‘Customer delight’ is all about ‘exceeding’ customer expectations. It’s definitely not about ‘Have a nice day’ or ‘buy one, get 10 free’ (Hey, anyone can give stuff away!), it’s about going the extra mile for customers. It often involves quite simple things that can make a difference, and our research has identified 6 key ingredients of Customer Delight….
- It produces a wow reaction
- It appears spontaneous or unexpected
- It’s the personal touch
- It makes the customer feel valued
- It’s genuine… and…
- It creates a ‘talking point’
I love experiencing, and seeing examples of ‘customer delight’ in action, and here are just a few ‘simple’ ones that demonstrate what it’s all about…
#1: Sun Tan Cream For Customers
My wife Jill took her mum to a pub called the Spencer Arms in Cawthorne for a bit of lunch on Saturday and as they went to sit outside in the garden, there, among the condiments and cutlery was some sun tan cream for customers to use.
They’ve clearly built this in to the way they do business, but it’s a simple, thoughtful thing that shows they care about their customers.
Can you build things into your business that shows customers you care?
#2: Happy Anniversary Cakes
A client of ours, Kevin Canetti of Wharncliffe visited the Radisson Blue hotel in Dublin with his wife recently and was asked by the receptionist on arrival what their plans were for their weekend stay. They explained that they were celebrating their anniversary and the receptionist obviously saw this as an opportunity to do something nice and show her customers she cared. When they came back from a day out, there were some lovely cakes to greet them with the words ‘Happy Anniversary’ in chocolate – that’s the ‘personal touch’!
Are your people ’empowered’ to go the extra mile for customers?
#3: Create A Memorable Experience
Going out of your way to give your customers a memorable experience can be a great way to delight customers and here’s a lovely example from the residential home The Oaks At NorthPointe in Ohio when the staff organised a ‘slip n slide’ for their elderly residents!
They’ve clearly thought about this and consciously worked on doing something that customers will remember.
How can you create ‘memorable’ experiences for your customers?
#4: Respond To Your Customers To ‘Make Their Day’
When Soldier-mad Marshall Scott donned his very own uniform for his birthday treat to watch the changing of the guard at Windsor, he was keen to show how much he was a fan by saluting them as they passed. It was great to see how the Coldstream Guards responded to him. In fact, they actually ‘broke the rules’ and came back to stand to attention with him.
It’s a great example of ‘not following the script’ and responding to customers in a way that works for them.
How good is your business at ‘responding’ to customers and not just ‘following the script’?
So, what can you do to ‘delight’ your customers? Obviously it means different things for different businesses, and of course, different customers.
Your challenge is to think about those ingredients and work out how you could make them work for the way you interact with your customers.
You could start by considering the questions outlined above
For a more in-depth insight into Customer Delight, download my free e-book Customer Delight As Competitive Advantage – 44 pages and over 60 ideas to help you make this stuff work in your business.
