Every business thinks they have a good customer experience. But few know this important truth:
Memorable experiences only come through fulfilling an unexpressed wish, not through delivering the actual product or service they came to you for.
You see, what most people call a great customer experience is really just good customer service. It’s making your service, as Joe Pine says, “nice, easy, and convenient.”
But those have become expectations today and customers have so many options for their products and services. So, to stage a great experience for your customers, you must do something that they didn’t expect. You must surprise them.
Those surprises don’t have to be big. They can be things like:
- Providing a phone charger while people wait.
- Giving them their preferred beverage on their next visit.
- A handwritten note on the receipt or sent as a follow-up.
- Walking them to their car with an umbrella when it’s raining.
- Taking them to what they’re looking for rather than pointing.
- Connecting them to someone in your network or giving a referral.
- Educating them on a new software they didn’t realize they needed.
- Remembering their name or other details from a previous interaction.
What most of these surprises have in common (other than the fact that they cost almost nothing to provide) is that they recognize the customer as a single individual who is worth a little extra effort from your business.
So, how do you fulfill the unexpressed wishes of your customers? How do you surprise them with something they weren’t expecting? Leave a comment below with your answers.
If you can’t answer those questions, your customer experience probably isn’t as good as you think it is.
One response to “Your Customer Experience Isn’t What You Think It Is”
Surprise and delight! I love this, the referral example can be incredibly beneficial for both businesses and the customer. A wedding photographer with a gift certificate to a local wedding florist, and vice versa.