Does Your Company Leave Customers Feeling Satisfied or Frustrated?
Imagine walking into a store with a couple items in mind, hoping to easily and quickly get what you need. The floors are dirty, products on the shelves are in a slight state of disarray, and the layout of the store is not intuitive. You wander down a few aisles, checking the time as you only have about 20 minutes to spare. Not seeing the products you have in mind, you look around for assistance and don’t see anyone who work there. You begin to feel frustrated and note to yourself that you could have just ordered what you needed online and saved yourself the hassle. Finally, you flag down a store associate who helps you find your item, and then quickly disappears out of your line of sight to help a guest checkout at the front of the store. You get in line behind the three other people in the only open cashier lane. The current customer checking out is having issues with their transaction, and you notice you only have 5 more minutes before you’re running late for your next event. Now, you just want to get out of there as fast as possible. Your hope for convenience has been replaced with irritation and a desire to avoid the store in the future.
Imagine hearing about a good deal online for something you’ve been eyeing. You land on the site, and navigate around to find the product. A large popup appears on the screen prompting you to sign up to get 10% off your purchase. A bit jarring – you were in a state of excitement, and then were annoyingly solicited by a do-the-thing-to-get-thing offer. Now your focus is on the amount of the item you’re about to spend – do you really need 10%? Is it worth the hassle? Is it worth being on an email list and getting emails you don’t really want? Will they make you wait some time before you get the offer, or will it be immediate? Or will the offer require a sneaky second step of entering your phone number for text offers – and only then, do you get 10% off? You try clicking the close button, and nothing happens. You click again, and the box goes away. Now back to finding what you came for. You type in a term in the search bar, and it says no results found. After spending a few minutes, you find the item you were looking for and don’t understand why it didn’t appear in the search results. You successfully add the item to your virtual shopping cart, but in order to check out, you have to create an account. There’s no checkout as a guest option. The excitement of the purchase has worn off. You didn’t need it, and in thinking about it, the sale price isn’t worth the effort. So, you abandon the cart and leave the site.
Imagine your home’s air conditioning is on the fritz. It’s been sweltering hot the last couple of days, your cranky, hot, and sweating, and you’ve been given a 4 hour window when the service person is anticipated to arrive. You requested that the service person text or call you in advance of arriving when you booked the service. To deal with the heat, you’re walking around in minimal clothing to get relief. Half of your day is now dedicated to waiting around for this person to arrive. Three and half hours in, the service person arrives at your door. No notice, as requested. You scramble to run and put on more clothes before opening the door. Now, you’re frustrated that this person either didn’t care to notify you, or wasn’t told to notify you when they were on their way. The service person spends about 15 minutes looking at your air conditioning and says that part will need to be ordered, and that the office will call you when the part arrives. The service person leaves, you’ve wasted half a day, and your issue still isn’t resolved. You’re now further frustrated that you will need to deal with the company again when the part arrives and you’re associating the company with a bad experience.
It’s not hard to imagine these scenarios – they’re incredibly commonplace as more businesses cut costs at the expense of the customer experience. Businesses who put the customer experience front and center of their operations make lasting, positive impressions that translate to financial return.
Invest in the Customer Experience
Investing in customer experience isn’t just a trend—it’s a strategic move that helps small and medium-sized businesses stand out, build loyalty, and drive growth
Every interaction with your customers offers an opportunity to create a positive, lasting impression. When you invest in customer experience, you’re signaling that your business values every customer and is committed to meeting their needs at every stage. This focus on quality interactions builds trust and loyalty, which are essential in a world where consumers have countless options. A well-crafted customer experience means happy customers who are more likely to return and recommend your business to others.
Putting customer experience at the forefront of your strategy can transform your business in profound ways. Enhancing every aspect of the customer journey—from the first touchpoint to post-purchase support—leads to higher retention rates for recurring business and also fuels organic growth through word-of-mouth referrals. This strategic investment helps you stand out in a competitive market, driving both immediate sales and long-term success.
Partnering with a customer experience consultant means you’re investing in your business’s future. A customer experience consultant brings fresh insights and tailored strategies that transform everyday interactions into memorable experiences, leading to a competitive edge in today’s market. It’s about setting the stage for sustainable success through a tailored approach that addresses your unique challenges and opportunities. In today’s competitive landscape, this proactive investment can be the catalyst that drives your small or medium-sized business to the next level.
Customer Experience Strategy Consultation
My experience in assessing customer experience spans:
- Leading teams/shifts in customer facing environments (restaurant & retail)
- Leading global customer support & service teams during scale at Software as a Service (SaaS) companies
- Mystery Shopping for brands like: Coca-Cola, Panera Bread, Papa Johns, Burger King, Johnny Rockets, Bandana’s BBQ, Manchu Wok, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lumiere Hotel & Casino, Hollywood Hotel & Casino
From training on customer experience best practices, to owning customer satisfaction strategy, implementation, and results, to assessing customer experience for large, well-known brands and venues, my diverse experience is an asset to any SMB looking to secure a reputation for stellar customer experiences.
Unless you have a product or service that is so unique that you have no competition, your true differentiator is the customer experience. As more consumers look to get the most value from their purchases, investing in top tier customer experience is a winning strategy.
Book a call with me to discuss your customer experience needs.