Why the Best Surprise and Delight Moments Are Unscripted

Bite-Sized Delight From the Episode:

• Surprise and delight isn’t a strategy; it comes from going above and beyond when you don’t have to.
• Excellent customer service means constant work and a commitment to your employees.
• At the end of the day, employees are always central to the customer experience.

CX PRESS: 10 Steps to Glowing Customer Service [01:00-14:57]

This week’s article is by Micah Solomon: “10 Steps to Glowing Customer Service Reviews and Survey Results, Even if You Just Got Slammed.” This excellent write-up has several suggestions to make your customer service remarkable. From running a mystery shopping exercise to why investment in your employee journey is the best thing you can do for your customer journey, there are actionable tips for everyone.

Tweetable Quotes

As customers’ needs change, your service must evolve as well. #CX Click To Tweet
You’re only done training in customer service when you’ve retired. #CX Click To Tweet
We need to be thinking about the employee journey, not just the customer journey. #CX Click To Tweet

Takeaways

• You have to have the right structure in place to make great customer service happen.
• Customer service and customer experience creation are not “once and done” efforts.
• Constantly remind your employees of your customer service priorities.

I LOVE IT / CAN’T STAND IT: Sporting Events [14:57-26:03]

It’s so much easier and less expensive to stay home to watch the big game, so when we make an effort to see it live, we have big expectations for that experience. The key is for every person employed by the team to use their enthusiasm to surprise and delight customers by making memorable moments.

Tweetable Quotes

We have big expectations for what going to the game should be like. #CX Click To Tweet
Stop trying to milk every penny out of every seat. #CX Click To Tweet

Takeaways

• Employees create the customer experience.
• Moments, where employees can surprise and delight with their enthusiasm and fun, are what make memories.

THIS JUST HAPPENED: Surprise & Delight [26:04-33:47]

Surprise and delight can be one of those overused terms in marketing because companies try to concoct these moments instead of something that just happens. Not only is this the opposite of surprising, but trying to treat these moments as a “strategy” is borderline creepy. We look at four recent real-life examples from Dan’s life:

• When a gas fireplace repairman didn’t have to fix anything, he didn’t charge for coming out and just asked that Dan refer him to his friends.
• A gutter repairman refunded Dan when a job turned out to be less expensive than he had estimated.
• Dan was camping in Dousman, Wisconsin when he needed to stop at a convenience store for beer. They had forgotten paper towels, and when he asked where in town he could get some, the cashier just handed him a new roll for free.
• Dan’s mom ordered a MagnaPin (a way to put a pin on your jacket without making a hole), and they sent her two with a handwritten note: “Carole, thank you ever so much for your order. However, a lady can’t have just one MagnaPin, so enjoy this additional one on us.”

In all these examples, people brought honesty and humanity into the customer experience. 

Tweetable Quotes

The most surprising and delightful moments are the ones that are unplanned. #CX Click To Tweet
Prioritize the long-term relationship over the short-term. #CX Click To Tweet
We just need to bring humanity back to the customer experience. #CX Click To Tweet

Takeaways

• The surprise and delight element of a customer experience doesn’t have to be part of a strategy.
• Any business can be honest, price their products and services fairly, and go above and beyond regularly.

CHECK OUT THIS NUMBER: 38% [33:49-35:46]

38% of small business owners are concerned about the question, “Are we able to leverage our current customer base for upsell and resell opportunities?” This stat comes from Oracle’s “Sleepless Over Customer Experience” report. The secret is to make your customers love the product or service they already have instead of trying to sell to everyone.

Tweetable Quotes

Make customers love the product they already have, and they’ll buy more in the future. #CX Click To Tweet
Quit trying to sell to everyone. #CX Click To Tweet

Takeaways

• Create an exceptional customer experience and sales will follow.

Be a Part of the Show!

We’d love to hear about your great customer experiences, which segments you like, and your ideas for future episodes!

Are You Looking for Things We Referenced?

• Dan’s Fireplace Guy (ask for Bryan Smyth)
• Dan’s Gutter Guy
• The Corner Stop in Dousman, WI
• MagnaPin
• 10 Steps to Glowing Customer Service Reviews and Survey Results, Even if You Just Got Slammed by Micah Solomon

See you next week!