It really doesn’t take an enormous amount of effort to wow your customers by going above and beyond their expectations, and it could make the difference to your business merely surviving and thriving.
Because if you let your customers down by not delivering the customer service and support they expect, they’ll leave. A study by Right Now found that 89% of clients ‘dumped’ a company and bought from a competitor when their expectations weren’t met.
And 50% said they give companies one week to respond to a query before ‘breaking up’ and leaving.
But here’s the good news: 86% of those surveyed said they were willing to pay up to 25% more for a better customer experience.
So, what constitutes excellent customer service? What makes consumers fall in love with a brand?
They love:
- Friendly employees and customer service staff
- Easy access to information and support
- Personalised experience such as staff knowing what they have bought in the past, what service issues they’ve raised and sending them timely and useful updates.
It doesn’t seem as if it would be a big stretch to provide even that basic level of customer service. Sadly, only 1% of those surveyed felt their expectations for a great customer experience have always been met.
How to WOW your customers with outstanding service
How can you deliver outstanding customer service that will blow your customers’ minds?
Delight your customers
If you delight customers by offering them excellent service, unbeatable value, and speedy responses, they’ll naturally want to tell other people about your company.
Importantly, the internet has given people a super-fast way and efficient way to share their experiences—good and bad.
Set realistic expectations and then surpass them
If you know you can deliver what you sell within 24 hours, then say it will be delivered within 48 hours. Not only can you then delight your customers by delivering earlier than promised, but when things go wrong, you will have an extra 24 hours in which to fix the problem.
Surprise them
Follow-up when your customers are least likely to expect it. For example, call them to find out their experiences of your product or service. Don’t try to sell them anything. Your customers are likely to be delighted by your effort. That will go a long way to cementing the relationship.
This has two benefits:
- It lets you know early on if they are having any problems you need to remedy.
- If everything is great, the customer has the satisfaction of knowing you’re thinking about them and that you care.
Respond immediately to their feedback
Show you care about their purchase by providing an immediate response to questions, complaints and compliments.
Give customers more than they expect
You could give your customers a free gift, access to the next product upgrade, or an unexpected discount.
When you give your customers more help and support than they expected, they’re likely to become ‘raving fans’, and that will help bring in more customers.
Offer them something they didn’t know they needed
Your customers might not be aware of the full range of products or services you offer, so just let them know you would like to give them free trials of your other products or services.
Make customers feel special
You’ve probably heard of Pareto’s principle, also known as the 80-20 rule. It says that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In your business, you will probably find that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers and yet you are probably spending only 20% of your time on them. The rest is spent sorting out problems with the 80% of customers who don’t generate anywhere near the same returns as that precious 20% do.
And because you’re preoccupied, it’s all too easy to forget your best customers when they are the ones you should be looking after most of all.
So, find a way to reward them for their business and make them feel special.
If they can see they are getting something free that other people must pay for, that gives your business an enormous psychological advantage. It makes it very hard for customers to compare you unfavourably with your competitors. And that’s very good for retention.
Remember personal information
Customers like it when you remember things about them (such as their birthdays) and use the information to send a personal greeting. Use an automated marketing system or CRM (client relationship manager) to do it for you.
Give information away
Giving products and services away works well, but what’s powerful is giving information away for free.
Customers already trust your expertise so when you give them free yet practical and valuable information it will be highly appreciated.
Engage with your customers on social media
Customers who engage with companies on social media are more loyal than other customers, and they spend up to 40 % more.
Don’t have the time to manage your social media accounts? At Nettl of Weymouth we offer a concierge package called nettl:Socializer for one simple fixed monthly charge.
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