From all of us at Ann Michaels & Associates, HAPPY NEW YEAR! We wish you happiness, health, and success in 2013!
Thank you for your continued readership in 2012; we look forward to more great blog posts in 2013!
Category: General Information
One Small Change…..
I came across a video that made me think about the customer experience…..how can you take the mundane, make one small change, and completely change the way people think about it?
As you’ll see in the video below, the goal was to encourage people to take the stairs more often than the escalator. One simple change piqued curiosity and made that goal happen.
I recall Zappos making the online chat experience a bit more fun. While this dates back a couple of years, I think it’s a good example of making the customer experience a little more fun. This in turn will make it memorable – people will talk about it, and they will certainly be back.
In this case, you can see a snippet of the chat between a Zappos rep and a customer. The customer, trying to have a little fun, was talking in the third person. The rep, without missing a beat, mirrored the customer’s “talk” and they continued the conversation in that manner, all the while serving the customer and getting his needs met.
As we go into the new year, think about your customers’ experience when they’re interacting with your staff or shopping. Think a little outside the box to decide what one small change you can make that may make a difference.
Brand Advocates Are Your Best Advertising Tool
Advertising dollars are being watched carefully these days; companies need to spend their advertising budget carefully, trying to get the most impact for the least amount of money to stay competitive in the marketplace.
One possibly overlooked ad spend is on brand advocates – those customers who are truly raving fans of your business. These consumers can be an excellent marketing tool, as word of mouth is becoming a prominent factor in consumer purchasing decisions. Studies are consistently showing that word of mouth advertising has more of an effect on consumers than more traditional forms of advertising, such as radio ads, commercials, etc.
Take a look at this great video clip that explains a bit more about brand advocates and their importance to your business:
Companies can increase their brand advocates quickly by keeping a few customer service rules in mind:
1. Consistently delivery superior products: ensure that consumer needs are met with your products & services, and provide a little “something extra” that will keep customers coming back for more. Find out what your customers need, and what they would like to see in your stores. Listen to their needs and respond accordingly.
2. Consistently delivery stellar service: in today’s world, real-time response to consumer needs is becoming the norm. Make sure your company responds to all customer inquiries quickly, provide first call resolution when possible to complaints, and ensure your staff on the front lines are providing consistent, strong service levels each and every time.
3. Consistently deliver and excellent experience: much like the point above, make sure your consumer touchpoints are geared toward service excellence, and no matter where your consumers are doing business with you, whether its onsite, online, or on your social media sites, that you’re doing all you can to provide the best experience for your consumers.
The “rules” are straightforward, and really nothing new. As the consumer culture shifts, though, it is a good idea to periodically review the above points to make sure your company is adjusting to any shifts in your consumer base to ensure that your brand advocates will continue sharing their positive experiences and your “army of advocates” grows!