April Recap

The first 7 "ways" are summarized in the March archive. Here are a few more from the April posts:

8. Make exceptions to satisfy customers, and make satisfying customers the rule

"We don't put cucumbers on deli sandwiches." "Can't. Won't. Not allowed. No cucumbers. No exceptions. None at all."

"Did the cucumbers and the deli meats have an argument?" "Do they fight with the bread? Why, of the multitude of condiments you offer, do you disallow the cucumber? Have cucumber prices risen dramatically? Is there a shortage?" How ridiculous!

When a customer asks for something a little out of the ordinary we can dig our heels in and insist, "We just can't do that." But before you say no, ask yourself, "Is this just a cucumber?"

9. Break the rules to satisfy your customers

Encourage your customer-facing associates to break the rules to create a most positive and memorable experience for your customers, and then celebrate them as your heroes. Give your economy class passengers a little taste of First Class and they will love you! If your rules say "peanuts" offer them "cashews." You will create raving fans.

10. Then eliminate all of the other stupid rules

Identify and eliminate all of the stupid and mindless rules and policies that prevent your front line associates from creating a unique and memorable experience for your customers. Remove these blockages and allow the creativity and talent of your people to thrive!

11. Introduce an element of "surprise" and the "wow factor"

The most powerful way to exceed customers' expectations is to provide the element of the "unexpected" or "surprise." This creates a most positive and extremely memorable experience.

Examples: follow up service calls; thank you note and gift; sampling; unexpected secondary features of exceptional quality; CDs and USBs as gifts; chocolates. Putting "Wow" into what you do and sell isn't very hard, but it is extremely effective. For the receiver, it creates a MOMENT OF MAGIC!

12. Do follow up service calls

A follow up call to your customer demonstrates your honest commitment to their satisfaction and your sincere appreciation for doing business with you. You will create an intangible loyalty factor and an incredible number of word-of-mouth referrals.

13. Send thank you notes and gifts

As above it demonstrates your honest commitment to their satisfaction and your sincere appreciation for doing business with you. It's easy to accept for large purchases and commitments however, recognize that it is much more powerful for less expensive purchases and experiences. Think about creating customers for life and you will.

14. Give "neat" stuff away for free

You can create the element of "surprise" by empowering your front-line associates to provide samples, taste tests, special information, gadgets, gifts, chocolates, whatever they can think of - to demonstrate your sincere appreciation for doing business with you and your most fundamental desire to create a most positive and memorable experience. Your customers will be "wowed" and your people will love "wowing" your customers. This can create a most powerful formula for success and superior returns for your business.

Peanuts

If you travel often you might appreciate my need. I wanted peanuts. Sure the snack mix is good but when I sit in the seat I need real peanuts to be comfortable. Maybe it's just something I've developed over the years. So I say to the young lady, "The snack mix is OK and I don't need a drink - but I must have peanuts!" A few minutes later she brings me cashews (wow!) that she was able to 'swipe' from first class. What a memorable experience! She did that for me and made my day! Yes I'm a simple man - but little things do make a difference.

(A little learning here if I may. I paid hundreds of serious $US dollars for the flight and the 'wow' factor is a couple of packages of cashews. Sounds rather insignificant. But then again, if the stats for this site are correct the two packages of peanuts will have led me to tell about 100,000 people this month about the wonderful experience I had flying American Airlines. Gotta chew on that one for a bit.)

(A little more learning. So the young lady had to 'sort of' break the rules to satisfy and inadvertantly 'wow' a customer. Gotta think about them rules. I hope she doesn't get into trouble because from now on American will always be my first or second choice - right up there anyway. Have to let that one sink in a bit - have to break the rules to wow a customer ... hmmm.)

The "Wow!" Factor

Shep Hyken on the element of "surprise" and the "Wow!" factor.

You may have recently noticed a number of books and articles about a concept called the "Wow" factor. Many consultants and business experts have been talking about this for years, but it was probably Tom Peters who really brought it to the forefront.

The "Wow!" factor boils down to one thing; exceeding the expectations of the customer. It goes past great customer service. In short, the basic idea is to bring the element of surprise into your business. The concept of Wow! yells out, "Surprise! Aren't you glad you bought from me, decided to do business with our company, etc.!"

There are many ways you and your organization can do it. Here are a few examples to illustrate the Wow! factor.

