June 13, 2012 - By I buy a lot of things online and I find that customer experience varies greatly between different organizations.
Although only recently a customer, I’ve been a big fan of Amazon and Zappos for a long time now purely based on the customer experience of working with these organizations.
Customer Experience Without Human Interaction
I’ve never once talked to anyone on the phone, I’ve never emailed or chatted with a rep online, yet I’m delighted in my customer experience. How? Simple.- starting on Amazon or any other site with these organizations isn’t a process, it’s an experience. Every point I encounter, is polished. I feel like I matter, and that these organizations know what I want and cater their processes around the needs of the customer.
Even though they’re not spending a million bucks, make them feel like they’re worth a million bucks.
-Flavio Martins
Amazon and Zappos aren’t the cheapest, but I often go with them because I know what to expect, and that’s to have an organization that is organized around meeting my needs as a customer.
Amazon and Zappos Customer Experience Focus
They have my loyalty. When I’m shopping online, I make sure to hit Amazon and see their offerings for what I need.
Service delivery is made up of both the transportation of the goods or services AND the experience. The experience is about making your customer feel good about the purchase, product, service. It’s making sure customers feel like they matter, that the organization cares about them. It’s helping them know that they’ve made the right choice. Sometimes, the Amazon customer experience means sending me to another merchant.
The Amazon customer experience keeps me coming back over and over again.
Exceptional customer experiences focus on the needs of customers:
- a good deal (value offering).
- a polished service experience.
- a feeling of worth (my dollars matter to me, and it should matter to you).
- human-ness in communication (human-like language).
Transport the customer experience:
- free delivery
- next day delivery
- quick, specific time frame delivery based on what your service is
- automated, online delivery
Deliver customer experience:
- lovely packaging (think Amazon, brown box with signature smile)
- lovely presentation
- delightful environment
- free gift wrap
- free goodies
- customer loyalty card
- customer welcome card
- membership to a community
- online catalog, shop
- online training, info, ideas, inspiration
- follow up phone calls, contact, emails
- follow up service
- follow up thank you
Deliver a customer experience that matters to customers
If you aren’t doing these things. You’re missing out on an opportunity to create a customer experience that makes your organization stand out from the competition. You’re not a monopoly. Believe it or not, you’re a commodity. Do a search online for the type of service you provide, how many others are doing it? What are you doing to make it worthwhile to pick you over them? Banner Ads, SEO, or GoogleAds are not customer experience.
Creating an amazing customer experience is a guaranteed way to create customer loyalty and to compete and survive in tough economic times. It is also one of the reasons many of us go in to businesses for ourselves – to create a personal, delightful experience for our customers, and ourselves. Get creative. Make it fun and playful. Start today. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to create and deliver an amazing customer experience.
