You have come to expect bad customer service. You hate calling your mobile phone company, right? You just know you will spend a good part of your morning on hold. And you can predict with accuracy how an employee at the home improvement store will respond when you ask about a certain item: "If it's not on the shelf, we don't have it." Sigh.
As consumers, we now expect poor service as the norm. We have become so jaded that we are actually shocked when someone treats us well and with respect.
Even brands we have trusted for years now underwhelm us with their service. Have you flown on a bad airline lately? When bad service happens, forget about brand loyalty -- we vote with our feet. A survey found that three in five customers would try a new brand if they thought they might get better service somewhere else.
Clearly, service still matters.
But there is good news. If you have customers, there is still a chance they could love you.
Their low expectations present you with a real opportunity. What would happen if you showed your customers some real love? You could exponentially grow your business, simply by being nice.
Here are three great ways that you can delight your customers.
Give, give, give
When you love someone, you behave selflessly. What are some outrageous ways you can improve the experience for your customers? Here is an example.
One customer tweeted that he hoped there would be a porterhouse steak from Morton's waiting when his plane landed in Newark. Sure enough, when he got off the plane, a Morton's employee wearing a tuxedo presented him with a complete steak dinner and silverware.
Now that is service! Do what you wish other businesses would do for you, and pass along some unexpected joy.
Respond immediately
Have you ever stood at a counter waiting to be served, wondering if you might be invisible? Of course you have, so you know how it feels to be ignored. Your customers deserve your full and immediate attention. Our customer success team at Aha! knows this. They respond to all support tickets within two hours -- even on evenings and weekends. We show our appreciation for our customers by following the Responsive Method.
Get real
Technology is such a big part of our lives, but we still crave that human connection -- maybe even more now. Having a real person answer the phone quickly all day, regardless of your company size, can set you apart from your competitors. So can humbly admitting when you have made a mistake, and going out of your way to make it right rather than just mumbling, "Sorry."
Remember -- without your customers, you would be out of business. You should be thinking about how to love them more every day.
Whatever business you are in, you can make a lasting impact on every customer. Do not let those opportunities pass you by. Otherwise, your customers will keep on looking for that love from someone else.
Which companies have loved you most?