experience matters

“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.”  – Sam Walton

We live in a world where we have access to just about anything and everything with a click, or two, of a button.  There was a time when you would hear people talk about customer service and you would assume they were sharing a positive experience.  Now when you hear customer service, you think of your worst story ever.

One of the keys to a successful business is how much emphasis you place on CRM.  Henry Ford once said, “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Whether you order a steak in a restaurant or purchase an iPad online, now more than ever consumers expect to be “taken care of.”  Fulfilling the feeling like you’re being “taken care of” can come in many different forms but the one true key is simple… just LISTEN!

Almost any business can get a customer to try their product or service once.  In order to have the consumer return, companies need to pay special attention to providing a positive experience from awareness to purchase and far beyond.  Organizations retain customers online and offline simply by listening. People want to be heard.  They will share their experiences and opinions if you ask (even when you don’t ask) in the hopes you will improve their experience. Listening to your audience shows that you care about them individually and can even make them feel like they are a part of your brand, which builds advocacy. If your customer–and specifically, your customer who belongs to a branded social community–thinks their opinion matters and they feel like they have influence on how you operate your business, the sky is really the limit.

Not to mention, having previously spent over 10 years in Hospitality Management, I can assure you that if you listen to your clientele you will get exactly what you need to continue improving your business, which will hopefully help attract new customers too!

Listening is step one. But what most retailers begin to learn is that they can really ace the CRM game by listening and watching their customers so much that they can anticipate your customers’ needs before they even need to ask or comment.  That is the true definition of being “taken care of.”

A great offline case in point, everyone goes out to eat sometimes, whether it’s brunch on a Sunday morning, a working lunch or a family night out.  But there are very different needs for each of those occasions.  Brunch is slower paced and the staff should adjust accordingly.  A working lunch means the customers want to order and eat with no interruptions.  A family night out, well anything goes but parents expect you’ll offer flexibility for children’s needs.  As customers walk in the door, the staff should be able to recognize which of these “occasionls” the meal might be and be able to seat them and serve them accordingly. Most of the time, people will return to a restaurant after receiving great service with an average meal, whereas they most likely will not return if they received great food and average service.  Now, great food with excellent service and you found yourself some regulars.

Similar behaviors and behavior cues are true of online experiences. Being a Community Moderator, I’ve recognized this in action. Businesses that participate in social platforms see many different visitors.   In Facebook, there is the “Casual Surfer” that visits to get a general idea about a product or service.  The “Shopper” is looking for one thing and one thing only… coupons (http://tinyurl.com/2b8glnt). And then there is the Evangelist.  This person is a brand’s best friend because not only do they share a brands passion, they are also willing to spread your message like wildfire… if you play your cards right. Despite these insights, all three user types are important to a company when the ultimate goal is brand loyalty.  Asking your community to share an experience they had with your product or service and persuading them to post pictures/videos of their experiences offers customer service in a creative and positive way.  This positivity contributes to retention.

Can you think of a company that when you hear the name, you automatically think of extraordinary experiences, online and/or offline?  I can think of three right off the bat:  Apple, Wildfire (the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant) and Disney.  Two things these companies have in common are consistency and “going the extra mile.”

Apple: When you walk into an Apple store, there is an Apple employee standing at the entrance ready to guide you to your destination.  If you have a product issue, visit the Genius Bar (if you made an appointment) and the first thing they do is ask why you are there and then they listen. While Steve Jobs may have been called out once or twice for poor customer service, am important point to note is that he tends to answer a fair few customer comments/complaints himself! For a company that size, this is really astounding. And more than anything else, Apply has built up a rabid following the likes of which we’ve only seen amongst Harley-Davidson [client] fans.

Wildfire: This restaurant specializes in anticipating of their customers’ needs.  They have created a menu that caters to different tastes and they serve a consistent product. They also are fantastic at holding events at all of their locations. If you pay attention enough, you can notice nuances to the events per location, some much more focused on Tailgate parties, some on Wine Tastings, some on family-friends activities. They know their clientele so well that these events are very successful and help strengthen the relationship customers have with the brand.

Disney: This megabrand trains their theme park staff so well that even the people walking around the grounds picking up trash have a smile on their face and they ask if you are having fun at the park.  They have just as much knowledge of the park as any other staffer.  Not to mention, this brand is so active on social networks that between their global brand and the many many popular sub-brands (movies, characters, parks, etc.) they have over 74 million worldwide fans… a stat that they happily promote with a ticker on their Facebook page.

All three of these companies give their customers the sense of being “taken care of.” As well, all three of these companies have a passionate and loyal following online. They offer lots of great branded content and little perks to the Evangelists who take time to follow the brand.

I feel there is very little difference between online and offline when designing a plan for CRM.  Consumers crave consistency, desire to be heard, and expect to be “taken care of.”  If a company can bring all three of these elements together, they have a great foundation for a successful business. What do you think? What are some of the best examples of CRM you’ve seen lately?

Todd is a Community Moderator for Infiniti out of our Chicago office.