How to make your customers happy?

A question that is often asked, by business owners, CEO's, and leaders within any organisation.

Making customers happy is paramount to success, even a great product if delivered poorly will create an unhappy customer. So how do you make customers happy?

SERVICE VS EXPERIENCE

Do you offer a service or an experience? and what's the difference?

Think about a time you have checked into a hotel.

There are many to choose from, lots of different choices - budget to high end and everything in between, but each hotel still has the opportunity to merely offer a service, or an experience?

For example, you book on line, pay for your room, later you arrive at the hotel and are greeted by the member of staff who confirms check in and gives you the key to your room. - This would be your minimum expectation of staying in a hotel.

But this is just offering a service. You need a place to spend the night, and the hotel is providing the service. If they do it well and the process is straight forward, the staff are friendly and the room is clean, that's a great service.

However, if as you arrive, a valet parking service is available, and your bags are carried in by the concierge service, and while you are waiting to check in you are invited to the lounge for a complimentary drink, this is an experience.

TALKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE?

How many times have you checked into a hotel? - How many of those experiences can you remember?

Chances are for the main part, most of them merge into one. They are not the ones that are spoken about at dinner parties. The ones that are memorable are the ones that make you feel special and even several years later you will still remember it. You may not recall all of the details, but you will recall how it made you feel, and that is the essence of providing customer experience.

ITS HOW IT MADE YOU FEEL

A great example of this is found in comedy, going to see a favourite comedian live is quiet the experience. How many of you have ever had friends recommend a show, "you must go and see XXXX, they are so funny, I was laughing all night"

But ask them to tell a joke from the performance and they will probably struggle, that's because its not the detail that is recalled but the way it made them feel.

Creating a customer experience is much more than simply providing a good service. Customers can also get that service from many of your competitors, so what sets you apart is the added value in what you offer, what is unique, and how do you make them feel.

There are many layers to creating unique customer journeys, but the foundation is your company culture. To offer a great experience on the outside, requires a great experience on the inside. I will speak more about that in my next article. Stay Tuned!!