Creating the Perfect Customer Experience – Part I

Let’s face it, you’re not alone. Your business is not alone. There are other businesses out there, many many in some cases, doing exactly what you do. You can sit back and hope you get noticed but, as my old manager was fond of saying, hope is not a management technique. You need to actively figure out and plan how you’re going to stand out in a sea of competition. What’s going to drive customers to your doorstep and keep them coming back? Will it be price…your amazing products…stellar service…your sparkling personality or none of the above. The answer is none of the above. Yes, you need to have fair prices, desirable products and good service but that’s not what gains and keeps customers.

 Let’s talk about price first. Trying to win in the marketplace by competing on price is the best way to get to failure more quickly. The only company this works for is Walmart and most of us got into small business because we felt in our hearts there was a better way to do business than the Walmart model. Underpricing sends a message to the consumer that your products or services aren’t valuable or reliable or desirable and you know they are!

 So what about products? Yes, having great, quality products is necessary and many years ago used to be an important differentiator. Those times are over. Globalization, technology and growth have given the market the ability to produce consistent quality products at lower and lower cost. If I want a new printer, I can go to any one of a hundred places within a 10-mile radius of my house and get a good quality printer. If I need a pet sitter, I can call up one of dozens of pet sitting companies in my area who all offer the services I’m looking for for my pets. Great products and great quality are the admission for entrance, not a differentiator.

 And finally, service. This is a key differentiator but not in the narrow way most businesses view it. Most businesses look at the point of sale in isolation. For a product-based business this is the actual purchase of the physical item or for service-based businesses, the delivery of the service. They ask, was the customer happy with their purchase experience, i.e. were they able to find what they were looking for and pay for it with minimal hassle. This is important but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Experts will tell you 60% of the sales process occurs before you ever speak to or lay eyes on the customer. This means you could be losing 60% of your potential customers before you even get the chance to offer them that great point of sale service.

The real differentiator is the entire client experience. This mean everything from them locating you and your business online or through other marketing avenues to interacting with your website or other electronic mediums to making first contact with you through email/text/phone/in person to the delivery of and payment for the product or service. And, in case you weren’t already a little overwhelmed, it doesn’t stop there. The client experience continues with how you follow up with them on any post sale issues or questions, what they tell their friends and how they’re treated after they leave your doorstep. Literally every touchpoint with the customer, whether you’re in control of it or not, forms the client experience. You need to be able to optimize the ENTIRE experience to set yourself apart. I know you’re up the challenge! Stay tuned to find out how to create the Perfect Customer Experience in Part II.