Your existing customers are among your best assets. They already understand your value – you never need to start over from scratch with them.
Keeping them engaged and interested in what you have to offer can be challenging, but it is worth the effort.
Odds are good that only your most dedicated fans have their eyes glued to your social media pages.
That being the case, you need a collection of subtle yet powerful methods to recapture interest from your other customers when you have something to share or offer.
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Customer delight is all about surpassing your customer’s expectations and creating a memorable, positive customer experience with your brand, product, or services.
Discounts, coupons, and outreach are all common methods of delighting customers and creating a customer-centric reputation within a business. It’s all about establishing an emotional association or bond between brand and buyer.
The inbound methodology views business as a flywheel that focuses on three principles: attract, engage, and delight.
Source: HubSpot
The flywheel spins around customer-focused methodologies. And even though the different departments are “responsible” for different aspects of interacting with customers, delighting the customer should truly be owned by everybody.
A great inbound agency understands that delivering an exceptional customer experience from start to finish is top priority. The customer should be delighted at every stage, and that umbrella is extended out to potential customers as well.
Providing customer care, support, and service in a way that makes them feel valued or treasured isn’t as tricky as it sounds. It’s all in knowing what your customers’ expectations are and delivering on them to the best of your ability.
We’ve come up with different ways that you can build positive relationships with your target market and satisfy them.
Building a healthy relationship with your customers takes time and dedication – but the more you know about them, the easier it becomes.
Sending a card on the holidays, birthdays, or even the anniversary of a purchase shows you’re thinking of them even when a sale isn’t at stake.
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do customization.
The same customers who might get nervous when they see retargeting ads “following them across the internet” will be delighted when they have the chance to customize their products or interact with responsive pages tailored just for them.
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Everyone has a favorite pizza they love, so Pizza Hut makes it easy to order in one click. You may not be selling piping hot pies, but odds are good you have repeatable transactions.
Other common tasks customers engage in should be simplified, too – especially getting support.
There’s nothing like a handwritten note to demonstrate that real time and effort went into crafting your message. The concept is often imitated in direct response marketing but never duplicated.
A quick note at the right time can motivate repeat business, but when it doesn't, it still shows customers they matter.
It’s not just millennials – the average American spends hours a day on social media.
Running a photo or caption contest makes for a novel distraction that gets creative juices flowing. Even if they don’t win a fabulous prize, customers will come away with a positive impression.
Of course, you don’t need an elaborate special event to interact with customers. You have tools in place to monitor social mentions of your brand, right?
When people take to social media, they simply want to be heard. Responding directly to their concerns can easily defuse any tension.
Most people love to give their opinion, but they may be leery if you simply ask them to fill out a regular old survey.
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Instead, find ways to incentivize customers to provide detailed feedback that can really affect your processes. A face-to-face focus group may seem old-fashioned, but it can be fun.
What do customers think of when they think of your brand? Get them involved with prompts, mini-events, and “behind the scenes” live video.
A two-minute video of your latest offering, your production process, or other insider information makes them feel like they are more involved.
Younger consumers make an effort to support the brands that help them live their values.
Make sure you have a corporate social responsibility plan and know exactly how your business gives back to the community. Then, publicize your efforts with special events where some proceeds go to good causes.
Customer service is hearing and responding to others’ needs – customer delight is anticipating them. Be sure to review customer touchpoints now and then to make certain everyone is polite and professional.
You can’t go above and beyond unless the foundation is in place!
If you can identify what’s contributing to customer dissatisfaction, you can eliminate half the battle right there.
Put time into learning what obstacles your customers are facing and find ways to break them down rather than waiting until a customer gives your service team a call.
You’ll make them, it’s inevitable. The good news is that no one expects you to be perfect. But it is for you to step up to the hot seat and admit when you’ve messed up.
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Customers will appreciate you validating their cry and they’ll respect you and your business more.
Every time a customer interacts with your company, they should feel like they’re coming back to a group of people who know them. There are plenty of tools that exist today that help with personalizing interactions. Utilize them for all they’re worth.
Your teams interact with your employees regularly. They likely have the closest insight to what your customers actually want and require after the customers themselves.
Gather employee feedback on what customers are saying, and put value into their personal opinions also. They may have some great ideas.
Being a thought leader and a research source can provide a lot of clout and authority. Customers who have purchased from you expect you to be an expert in your field and on your products or services. Prove them right by offering free, valuable content.
