Publication number: ELQ-15017-1
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How to Meet The New Bar Of Delighted Customers
7 Steps To Meeting The New Bar Of Delighted Customers
Introduction
Having satisfied customers is no longer enough to keep you ahead of competitors. The bar has been raised to having “delighted” customers. Customer delight is defined as surprising the customer by exceeding his or her expectations, thus creating a positive emotional reaction. This emotional reaction leads to word of mouth and social media, resulting in many new customers.
For example, during the last holiday season Mercedes Benz USA launched a #MBSecretSanta program on Twitter to personally engage customers and help find the perfect holiday gift. Then they did just that by providing responders with over 1000 gifts, ranging from branded bears, baby clothes, watches, and Bluetooth speakers. It was a small price to pay for the surge of delight.
TD Bank used a similar #TDTHANKSYOU campaign to delight customers with thank you gifts ranging from Disneyland tickets for a single mom, roses for the elderly, and airline tickets for a mother who wanted to visit her sick daughter. With today’s instant communication and the Internet, these efforts were soon known around the world. The value of such viral efforts is huge.
Thinking this way, and then making it happen, requires some strong leadership and lots of effort in existing business, to overcome the long-standing processes and procedures. For entrepreneurs and startups, it can be a bit easier, but still requires resources and risk. In either case, I recommend seven specific steps to set up the right culture, and keep it going:
- Step n°1 |
The priority on delighting customers must be visible at the top
By default, the perceived and most visible focus of most executives is to delight stakeholders first. Perceptions are set by your actions, what you measure, and what you reward. Make sure your actions are based on customer experiences, rather than only internal objectives.
- Step n°2 |
Relate all compensation criteria to customer experience levels.
Due to pervasive communication in the marketplace, customers see and react to your compensation and recognition practices. They have negative emotional and viral reactions to people getting bonuses and raises, despite visible product and customer support shortcomings.
