In this video I discuss the art of delivering a positive customer experience, even when things are hectic and you have to move quickly.
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A comment I often hear during customer service workshops is: “Customers have gotten so demanding. They expect too much!”
I respectfully disagree. I believe that customer service in general has gotten so bad that most customers expect nothing, and even a nice smile or sincere hello is a delightful surprise.
The one area in which I do agree that customer expectations have dramatically risen is in regard to speed of service. Technology has trained customers to expect things FAST. Why wait 3-4 days for a book when I can have it in 30 seconds on my Kindle? Why go to the movie rental store when I can use Netflix to stream movies right to my television? Why wait in the store checkout line when I can scan my own items and be out the door in half the time?
And if an organization is too slow, trust me, customers can easily find one that’s faster.
What the Numbers Show
A recent article in Harvard Business Review titled, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads,” discusses the importance of speed when following up on internet-generated sales leads. According to the researchers, $22.7 billion was spent in 2009 on online advertising in the attempt to attract potential customers. The researchers audited 2,241 U.S. companies to see how well they followed up on the leads generated by the advertising. The results, as you might guess, were all over the map:
- 37% responded to the lead within one hour.
- 16% responded within 24 hours.
- 24% responded in over 24 hours.
- 23% never responded.
The average response time of all companies that responded was 42 hours.
Look at the investment in $$$ to generate business, and the lack of investment many companies make in responding to those leads. Amazing!
And here’s the point – according to the research:
“Firms that tried to contact potential customers within an hour of receiving a query were nearly seven times as likely to qualify the lead (defined as having a meaningful conversation with a key decision maker) as those that tried to contact the customer even an hour later – and more than 60 times as likely as companies that waited 24 hours or longer.”
I believe one of the best comments you can hear from a customer is, “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!” It sounds like they appreciate your efforts. But remember, if you hadn’t gotten back to them so quickly, they likely would have moved on to a competitor with just a click of the mouse.
Something to think about: Is your speed impressing your customers or causing them to move on to other options?
I’m always looking for the subtleties that differentiate good customer service from great customer service. And the difference usually is subtle. This example highlights that difference.
My son and his girlfriend were doing some grocery shopping, and one of the items on their list was a water filter for a sink. After a few minutes of searching, they approached a store employee for help. Let’s freeze the action at this “moment of truth.” Their interaction with the employee could’ve gone in one of four directions:
Option 1 – The employee says, “I’m not sure where the water filters are. If we carry them, they’re probably on aisle six.” You then go off searching on your own – really just continuing the search you’ve already been on. This is the scenario, unfortunately, most customers have come to expect.
Option 2 – The employee says, “I’m pretty sure the filters are on aisle six, I’ll go with you to find them.” While certainly a better customer experience, most of us have been in the position of following a store employee up and down aisles we’ve already searched until ultimately finding the item or abandoning the search.
Option 3 – The employee says, “The filters are on aisle six, let me show you.” The employee walks you directly to the item.
Option 4 – (And this is what happened) – The store employee asked Danny and Nikki if they had more shopping to do, which they did. He said, “Tell me the type of filter you need, you go ahead and keep shopping, I’ll find it and find you.” Which he did. He delivered the filter and he let them know exactly where they could find filters in the future.
I’m glad my son shared this story with me because it showcases the possible customer responses to each of the four options:
- Option 1, of course, leads to frustration.
- Option 2 also leads to frustration, as well as a feeling of discomfort as the customer tags along behind the “scout.”
- Option 3 begins moving us in the right direction – to a feeling of appreciation.
- Option 4 takes the customer one step beyond a feeling of appreciation; it results in the customer being impressed.
Having a customer feeling appreciative is certainly good, and in many circumstances appreciation is the best we can hope for. But when a customer feels impressed with an employee’s efforts, it creates a memory (an “impression” – what a great word). Impressed customers are not only appreciative, they tell others about their experience. Just like my son did with me.
When my son shared this story with me, it reminded me of Walt Disney World’s “Take 5” initiative. Every Disney cast member is encouraged to take 5 minutes every day to do something extra special for a guest. The rest of the time, of course, Disney cast members are expected to perform at a high level, but at least once a day they are asked to take it to an even higher level. And with fifty-five thousand cast members working there, the result is a lot of impressed guests.
For me, that mindset is the difference between good customer service and GREAT customer service. Good customer service results in appreciative customers. Great customer service results in appreciative and impressed customers.
Something to think about: What’s one action you can take today to impress a customer?
Have you ever come across a statement or a question that absolutely spun your head around, making you look at things in a brand new way?
It happened to me yesterday. I was reading a blog post by outstanding customer service speaker and writer, Shep Hyken, in which he wrote:
“Don’t just be good TO the customer. Be good FOR the customer.”
My mind was reeling as I thought of the importance of that statement. Being good TO the customer is certainly important, and implies the application of sound customer service principles. Being good FOR the customer, however, takes the interaction way, way up the value chain. Being good FOR the customer takes thought and it requires treating the customer as an individual.
Here’s the link to Shep’s post – check it out: “Be good for your customer.”
Something to think about: Put a sign next to your phone, in your briefcase, in your office or cubicle, next to the cash register, etc. asking, “How can I be good FOR this customer?”
Do little courtesies, like a handwritten note to a customer, really have an impact on customer loyalty? If the product is bad and the processes consistently poor, then the answer is likely to be no. In the long-term, small courtesies won’t make up for a dysfunctional business model.
But when the product is good and the processes are customer-friendly, little touches like this can lock in an emotional connection between the customer and the organization. My wife’s nephew, Ryan, recently sent me the following note:
I had to share this story with you. A couple weeks ago I ordered a speaker for my home theater system from Crutchfield.com. Today, I received a letter in the mail from them. It was a handwritten note thanking me for my purchase. Even though they’re a huge company and I don’t think the person writing the note actually had anything to do with my transaction, it made me “feel” like I was important to them. Kind of nice. Thought you might appreciate that.
The handwritten note Ryan received clearly had a positive impact. So much so that he was willing to take the time to share the story with me. My guess is that the next time he needs to make an electronics purchase, Crutchfield will certainly be in the running for Ryan’s business.
Something to think about: What personal touches are you adding to show your customers that you appreciate their business?