Live chats and engagement tools are a great way to avoid having your customers memorize your hold music note for note. No one likes sitting in a phone queue.
By providing real time support and a thorough knowledge management system, you'll keep them content.
Voice of the customer offers you insight on what your buyers are thinking and saying about you and how you relate to their needs.
Utilizing tools like net promoter scores and customer surveys will help you adapt your strategies to meet them on their turf.
Encouraging and uplifting your team often results in them feeling confident in their roles in your business.
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When they're confident and feel like they have authority, that gets reflected in their interactions with your customers. They act as a better, friendlier resource that customers will feel happy to interact with.
Sometimes large challenges are going to pop up. As experts in your field, it's your job to find solutions for your customers and break them down into digestible steps.
You can't expect a customer to know how to dig around in the code of their new software, but you can give them simple steps to adjust their system preferences.
Not everything is about closing the sale. That's just part of the process. Customers hate to feel like they're just another dollar to you.
There are different sales practices that prioritize the customer over the sale, and they're great for balancing your revenue with your reputation.
When customers feel that they've had a truly great experience, they're usually excited to sing that company's praises. It's easy to get excited about a delightful moment.
Here are just a few examples of some great instances of customer delight:
Nest sells a self-learning digital thermostat that allows users to control their air conditioning and heat via their phone and the internet.
Pretty neat, right? Only if it works. Scott Barbour shared an experience on LinkedIn where his Nest thermostat wouldn't blow hot air when the heat was on.
After speaking with a customer service agent, at 9 p.m. on a Sunday no less, they were able to deduce that there was unusual wiring in his home. Nest went the extra mile and reimbursed him for the expense of hiring an HVAC service technician to fix the problem.
Nest apologized for the inconvenience and took full ownership of the situation. Needless to say, Scott was pretty impressed.
Ramona Sukhraj also had a great experience where there was a mix up in receiving her bareMinerals personalized birthday gift.
She attempted to follow up on the issue herself with some quick research, but ultimately she had to reach out to the makeup brand over Twitter.
Their response was quick and friendly, and before she knew it, Ramona had a package in the mail. Typically, you need to pick up your personalized gift at one of their store locations. Instead, Ramona was sent her eyeshadow gift and a sweet card.
Source: Instagram
In Bethel, Alaska, it's a 400-mile drive to the nearest Taco Bell. Residents became extremely excited when they heard that there was going to be a location opening up in their town.
Unfortunately, the entire idea was just rumors and wishful thinking. You can imagine how disappointed the town was.
Taco Bell executives heard about the hoax, though, and felt that they should do something to ease the pain. That's when "Operation Alaska" was born.
A helicopter was sent carrying a Taco Bell food truck with enough ingredients to create 10,000 Doritos Tacos for free to the town.
The stunt was a huge success and rewarded all of the loyal fans for their commitment and love.
That's one of the greatest rewards of prioritizing your customers: earning their vote of confidence and support.
If you're delivering on your word to provide a great product or service and follow through with providing a great customer experience, then your buyers can become some of your greatest promoters.
It isn't too forward to ask for their help in boosting your business. If they're fans, then they'll likely be happy to help. You can gather endorsements in a variety of ways.
Asking for customer referrals is a great way to bring in new customers and reward your existing ones at the same time. You can offer discounts and benefits to existing customers who encourage their friends and family to sign up or purchase from your business.
User-generated content (UGC) is typically posted of the customer's own accord, acting as free press and advertising for your products. It's fun for them because they can share their experience and new gear with their social circle while also endorsing your business.
You can encourage UGC by creating contests where your customers have to post some form of content within certain rule parameters to win a prize.
Of course, customer reviews are the greatest source of feedback both for you and potential customers. By reading through reviews on websites like Yelp, YP.com, and Google Reviews, you'll be able to adapt your strategies and processes to improve business.
Leads and prospects tune into customer reviews for honest insight on what your company does and doesn't do well.
Delighting your customers isn't just a sweet, little afterthought that you may or may not follow up on. Your customers are what your business should operate around.
When you focus on satisfying your buyers, even after they've made a purchase, you'll build a following of loyal customers and a reputation that will draw in new ones.
Come up with different ways you can go above and beyond for your customers in creative ways. You'll be sure to stand out above your competition because of it.