Healthy Obsession: The Client Experience

On October 20, 2021   /   Getting on Track to Meet Goals, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Increasing Profits, Leadership   /   Leave a comment
Healthy Obsession: The Client Experience

In previous discussions we’ve touched on measuring customer satisfaction.  Let’s also explore how to close the gap between customer expectations and customer experiences.  The customer experience has several components ranging from packaging to logistics to employees performance. 

As an oversimplification, the customer experience can be described as how consumers view and receive a company’s brand.  Consistent positive experiences are the springboard to establising loyalty and creating a competitive advantage over competition.

Consumers want efficient service and quality products but they also want to do business with companies who share their values on topics such as diversity, ethics, and the environment.  Using data collected from customers through surveys and other means, companies can determine where they fall short.  Your approach to improve the situation must be holistic.  For example, data may show that customers think your marketing doesn’t influence them.  The fix will require re-examining your product/service as well as intangible systems such as empathy, etc.

Implementing a holistic approach to improve the customer experience also includes re-shaping your company’s principles regarding your:

  • Customer Service Philosophy
  • Vision Statement
  • Mission Statement
  • Core Values
  • Corporate Culture
  • Customer Experience Vision Statement

The customer experience vision statement will serve as the guiding light for every employee and will drive business decisions. Every employee plays a role in shaping the customer experience, therefore, all of these principles should be embedded in training and development…they must be at the core of every behavior and interaction.

Be obsessed with your customers’ experiences and make it a great day!

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3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

On March 24, 2021   /   How to Communicate With Customers, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Leadership, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

So, you think your brand understands how to impress Generation Z (Gen Z) to buy your product/service?  Compare your assumptions to the results of a Gen Z think tank survey:

  • When considering a purchase, quality is the top consideration for Gen Z with price a close second.  Accountability and trust tie for third place
  • Gen Z males said maintaining high quality on products will capture their loyalty while Gen Z females said great value for price will make them loyal to a brand 
  • Celebrity endorsements have the least effect on brand loyalty—even though Gen Zers have a fascination with pop culture

Members of Gen Z are those born between 1997 and 2015 putting them in the age range of 6-24 years old in 2021.

What matters to Gen Z is that they want businesses to know who they are and what they like/dislike.  To be clear, Gen Z is not a monolith, however, due diligence must be undertaken if you’re serious about including them in your client base.  Remember, Gen Z buying power in the U.S. is a whopping a $143 billion. That’s nearly 40 percent of all U.S. consumer shopping.  If that’s not impressive enough, 93% of parents say their Gen Z children influence their household spending and another 70% of parents ask their Gen Z kids for advice before making purchases.

Your company has a higher chance of attracting Gen Z to become loyal customers IF your core values align with their expectations.

Gen Zers are looking at your company’s mission, product quality, and service quality before committing to purchases. If you want their business and loyalty, review your corporate philosophy to determine if it conducive to the three points in this article.

Let’s all go out there and make it a great day.

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4 Powerful Ways to Kickstart Customer Service

On January 13, 2021   /   How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Increasing Profits, Leadership, Providing Exceptional Customer Experiences, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
4 Powerful Ways to Kickstart Customer Service

Most customers will leave your brand if you don’t give legendary service.

It’s simple.  The quality of a company’s customer service will impact revenue. Offer gold standard experiences and revenue will increase. Deliver consistently poor service, revenues will not only decrease but there’s a good chance the company will go under.

Surprisingly, what matters most in service may not be what you think. Research shows more than anything, customers want to be seen, heard, respected, and have their problems resolved with laser precision and quickness.  They don’t like repeating themselves either! 

Dimensional Research, a market research company, revealed that 69% of consumers attributed their good experience to quick problem resolution, while 72% were irritated with having to explain their problem to multiple employees.

Follow these time-tested solutions in order to take your customer service from ordinary to legendary:

  1. A Powerful Support Team – Every employee is responsible for delivering gold standard service.  Managers are the glue that hold the company together.  They’re responsible for encouraging, training, and motivating all members of the team.
  2. Purpose and Values – Ensure all employees (a) are on board with the company’s vision to serve (b) have a sense of strength and solidarity for the company’s success.
  3. Recognition and Appreciation – Give the team positive feedback and recognition in order to build esteem and enhance a feeling of value and accomplishment.  This will build morale and create happy employees who will deliver exceptional service.
  4. Journey to High Performance – You want team members who are committed to being great, who think in terms of “we” rather than “you”, “I”, and “me”.  You want a team that will anticipate client needs and deliver ultimate luxe.

Strive for Michelin star ratings.  Give such personal and detailed attention as to make clients feel as though they’re the only customers on your books.  And above all…

Make it a great day!

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New Standards: Service Sparking Community

On December 2, 2020   /   All Star Customer Satisfaction, How to Communicate With Customers, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Increasing Profits   /   Leave a comment
New Standards: Service Sparking Community

What is keeping you up at night during this global pandemic? How is the public rating your company’s product/service on social media?

Marketers are saying that the impact of social media is so strong that companies have changed the way they set out to attract customers to increase sales.  In fact, Fortune 500 companies revamped their marketing strategies to appeal to “social media influencers” due to the power they have on consumers’ purchasing decisions—many have 500,000 and more followers.

In their book, Raving Fans, Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles introduced the concept of raving fans—customers being so impressed by an amazing experience, they can’t stop telling everyone about it.  

Prior to the onslaught of the social media craze, raving fans would communicate their experiences by word of mouth.  Now, social media magnifies the reach to global proportions. Everyday, raving fans create virtual communities in which businesses are lauded or given a poor review.

Take a look at your own company to make room for improvement.  Set the industry standard for delivering amazing experiences.  For example, create and implement a signature value proposition that sets you apart from the competition.  Encourage your team to bring ideas to weekly meetings that reveal how they will create lasting memories for each client and their families.  

Also, assign a team to go online and research your product/service/company.  Evaluate how your team responds to positive and negative reviews.  Do prospects and clients know that you take full responsibility for any short falls of customer expectations?  If so, where is it expressed?  As a statement on your social media? your website? your email signature block?

Reach out to us, we’ll show you how to score big with prospects and get repeat business with existing clients.

Make it a great day.

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Attract/Retain the Best Employees Via Company Loyalty

On July 25, 2018   /   Effective Communication, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, How to Increase Employee Loyalty, Increasing Profits   /   Leave a comment
Attract/Retain the Best Employees Via Company Loyalty

Ask almost any company in any industry right now if they are having difficulty finding skilled employees and/or retaining their best employees and you’ll probably get an earful of woes they are facing.

One of the ways to attract and retain excellent workers is to be loyal to them.  How, you might ask, does one make THAT happen?  Well, one way is to treat employees in the same manner that you treat your best customers/clients.  

Let’s take a closer look.   To get consumers to stay with you, it is important to:

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