6 Creative Ways To Surprise And Delight Your Customers
6 creative ways to surprise and delight your customers
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| 6 Creative Ways To Surprise And Delight Your Customers |
Just as the Internet drastically changes the way in which we acquire our products, entrepreneurs are finding a renewed faith in the power to generate great shopping experiences for customers.
Why is this?
Owners of online stores have to be willing to generate unique sales proposals. In other words, why should a customer buy from your online business if they can buy what you are offering at their nearest Walmart?
In addition to the characteristics that make your product unique and the prices you are able to offer, there is another point that makes the difference and can generate benefits on a large scale - leaving an excellent shopping experience in the consumer.
It has been proven in a number of consumer studies that most consumers would pay for a better service, and since an excellent shopping experience is the main cause of increased brand loyalty and multiple good references, you'll be happy to know that Nielsen reports that personal recommendations generate more confidence (and are more effective) than advertising where consumer views are shown.
If you cannot go hand in hand with the big companies in relation to the prices, your attention and service must be incredible, to have a winning proposal.
But how can this "incredible" service be offered? You're probably not surprised to hear that customer service really comes down to taking care of customers, and providing them with a 'WOW' experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Next, I will highlight 6 exceptional ways to generate a 'wow' experience without breaking a bank account.
1) The classic couple
If at some point you read a fascinating study about the power of mints - where waiters get 21% better tips when they leave two mints to spare - you know that reciprocity is a powerful psychological trigger, and that you do not need a lot of money to leave a gift that generates impact.
Those little gifts to your customers (a free comb after a haircut, etc.) are nothing new, so today I thought about highlighting the great example of a company that took things to a whole new level.
The UserTesting.com team asked for my address from scratch one day. About a week later I received a package in the mail filled with delicious dried meat.
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Why dry meat? UserTesting.com sells software tests, so it's kind of weird, right?
This is where things get a little crazy: I had briefly mentioned on Twitter that the quality of dried meat was draining my portfolio:
I've always got hooked on quality beef jerky was one of the worst financial decisions I've ever made. It's priced like an illegal drug, lol.
- Gregory Ciotti (@GregoryCiotti) June 25, 2013
In this section you will see that I mention the exact type of dried meat that they sent me. It's really amazing that the strategist Harvey Rañola will remember something like that, and I think it serves as a great example of how far some companies will go to ensure that people feel welcome.
Can not you buy gifts?
Keep reading.
2) A thank you note
With the myriad of options out there, is it really too much to ask the company to say "Thank you"? You might think that the thank-you notes have lost their impact, but you would be wrong:
In fact, it has been discussed (and I have to accept) that the technology currently does not exceed a handwritten note, which allows you to leave an even greater impact today than you would have in recent years, especially from a business.
There are many cases of clients who are truly grateful to receive these notes. Grasshopper, a company known for a great service, regularly sends notes to its clients and even to the people who mention or count on them:
"I feel valued as a client ... based on the principle of giving to receive, I feel I want to reciprocate and help Jonathan and Grasshopper in the future, either through the recommendation, or even when writing this article."
Another good example is Jim Shuky's self-service, where the owner regularly sends a note to his new clients by hand.
A good example was posted on Reddit, and the response was incredible.
"It's with small details like this that a business wins, if I got a letter like that, I would not look for another mechanic for life."
Well said, and share the feeling that many people would like to share.
The thank you notes serve as an element along with the customer service that shows why you are earning those extra points in those people that allow you to do business. In many spaces, service is not a definitive factor - as long as your mechanic fixes your car, most people do not give details beyond the price, but they do care deeply about how they were treated.
Here are some quick tips to write a successful thank you note:
- If it is economically feasible, try to use standard quality. Some of the stationary series on sites like Pinhold are pretty good for the price.
- Be sure to mention the client's name courtesy
- Express your gratitude, clearly indicating the reason for sending the note.
- Mention details about what you have enjoyed from your experience with this client (a fantastic opportunity to be specific and thoughtful).
- They allude to your future relations with the client (if you plan to make contact later).
- Close in a professional but warm way, with a signature (for example: a cordial greeting, attentively, joys, etc.)
3) Register your customers
Perhaps one of the most adorable ways of providing excellent customer service is performed by the Doggy Day Care Center pet nursery in Bark Park, which sends periodic updates to customers about how each person's dogs behave ... from the perspective Of the dog.
