Can you remember the last time you had a great customer experience?
Let me share mine with you.
My wife ordered a pirate�costume�for our eldest daughter to wear to a party. �It was delayed due to a mistake at the�costume�company.
On the day of the party I thought we would have to leave without it so I called the delivery company.
The depot manager was fantastic, he found our package in a pile of hundreds due to be delivered that day and gave it to a specific driver to bring straight to us. �He gave me the drivers name, mobile number and he delivered the package quickly and exactly when the manager had promised.
Customer Experience is more than Customer Service
Some might say he was just giving good customer service, but it was more than that.
Good customer service would have been answering the phone, being polite, knowing the facts and getting the parcel delivered some time that day – that was the service that had been paid for.
But no, this guy took the initiative to give us a superior customer experience. �He not only helped make my daughters day but left me thinking “wow – what a great company!“.
I’ve since recommended the delivery company to several contacts and use them every time I need to send either a business or personal package.
My customer experience made me a fan of the delivery company and in doing so gained them several customer referrals.
Here are five reasons why you should create a superior customer experience for the customers of your small business.
1. Building customer relationships . . .
A superior customer experience is a critical part of building successful customer relationships.
Before people will buy from your small business they need to know, like and trust you. �If their first experience with your business is bad, you’ve made that process much harder.
One of the key points about providing a superior customer experience is consistency. �You never know how important a customer will be, how much business they could place with you in the future.
If you ensure every customer gets a great experience you’ll build great long term customer relationships.
2. Gaining customer referrals . . .
Customers don’t refer businesses who give them a bad experience.
But if you receive a superior customer experience you are likely to tell others, leading to customer referrals. �These referrals are a great source of new leads and are very important for building a sales pipeline.
The process of nurturing a lead into a sale�is easier with a referral because your�existing�customer has already built some trust by recommending you.
3. Saving you money . . .
Providing a superior customer experience will save your small business money in two ways.
Firstly receiving customer referrals means that you can save money by cutting back on other forms of advertising to gain leads.
Secondly you’ll ensure you don’t lose sales due to customers telling others about their bad experience.
4. Building a positive brand . . .
I remember reading a note on a cafe menu many years ago that said:
If you enjoyed your meal please tell others – but if you didn’t please tell us!
Social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook have made it much easier for people to communicate their feelings about your business. �They might feel uncomfortable telling you that they were unhappy with their experience, but that might not stop them telling their three hundred friends on Facebook or their two hundred followers on Twitter.
Providing a consistently superior experience for your customers will ensure that you build a strong, positive brand and a great reputation.
5. Building customer loyalty . . .
If you offer a superior customer experience you’ll stop your competitors stealing your customers.
You’ll develop a loyalty with your�existing�customers so they return to you when they need your products and services in the future.
The Bottom Line
If you want your customers to recommend you to their friends, family and colleagues you need to offer a superior customer experience.
How do you do that? �I’m going to show you the steps in my next blog post, if you’re not already signed up to receive my posts by email please enter your address below so you don’t miss it!
What do you do to provide a superior customer experience? �Please leave a comment and join me for a discussion.