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Delivering An Awesome Customer Experience

Small Business Customer Service Advice

Delivering An Awesome Customer Experience

Written by Nidhi Ann Raj for Gaebler Ventures

An awesome customer experience will not only retain customers, it will help them to spread the word across to friends and family. Such an experience is provided by exceeding their expectations.

There is "Good" customer experience and then there is "Awesome" customer experience.

Good customer experience would give you a repeat customer. An awesome customer experience would not only give you a repeat customer but also open doors to his/her network of friends, family etc. What your business should aim at is to deliver awesome customer experiences.

What constitutes such a customer experience? Let's examine this with an example: If I go to a shop to buy a suit and it needs alterations. Customer rep says you can pick it up in 2 hours. You decide to come back later to pick up the suit. Three things can happen:

You go back in 2 hours and the suit alterations are not yet done.
You go back in 2 hours and you get the suit.
Customer rep calls you in an hour and informs the suit is done. You can come back anytime for Pick up.

Scenario 1 gives you an irate customer. One who would never come back and also let his network know to be cautious while dealing with you.

Scenario 2, you have delivered a "good" customer experience. Customer is happy but at the same time isn't very loyal. He can come back to you or even try another shop next time. But overall is happy with you.

Scenario 3, is what we call, an "Awesome" customer experience. You delivered before time. You exceeded the expectation (2 hrs), that you set for him to begin with. This is a loyal customer who would come back and bring his friends along too.

Now what is the underlying theme here -

Scenario 1 – you "over promised" and "under delivered"

Scenario 2 – you kept your promise

Scenario 3 – you "under promised" and "over delivered"

An awesome customer experience is when you go beyond the expected. "Under-promise" and "over-deliver". That's the mantra.

Also remember that customer experience doesn't stop after the product or service is delivered. You have to see each customer as a long-term relationship. My car dealer calls me every 3 months to check if I have had any issues with the car. Now that's maintaining a relationship. I am a happy customer and would refer my friends to him. Now isn't that something you would like your customers to do for you as well.

Nidhi Ann Raj is a gifted writer who is currently pursuing post-graduate studies at George Brown College in Toronto Canada, where she is specializing in Marketing and Finance.