Customer Expectations: Little Things Matter

I recently met some new friends from my business network at one of my favorite city breweries. After placing my order, I noticed the bartender took a moment to touch each glass on the rack, ensuring he didn't serve me one that was still warm from the dish machine.

This simple act of consideration exceeded my expectations and delighted me. As a service industry veteran who appreciates mindful service, I was impressed with this level of attention. Even more notable was that this gesture seemed habitual, almost an afterthought. This well-trained and conscientious bartender epitomized the brewery's culture of genuinely caring about their customers' experience of their product. I felt instantly elevated.

What does it mean to delight your customers? It means going beyond mere satisfaction to create that "instant elevation" through personalized attention, unexpected perks, or exceptional customer service. The key is to touch customers on an emotional level. Delighting customers shows you truly care about their experience, significantly impacting their loyalty and your business's reputation.

In a competitive market, where we often hear the promise to "delight the expectations of our customers," this pledge often goes unfulfilled. Achieving this level of service should not be a mandate, and moreover nor is it sustainable 100% of the time. But grand gestures aren’t necessary. At least for me, the difference between having my expectations met, exceeded, delighted, and even amazed lies in the earnest little things that say "we care" and the exceptional people who work hard to deliver on that promise. Baking that into the cultural DNA of your business is what will truly make you stand out as something special, and often delightful.