In the best of all worlds, happy customers mean loyal customers. Loyal customers
talk, create buzz and can be an advocate that leads to more customers. Customers
want an exceptional experience and will quickly switch to another company to get that
experience. Average and mediocre will be your ticket to customer loss. In a recent survey
done by Forrester Research, 76% of executives said they want to differentiate with a
customer experience. However the majority of the same executives state no clear strategy
or budget have been created to support this goal. How can you stand out from the crowd
and move to delivery vs. intention only. Get started with these strategies –
1. Allow team members to use common sense and discretion. Do you have enough
data at the fingertips of everyone so this is a reality? Customers do not want to
repeat themselves to multiple people. They do not want to demand a manager.
They want a real person who can listen and act.
2. Make it easy and simple for the customer across all channels. The best companies
are diligently working at “marrying” the information from the multiple channels
that the customer accesses. Don’t let one touchpoint be the reason they leave you.
3. Make exceptional experience an expectation. Train it, reward it, imagine it and
allow it.
4. Deliver proactive service. This is the key to staying ahead of your competition.
Reach out with information before the customer encounters a problem. This is
a cultural shift away from reactive service. Proactive means anticipating needs,
communicating and building trust.
Customers want an outstanding experience and will shop around for it. Make certain you
deliver one that causes them to stick around.
