I recently had an experience that got me thinking about customer service and why customer experience matters so much in business. I bought a dining room table from a big company, and after using it one single time, there were water cup stains all over it. When I called to ask if this was normal, I was informed that, yes… this table isn’t water-resistant and stains if it gets wet.
Ummm…. Do you have kids? I couldn’t understand how and why a dining room table would function this way. This wasn’t clear in their product description, so I kindly asked for a refund.
But this is where things got frustrating. It seems that every person I talked to at this company didn’t want to deal with it. They continued to pass around my customer service case from one person to the next, and no one took the time to resolve my issue.
Not only was this a personnel issue, it was, at its core, an internal customer experience process issue. My request didn’t seem too out of the box, yet nobody knew how to handle it, and I was left not feeling cared for.
So let’s talk about how this translates to our businesses!
What is Customer Experience?
Customer “experience” isn’t just about customer service. My experience with this company was definitely a customer service issue… but it was more than that. It was a systems and processes issue which has everything to do with customer experience.
According to Hubspot → Customer experience is the impression your customers have of your brand as a whole throughout all aspects of the buyer’s journey. It results in their view of your brand and impacts factors related to your bottom line including revenue.
Why Customer Experience Matters
If you aren’t lazy, you’re already lightyears ahead of your competitors. But if you take just a little more time to create a smooth customer experience that really nurtures them or brings that extra “delight”… then you are on your way to a business built on reputation!
Think about how you felt as a customer when the person (or company) went above and beyond for you? You felt amazing, right? And I bet you that you were compelled to share that experience.
And that’s the goal. When you create an incredible customer experience, you’ll build better customer retention and customer referrals, propelling your business forward.
Ideas to make a great customer experience
Have a workflow in place
You are in charge of the customer journey. From the moment they inquire about your services until the moment you onboard them as a client, their customer experience should be seamless and special.
You can also refer back to the Hubspot resource because they have a free customer journey template in there for you to use!
Set expectations
A major component of how the customer feels about their experience is whether or not their expectations are being met. And how can we meet their expectations if we don’t know what they are? Taking control of their expectations is so important. If you tell them what to expect, you’re golden… as long as you hold up to your end of the bargain.
Send out new customer/client gifts
This isn’t a required step, but it’s a fun one. Going that extra mile to send a gift to your new clients or customers goes a long way. These are the types of interactions that make working with you a shareable experience. Referrals for the win!
Have a process in place for unexpected events
Just like my dining room table experience, sometimes unexpected events happen. Maybe someone needs a refund. Maybe they need to skip a month of service, or maybe their products never got delivered.
Regardless of the situation, try having a process in place to deal with those. Sometimes we will get caught off-guard, and that’s ok. It happens. The important thing is to learn from it and be ready for the next time. There’s always something to learn in every hard experience.
Make Them Feel Like Gold
This all comes down to prioritizing how the customer FEELS at every part of their journey with you.
Do they feel seen? Cared for? Appreciated? Excited about their investment? Valued? Like one in a million?
Let’s make this our goal! Create a customer experience that compels your people to shout you and your business from the rooftops!
