What are you going to do to create the perfect customer experience? What are you going to do to get your business to stand out in a sea of competition? In Part I of this topic, we learned that price and products are not the key. Trying to win in the marketplace by competing on price is the best way to get to failure more quickly. It sends a message that your services are not valuable or professional. Having great quality products is necessary but these days, in an economy where most products can be mass produced and delivered globally, quality products are the admission for entry, not a differentiator.
So it comes down to service, but not in the narrow way most businesses view it. Most businesses fall into the trap of looking at the point of sale in isolation, either the actual purchase of the physical item or the delivery of the service. 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.
What some businesses fail to recognize is that Service (with a big S) includes every single touch point and opportunity for a touch point with the customer all the way from them locating 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 to follow-up after sale.
The good news is that there many opportunities for customer touch points! There are 10 touch points below. Take a look through these. How many are you taking advantage of? And of the ones you are, are you doing it in the best way possible?
- How does the client find their way to your website or other social media? Is your website optimized for search engines? Is it easy to find you on Facebook, Instagram, etc.?
- Can the customer easily contact with you in person or by phone/text/email to learn more?
- Is there an automatic or electronic way for them to set up an appointment if they don’t feel like talking to a real person or want a quick solution?
- Once a service or meeting is booked, do they receive a confirmation that the appointment has been set and who they should expect to see? Does it include instructions on changing/cancelling appointments and anything they need to do ahead of time?
- The day before the appointment or service, do they receive an automated reminder? Is this a generic reminder or is it personalized with their name and other information?
- Do you ask them if they are satisfied with the work or purchase at the time of sale?
- Once they’ve completed the appointment, do they receive an automated follow up email thanking them? Is this a generic reminder or is it personalized with their name and other information?
- After a reasonable amount of time with their new service or product does someone check in to see if they’re still satisfied?
- If it’s a continuing regularly recurring appointment or service are you checking in with them periodically to make sure things are still going well?
- If they book once or twice and then never again do you follow up with them telling them you miss them and you’d like to have them back or understand why they didn’t return?
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