Customer experience is the driver to higher gross profit. What would happen in your particular organization if the majority of your customers raved about their experience? How much more revenue might that generate?
Providing a meaningful customer experience, something that customers rave about, doesn’t happen by accident. Even with hard work, you won’t have a 100% success rate.
Think about how many times in your live that you’ve experienced a truly meaningful customer experience yourself. Not that often, right? That’s because it’s rare. And being rare leaves a positive lasting impression, which equates to higher revenue and outdoing the competition.
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A short story of lost opportunity.
Every month, we have a board meeting for Hanaeleh Horse Rescue. Our “regular” place is a restaurant that’s near the ranch in south OC. We’ve been holding our meetings there for several years now because they have good food, it’s convenient and it’s not so overly crowded that there’s always a place for us.
When we first started going there, staff would ask us about where we were from (we all wear some form of Hanaeleh merch). We became “regulars” at the restaurant, often going there for lunch, too.
After a while, the manager noticed us and he offered to do the catering if we ever had a fundraiser or some other event. He had a welcoming smile and great demeanor, which made us feel even more like “regulars.”
Personally, after working hard at the ranch to take care of our horses, it was so nice to just go there, order my regular dish and I looked forward to the Eel River Blonde Ale they served on tap. If you enjoy beer, you know there’s nothing better than relaxing after a hard day’s work and taking that first few delicious gulps. It just sets you right.
Covid enters the chat.
When Covid hit, we had to forego in-person board meetings. Like everyone, we had to resort to either having them at the ranch or doing them by Zoom, thereby removing the short but welcome break we got at the restaurant. Our lovely little restaurant had to alter things too – tables and chairs farther apart, fewer items on the menu, and reduction of staff.
I’m not sure what the circumstances were but the awesome manager disappeared. The service definitely suffered, Albeit common, it’s been the biggest change I’ve encountered. We are all exhausted from dealing with Covid including, and probably more so, the staff at the restaurant. They do their best but it’s just not the same. I dream of the day when that amazing, thoughtful service returns.
An apparent “Covid casualty” is that they no longer serve that delicious beer. Can I buy it at the store? Yes, but it’s not the same. It’s the EXPERIENCE of coming off the hot, sweaty, dusty ranchwork and enjoying that first few satisfying gulps. I miss it very much, and I’m likely not the only customer who’s wondered what happened and why they don’t offer beer anymore.
Customers crave meaningful experiences, even the small ones.
We are back to having our board meetings at the restaurant now and I ask every time if the beer is back and every time I get a different response about why they don’t have it. It’s always a vague response, which makes it just strange. They’ve always served wine, but that’s no consolation (at least for me).
This last weekend, we had a board meeting and I asked about the beer again. The response this time was, “Well, if we can get our distributor to call us back!” I keep asking because I crave the experience I once had. I know it’s probably gone forever, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
I also keep asking as part of my ongoing informal Kruse Control observational study. I WANT businesses to be their best. There’s an enduring customer experience axiom I learned from Carl Sewell, author of “Customers For Life” and successful car dealer. He said,
I hold out hope that one day when I ask, they will have realized, “Oh, our customer is asking for this. Maybe we should give it to them.” and then I will get back the lovely experience I’ve missed for so long.
Customers crave meaningful experiences, even the small ones. Finding out, on an ongoing basis, what customers want is the secret to providing meaningful customer experience.
What brings customers back again and again?
When you serve the public, whether it’s in retail, restaurants or elsewhere, it’s the meaningful experience that brings customers coming back. They can go anywhere and get food, buy a car, or grocery shop. But if one wants to cultivate repeat business (and who doesn’t?), the focus must be on delivering a meaningful customer experience.
What does a “meaningful” customer experience look like?
Before you can give it to them, you need to “find out what customers want.” You need to find out what is “meaningful” to them.
I once dated a very successful restauranteur/executive chef and one day, he ran out of arugula during lunchtime. He had plenty of people who could fix the issue, but he himself got into his car and drove to Whole Foods to buy the emergency arugula. He never thought twice about this action, but I did. He understood exactly what the customer wanted and he wanted to make sure they got it.
It’s that kind of dedication to excellence that will consistently deliver a meaningful customer experience.
With online reviews and social media, it’s never been easier to learn what’s meaningful to customers right now. But a more concerted effort like interviews and events, where you can actually ASK your customers what they want, is a next-level endeavor.
Customers want to feel listened to.
We’ve all been subjected to surveys, and in the auto retail world, they’ve been part of the ecosystem for decades. These surveys are somewhat insightful, however they don’t typically get to the heart of why a repeat customer keeps coming back. These surveys don’t ask the customer what they WANT, they utilize targeted questions that offer multiple choice answers so that through a specific dataset, a score can be applied. These surveys play an important role, but by no means do they provide the complete picture of your customers’ viewpoint about their experience.
Here are some advanced ways that will help you dive deeper and gain crucial insight into what your customers want. It’s geared towards auto retail but it can apply in hundreds of other scenarios:
- Feedback Kiosks: Positioned at the exit of the service department.
- Direct Interviews: Conducted in person as the service concludes. 3 carefully crafted questions take very little time to answer and it illustrates to the customer that you care what they think.
- Social Media and Online Review Platforms: Monitoring and engaging with customers on Yelp, Google, and/or social media pages. Don’t just provide a canned response to a review, invite dialog to learn what the customer craves.
- Loyalty Programs: The act of developing and refining successful loyalty programs forces you to determine what the customer wants. Response to these programs, and evolving them in real time, provides valuable feedback unlike anything else.
- Events: Service Clinics are making a comeback! Conduct a monthly “new owner” event/BBQ to introduce the customer to the Service Dept, help them learn more about the care of their car. Find out what the customer wants and give it to them.
Take action and follow up.
Use the insights gained to implement changes such as training staff, improving communication protocols, adjusting service timelines, or enhancing waiting area amenities.
Pro Tip: Never underestimate the impact of upscale food. Delicious coffee and pastries in your waiting lounge go a long way to creating a meaningful experience!
Importantly, let customers know that their feedback has led to tangible improvements. This can be done through follow-up emails, signage in the dealership, or social media posts.
Find out what the customer wants…and give it to them.
It’s a simple doctrine. It doesn’t require a complicated strategy but it does require a core customer-centric culture. Meaningful outcomes call for meaningful steps within the organization.
Keep it simple. Reflect on the lessons in my beer story and my arugula story. It often doesn’t take a lot to please the customer once you find out what pleases them.
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