Have you ever been on the receiving end of a great customer experience?
Once I was on the way home from work and I found myself stuck in a traffic jam. As the minutes passed, I realized that I would not be arriving home anytime soon and I was getting hungry. I decided to stop off for a bite, but I wasn’t craving anything in particular.
I found myself walking into a sandwich shop that I had never been to before, which happened to be a franchise. I tend to shy away from such places, but it looked intriguing from the outside and I was getting desperate. When I walked through the door, I wasn’t overly impressed as the place had a “franchise” feel to it. I stood for a second pondering the menu and looking over the very young staff behind the counter. My expectations were falling rapidly.
Just then, a charismatic young man from behind the counter stepped forward and asked if I had ever been there before. After I told him that this was my first time visiting, he immediately began to review the menu in detail. He made recommendations, extolled the quality of the food, and explained how I would place my order. From there the process was easy and everyone I came into contact with was courteous and helpful.
While I was there, another customer went to the counter to complain about his order. Apparently, he was allergic to one of the ingredients in his meal and was not informed that it would be in the dish when he asked. They promptly made him a new meal and offered some complimentary items.
So, what did I learn about customer experience marketing from this sandwich shop?
1. Well trained people make the difference
Not only did the young man at the counter know his product, he understood and could articulate the ordering process from start to finish. He was able to answer questions and guide me in the right direction without additional assistance.
2. Hiring people with enthusiasm is key
We’ve all been in stores where staff mope around like they star on the “Walking Dead”. Energy creates more energy. Customers feed off the enthusiasm of your team. The opposite is also true.
3. Every customer touch point is important, not just the initial sales process
Getting customers through your door, in your shopping cart, or signing the contract does not portend the end of your relationship. How your customer feels when they use your product or interact with your team plays into how likely they will be to recommend you to others which is the hallmark of satisfaction.
4. Customers want to be engaged by you
As much as we sometimes hate being approached by a salesperson, it’s worse to be ignored by one. You don’t have to pushy. Offer help, show them you’re proud of your product or service, and make it easy to do business with you.
We don’t always necessarily consider these points when we think about marketing, particularly if your focus is on lead development. They don’t have much to do with outbound campaigns or content marketing. But, they can have a profound effect on how customers perceive your company and decide whether or not to continue doing business with you.
If you’re a marketer, there is a good chance you won’t be the one to hire customer service personnel for instance. However, you can make sure that customer facing people have the tools they need to their job better. For instance, you could train customer service reps on your products and services like you would salespeople so they understand your goals and gain expert product knowledge to improve customer interaction.
Think about what people in customer facing roles are asked about – product release dates, technical issues, related products, etc. This knowledge may not be all within your purview, but you can be the catalyst to help ensure your wider team is prepared from the first touchpoint to the last. Showing this kind of initiative separates the strategic marketing leaders from tacticians.
To end the story, I was very impressed with the sandwich shop operation. The food was so-so. But the experience made a positive impression on me. Enough that I wrote a blog post about it! That’s a good customer experience.