Customer experience ownership

On a recent weekend, we were shopping at a local Marshalls store and picked up few items to purchase. One of the items was on sale and another similar item was not on sale. When we were checking out the products from the store, the cashier suggested that the other similar item might be on sale too. She checked with her manager and confirmed that the item was on sale too and provided us the sale price.

We walked away from Marshalls that afternoon feeling that the cashier took ownership of the customer experience and looked out for the shopper. We had not requested the cashier to see if the item was on sale and she was proactive to give the customer a better store experience. She cared enough to provide the customer with the actual sale price of the item. If she didn’t care enough, she could have just scanned the product and charged us what was listed on the item’s price tag. With that, the store could have received a little bit more money from us and we would still be fine with it.

The ownership and care shown by the employee has now given us another reason to continue to shop at Marshalls. When customers have an abundance of shopping options (online or other retailers), employee ownership and care for the customer experience goes a long way. Delighting customers is just an empathy away!

Choices and customers

In a good business environment, the customers have a lot of product/service options to choose from. Whether customers are shopping for groceries, fashion, gadgets to cars, houses, boats, there are a plethora of product/service providers. As choices become abundant, the customers make decisions based on many things. Some things that make customers choose your brand are price, service, reputation, availability to name a few.

Other factors that are less than obvious which make customers choose only your brand are how much does your brand seem to care about the customers, how is the overall customer buying experience, can the customers trust you, can you deliver what you promised in your marketing, what is the first interaction like with your brand. These are some things to consider as choices are aplenty for the customers.

promise low, DELIVER HIGH

In business, it’s easy to make promises. Yes we will complete the project on time and save you this much money…Yes we will take care of it and you don’t have to worry about a thing. These are common phrases we hear. Keeping those promises is hard. When you make a promise, you are expected to perform or deliver.

I have seen many businesses make promises very easily (it could be the sales person’s personality or the business desperately needs clients or just the nature of agreeing to do anything the client asks etc). Making promises of what you are capable of delivering is good and delivering more than promised will make you stand out. So promise low and Deliver High…your customer will certainly be impressed.

Exceed expectations

How do you exceed expectations as a business? Well first you have find out what the customer wants, then promise to provide that and deliver it. Then you go beyond what you promised to impress the customer. This does not necessarily mean to overdue it but to show care, time and effort in the client’s project or his/her needs.

At most times, it’s very simple why customers come back to a business. It could be just the business’s total customer service effort; from giving the proper time to the customer to just acknowledging the customer’s concerns. Next time you are with a client, what will you do to exceed expectations?