Last year I bought my wife a new car. Normally the quest for purchasing a new car is not one I look forward to, and this time was no exception. However, to my surprise, the experience was great, and the follow-up even greater. The owner of the dealership knew I was surprising my wife with the car. He called the next day, on a Sunday, to see how she liked the surprise. Wow!Wow! A few days later we received a thank you note and a fruit basket.

Recently my wife and I went out to eat at a nice restaurant. Even though we had ordered a salad and main course, the waiter thought we should have an appetizer. He brought us each a sample of three different appetizers. He said they were so good, that he didn't want us to miss the opportunity to at least try what the chef is really good at doing. Wow! By the way, guess what we will order when we go back to his restaurant? And, guess who got a big tip?

Kellogg Business School professor and marketing guru Dr. Lou Stern talks about his recent purchase of a new car. On his way home he turned on the stereo system. Wow! He couldn't believe how great it sounded. All he wanted was a nice car, good service and a luxuriously smooth ride. He knew the radio/stereo system would be good, but he didn't think it would "blow him away." This was simply a surprise bonus.

Bill Gates, multi-billionaire and chairman of Microsoft, recently wrote a book on the future of technology, The Road Ahead. Surprise! The book included a CD with the entire book and more on it to be popped into your nearest computer. He predicts that books on CD ROM will be the norm in the future. And shouldn't his book "practice what it preaches." If you travel with a laptop computer that has a CD ROM drive you don't have to even take the book with you. Just take the disk and read from the screen. Wow!

Last year I bought a fruit basket for someone from Harry and David. They are a high end catalog retailer that sells food through the mail; fruit baskets, "Pasta of the Month," etc. One day the mail came and I was surprised to find a gift box from Harry and David. I couldn't wait to open it to find out who sent me this delicious box of chocolate truffles. Surprise! It was a gift from Harry and David saying thank you for doing business with them. Wow!

The list of examples can go on and on. The "Wow" comes from, "Surprise! You weren't expecting this, were you?" How can you build this into your product or service? It doesn't always have to be something tangible that might cost a lot of money. It can be a follow up phone call or a simple thank you note. It is meant to make the customer feel good about doing business with you. I remember getting a phone call from a restaurant that some friends and I had been to the night before. I wondered why they would be calling me. Did I leave my credit card there? No, they just wanted to follow up with me to make sure I had a great meal and experience at their restaurant. That's all. Wow!

Putting Wow! into what you do and sell isn't very hard, but it is extremely effective. And I guarantee that for the receiver, it is a MOMENT OF MAGIC!

Cucumbers

My good friend Darlene Pineda loves cucumbers, enjoy.

Cucumbers. You find them in salads and sandwiches, usually not in the middle of customer service story. Unless you're me, of course! I was in a chain sandwich shop, ordering lunch. I asked for a deli sandwich on wheat, and when we got to the toppings, I asked for mustard and cucumbers and green peppers and tomatoes and lettuce … but the sales person behind the counter was shaking her head at me. "I'm sorry," she says, "but we don't put cucumbers on deli sandwiches."

"Excuse me?"

"We don't put cucumbers on deli sandwiches."

When I asked why, she had no answer. At this point three other employees strolled over, including the manager. "Can anyone tell me," I asked, "why I can't get cucumbers on my sandwich?" The manager broke into a long tale of how they just can't. Won't. Not allowed. No cucumbers. No exceptions. None at all.

"Did the cucumbers and the deli meats have an argument?" I asked, "Do they fight with the bread? Why, of the multitude of condiments you offer, do you disallow the cucumber? Have cucumber prices risen dramatically? Is there a shortage?"

The young man who had also wandered over quietly reached for a handful of cucumbers, piled them next to my sandwich, and wrapped the whole thing up before anyone could notice. Two customers behind me in line started asking if they could get cucumbers with their sandwiches. The manager's face was now red with frustration as he kept insisting that he simply could not put cucumbers on a deli sandwich. When I asked for the corporate number, he turned even redder. I paid for my sandwich (with the cucumbers hidden on the side), and as I walked away several customers stopped me to tell me how ridiculous the cucumber policy was.

Of course, when I called their corporate customer service number, they denied any knowledge of the cucumber embargo, apologized, and swore they would investigate.

In their stubborn insistence to save the cucumber, they lost not one customer, me, but all the other customers standing in line with me. They created trouble for themselves with their head office. They got themselves all upset and bothered. For what? Two slices of cucumber? Wasn't that worth an exception?

Sometimes when a customer asks for something a little out of the ordinary we can dig our heels in and insist, "We just can't do that." But before you say no, ask yourself, "Is this just a cucumber?"