Did you know that there are 7.5 billion people living in the world today? In fact, the United Nations predicts that by the year 2100, that figure will increase to a staggering 11.2 billion! Holy smokes, that’s a lot of people. And you thought that traffic was bad today…
Additionally, there are currently 7,099 different languages spoken today. Take that statistic with a grain of salt; more than half of the world’s population speak one of 23 different languages.
Now, think about how many cultures there are. Beyond language differentiators, each culture has different customs, social standards, beliefs, traditions, appearances, food preferences etc.
Regardless of where you are from or what you believe, you probably have had a recent interaction with an airline, hotel, retailer, cable company etc. that was frustrating. Think of the last time you had a sub-par customer experience. I bet if you paused for a few minutes, one or two recent annoying or disappointing occurrences will probably come to mind. With individuals being so unique and complex, does it really make sense for an organization to provide the same exact cookie-cutter service across the board?
Ponder this: during your last annoying experience with a brand, what was more frustrating: the poor service or the way that the company simply failed at their attempt to make things right with you?
What if you were able to receive a personalized resolution to your issue, one that was customized just for you? Even better, what if you had no issue with a brand yet they *automatically* provided you with consistent and personalized service, just because?
It’s all possible, and it’s already happening! Ritz-Carlton has a very unique perspective on making things right with their customers when things go wrong as well as creating a personalized customer experience, regardless of if there is an issue. They empower every single employee to spend up to $2,000 on a guest, without approval: to make things right, to create an exceptional experience with their brand…every single employee is empowered to do this without having to get any special permission. Their employees are inspired and encouraged to take initiative. This business philosophy has a profound impact on customer loyalty to the Ritz-Carlton brand.
Imagine if your organization empowered your front-line employees with even $25 to use at their discretion to create a customer for life. I’d say that’s a worthy investment, would you agree?
Bottom line: if your company is not personalizing each and every customer service interaction, then your organization is leaving money on the table. If your employees are not emotionally connecting with your customers at every interaction, your customer can and will take their business elsewhere. Individuals are unique, down to how we want conflict resolution to occur (call center, email support, online chat, etc.)
I’ll leave you with these parting words from the great Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
