Delivering great customer experience – top tips

 

Don’t think “what’s the cheapest way to do it” or “what’s the fastest way to do it”. Think “what’s the most amazing way to do it”. Imagine the impact on customer satisfaction, sales and profit!

The key is to set realistic customer expectations. Then not to just meet them, but to exceed them — in unexpected and helpful ways if possible. This is one of the mission statements for Virgin Group’s companies. Setting and exceeding the right expectations will get you undying customer loyalty!

The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit. Almost every iconic business leader says this in one way or the other. Companies that look beyond just making profits have been the most profitable ones in the past. They will be in the future.

If you aren’t making a difference in other people’s lives, you shouldn’t be in business. If you try to make sure that everyone who comes in contact with your company leaves happier, your business will last and grow.

Understand loyalty economics. An outstanding customer experience creates promoters. Promoters are more valuable to a company than other customers. The top brands in customer experience understand where to spend time and money to get results. They don’t expect immediate returns. They look for long term results that deliver great return on investment.

View the experience from the outside in. Customers don’t see the web of organisations and processes that operate behind the scenes to deliver their experiences. They see a series of interactions from the outside in. It’s coloured by their expectations, their level of knowledge and their alternatives. Business leaders who excel in customer experience embrace the same perspective. They rise above internal complexity to see and manage from the customer’s point of view.

Design and deliver. You don’t need to be a Steve Jobs to create brilliant customer experience. Yes, it is hard, and yes, it takes time. But it’s a process that you can learn and launch like any major change programme. Over time, through making small, regular changes it can be part of an organisation’s DNA.

 

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