice’ contact me I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Craig