The days when companies simply needed to meet customers' needs to succeed in business are over. Customers are more and more demanding, and the merely satisfied customer is not necessarily going to be a loyal customer. Service needs to be taken to a higher level, beyond just satisfying customers. Their expectations need to be exceeded. Studies have shown that when a company does that, they are far more likely to create loyal customers.
What will get a customer to remain loyal? Better yet, what will turn a loyal customer into your best source of advertising—someone who'll tell their friends and family about your products and services? Simply put, you need to surprise and delight them. The following steps will help you:
1. Satisfy your customers.
Before you even begin to try to surprise and delight, you need to make sure that you are doing a great job of satisfying your customers. Too often, people rush into doing all the extras before they do the basics. Make sure that you keep your promises and provide good basic service. How can you be sure that you are doing what you need to do to simply satisfy your customer? You need to ask them. Survey your customers to see if you are providing the kind of service that your customers expect. Surveys can be simple to create. Make sure that you make it easy for your customers to answer. Four or five questions will suffice. Also leave room for comments. Often times, customers may need to tell you things that you forgot to ask. If you get a negative comment, make sure that you follow-up with the customer and fix the problem.
2. Find out what your competitors do.
Learn everything you can about your competition. Find out what they do for their customers. It is perfectly acceptable to use them as a benchmark.
3. Find out what your customers want.
Once you are sure that you are meeting your customer's needs, you can begin to learn more about your customers. You and your employees are in the best position to learn about your customers. Every time you get a chance, engage your customer in a discussion about what they want and need. If you discover something that you can do right away, do it. If you are not empowered to do what should be done, seek out a manager or the owner and see if he or she will help you go the extra mile.
When asked, the people who provide the best customer service say that it's their personal mission to provide great service to each and every customer. If you decide that your mission is to surprise and delight each and every customer rather than "make a sale" or "reach your quota," you will have a much higher success rate. Write out your mission statement and review it daily to remind yourself how important exceptional customer service is to you.
5. Make it personal.
Although you can and should have some customer service processes and procedures for all of your customers (i.e., provide a warm greeting, listen well, etc.), in order to really provide exceptional customer service you need to make it unique to the customer. This means that you need to listen carefully to the clues your customers give you. You then need to find creative ways to give them something they may not have expected. Always listen to your customer's tone of voice and watch their body language to make sure you are properly gauging their reaction.
When you hear the words "surprise and delight," is the first thing you think, "Okay, what's it going to cost me?" Do you assume that the only way to "surprise and delight" is to spend, spend, spend?
Here's the good news: some of the most effective ways to "surprise and delight" your customers will cost you little or nothing. All you need is just the right intent and a bit of creativity. Start by thinking about the small things you can do on a regular basis. You might consider how you could add a personal touch to your business transactions.
Here are some low-cost ways to "surprise and delight" your customers:
- Thank your customer for their business by handwriting a note on your invoice or sending a personal thank you. With the advent of emails, a handwritten personal note has an amazing impact.
- Follow up with a phone call to see if your customer is still happy. When you call her, ask about her family or something else personal that you may have learned about her.
- Email your customer information about something you and he or she spoke about.
- Contact the customer on his or her birthday with a phone call.
- Be warm, welcoming and excited to provide service. Your exuberance will be contagious.
- Have a great customer service recovery process. And make sure that you don't quit solving your customer's problem until he or she is fully satisfied.
About the Author:
Laurie Brown is an international trainer and consultant who works to help people improve their sales, service, and presentation skills. She is the author of The Teleprompter Manual, for Executives, Politicians, Broadcasters and Speakers. Laurie can be contacted through www.thedifference.net, at 877-999-3433, or at lauriebrown@thedifference.net.