Even if your business does not lend itself to something personalized, remember the power of email marketing (and tools like MailChimp, Intercom, Campaign Monitor, or AWeber) you can always create a follow-up email to check if the Clients are at ease.
This can be especially effective for large purchases or "of habit". If you sell products for a group, for example, it might be good to get the beginners or the home team first.
Imagine the impression that a business leaves after buying your first set of golf clubs, you have an automatic email from "Jim" asking how they treated you, and if you have been able to go to the driving range.
This is also useful for birthdays, holidays, or some other personal event you learned about the client.
Here is a sincere example: my watch / jewelry store recently sent me a letter wishing my mother a happy birthday (since I had bought a bracelet for her birthday and I told them the date) Guess where I'm going to go shopping next time you need a watch?
4). Be proactive about the service
Very often companies see customer service as a routine task instead of an opportunity.
They just take a look at how companies with legendary service, such as Ritz-Carlton are proactive are s and get customers by anticipating needs:
"Ritz-Carlton employees are trained to anticipate the unspoken wishes of their guests." During a stay the receptionist called me and said: "We see that your departure is scheduled for tomorrow very early. Can we leave a cup of hot, fresh coffee outside your door? "
I think that this type of service can not be done through the Internet
Take a look at how Archival Clothing treats its customers by email:
In short, a potential customer had added some clothes to his shopping cart, but when he saw the shipping costs (which were international), he had to stop buying.
Seeing that the car had been full, the Archival employee approached via e-mail with some creative solutions on how they could send the products to the customer for a lower cost. The client finished completing his purchase and bought more from Archival , and I think his comment in that second email says it all:
"Wow. My mind is in shock. This is perhaps the best customer service I have experienced. "
You do not even have to act as a support detective - just take a page from Derek Sivers' book and delay the time to interact with your clients.
For example, if a customer is having problems "starting" (whatever this means for the product) and is stuck in step 3, after solving their problem, you should ask if you can provide assistance in step 4 .
This form of "social sensitivity" - or understanding how others feel - can be a great asset in predicting the problems customers may have, so you can help them before this happens.
5). Worry about the little things
In many ways, excellent customer service really is about caring about the details. It has been proven that " even a dime can make a difference " in reciprocity. People respond with good will, even for the smallest acts of kindness.
This point of view was beautifully expressed by the CEO of LL Bean and President Chris McCormick:
"Many people have many good things to say about customer service, but it's something from a day to a day, a day not, never ending, persevering and changing."
Consider this story of the legendary Nordstrom ...
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When a woman in the store lost the diamond on her wedding ring , she became distressed and began crawling on the floor looking for him. A Nordstrom employee saw this and, once aware of the situation, immediately went down on his knees and joined the search
When the couple arrived empty-handed in their search for the ring, the employee asked for the help of two construction workers. Together, they searched through bags and found the diamond mixed with dust and dirt.
Above all is duty, and that is the only reason why Nordstrom has a reputation like this:
And when we take into account that Nordstrom has invested well in this, it has one of the greatest advantages: its superior service for business, especially taking into account the experience of one of its competitors, JCPenny, in trying to eliminate the sales strategy of your competition (sales and coupons).
Try saying "yes" to the small and reasonable requests that clients make, most of them are sincere and simply seek support on a topic.
6) Go beyond the content of "help"
I've always thought that the term content marketing sounds a bit strange, since the "marketing" part only comes from helping customers. In that sense, the marketing of relationships through the act of building relationships with customers to be truly useful seems much more relevant.
The problem is that many companies leave the help content and frequently asked questions and do not give them the necessary importance, forgetting that all content is marketing . What this means is that if this helps people solve their problems, it decreases the likelihood that they will turn around and not return .
You are actually seeing an example of this right now. The Shopify blog regularly offers content related to e-commerce to its current and potential customers, which goes hand in hand with the e-commerce software they sell.
Let's say you own a local store that sells golf clubs (I have golf in my brain). How great would it be to hold regular events involving experts to talk about the team and the proper way to do things? The more educated your customers are, the more they will appreciate what you sell and therefore, they are more valuable to your business.
Good information not only educates, motivates.
This is often even more evident for online businesses. You can use in your blog, seminars, technical documents and free training to help people make the most of their product or service. The Help Scout blog regularly gets new clients thanks to the content that is oriented to help entrepreneurs and managers support to offer a better service to the client:
