We talk a lot about how important it is to give our customers the right experience. It’s extremely important. Because their experience becomes our brand and that determines their loyalty.
The challenge with customer experience though is that everyone is different. So every customer wants a slightly different experience.
But it’s not as hard as it might seem. Because at a basic level all customers want three things:
1. Treat me well
2. Help me accomplish what I want
3. Offer me value
I’ll discuss these in more detail in future articles. But for now here’s a thumbnail sketch for each one.
Treat me well
Because we’re all human, we all share preferences about how we like to be treated.
Listen to me. Respect me. Pay attention to me. Value my opinion. Help me feel I belong. Acknowledge me. Smile. Be courteous, warm and friendly. Care (and show it.)
No matter who your customer is, they will appreciate most of these criteria.
Help me accomplish what I want
Customers come to us for a reason. They want our help to accomplish something or prevent something. Know your job, your business and how you help customers. Understand why they come to you and what they are trying to accomplish with your help.
You can only help them accomplish what they want if you know what it is and if you have the ability to do it.
Offer me value
We all have competitors. There is almost always another company that can help our customers accomplish what they want. So we need to do more. We need to offer value to our customers.
Offering our customers value means we are the best fit for them. It means we can help them accomplish what they want but in a way that fits them best. Maybe it fits their budget, their time frame, their location or their desire for convenience. Maybe we offer a higher level of knowledge, quality or skill. Whatever the factors are, we provide the best combination to our customers.
That’s offering value.
Meet these three fundamental wants with every customer and you’ll have them coming back again and again.
Other articles you might like:
- Who’s Talking About YOUR Company?
- Customer Service Expert Offers 5 Steps to More Job Security
- You’re Here to Serve Your Customers
- Seven reasons why customer relationships matter to your business
- For better customer service: Treat everyone well
We’re just about to set up the Customer Eengagement Club – would you be interested in contributing articles for the new web site and magazine?
kind regards
Steve Hurst
Editorial Director