Moving Beyond Customer Satisfaction to Customer Delight
Posted by Meredith Estep on Thu, Nov 11, 2010 @ 02:17 PM
Customer satisfaction should be the goal of all profitable businesses today. After all, without your customers, you really do not have a reason to exist, right?
However, what if you decided to take your customer service into the next dimension? What if it was not enough to simply satisfy your customers? Here are ideas to help you take your customers from satisfied to delighted in just five easy steps.
Address Your Customers by Name
It is in nearly every customer service article published, so why are there not more companies doing it? It is a mystery indeed, considering that there is not much else that will make your customer feel important as greeting them by name when they walk through your door.
Show Appreciation
It begins with a simple "thank you" as your customer is walking out the door, but appreciation moves well beyond this simple gesture. A quick handwritten note speaks volumes about how much you appreciate your customer's business. You could also hold a customer appreciation event like a private sale for regulars or a week of discounts and donuts to demonstrate your affection to those who keep your business in the black.
Empower Employees
When business becomes about rules and policies, you start to lose happy customers. Empower your employees to bend negotiable rules for the sake of customer service. Just think of how many more happy customers you will enjoy when your customer service representatives transform from policy hounds to front line reps that live to make their customers happy.
Go the Extra Mile
Customers love to see businesses stretch service standards just for them. Complete a rush job for a regular customer in a bind without charging extra for the service. Put aside a customer's favorite product so it is ready and waiting the next time they come into the shop. Call a customer to let them know a sale on his regular purchase is coming up. These extra miles really do not cost a business much in terms of time or money, but they make customers feel like royalty.
Follow Up
Some businesses call after a scheduled service to make sure the situation was handled to the customer's satisfaction. When a business phones to make sure you are being cared for properly, it makes you feel important, special and valued. When your customers come in with an issue or a particularly complex transaction, follow up with a phone call to make sure they do not have additional questions or concerns. That one small gesture will go far in creating the superior customer service you seek.
Superior customer service goes beyond satisfying customers to amazing and delighting them with your customer service finesse. These simple steps will make all the difference between a satisfactory business and one that exceeds customer expectations time after time.
-Meredith Estep