How to Thrill Your Customers

The term customer satisfaction is used often. But do you really want to just satisfy your customers? It’s true, satisfied customers are often repeat customers, but thrilled customers are also repeat customers; except they bring their friends with them next time.

While it may be your employees who are delivering the service, it is you, the leader who sets the bar for the standard of service. It is important that you have a clearly defined service standard, and that you walk the talk at all times. Remember, you are the role model. Each day, make sure your actions are what you want your employees to emulate.

Here’s how you and your team can, not just meet, but surpass your customer’s expectations:

1. Clearly articulate your customer service vision. What does great customer service look like to you? What should customers experience when doing business with your organization? Clearly communicate this to your employees, and confirm for understanding.
2. Train every employee. It makes sense to train your customer service representatives on customer service, but I’m going to suggest you go even further than that. Train everyone on customer service because it’s everyone’s job. Companies who successfully train every employee to focus on the customer and their total satisfaction, have more loyal customers and are a more profitable business. Does every employee in your company know the average dollar value of one job or the annual dollar value of an average customer? Give employees the training and the tools to wow your customers.
3. Hire for attitude, train for skill. Even after a brief interaction, you can probably tell who enjoys serving others and making customers happy, and who views customers as a necessary evil to receive a paycheck. People with great attitudes enjoy serving others, are easier to train, and are better at developing multiple options if the company’s standard way of serving and satisfying customers is not successful. These individuals are star employees: hire them.
4. Tear down the walls that isolate employees from customers. There are some employees who never have customer contact. We highly recommend introducing customers and sales representatives to employees. When employees know the customers are real people, not just a name or an order number, there is a stronger commitment to satisfy the customer. Two ideas that have proven successful are to 1) videotape a customer being interviewed by a company representative and 2) bring customers on-site for a customer appreciation day and have the employees provide tours.
5. Cater to your customers. Find out what your customers needs and passions are and find a way to delight, or thrill them. Just last week I was at my doctor’s office. I handed the woman behind the desk my membership card and, since my name was spelled wrong on the card, let her know how it was really spelled so that she could find me in the system. Immediately she verified my home address, hit several keys on the keyboard, looked up at me and said, “I’m sorry about that, Sir. I’ve ordered a new card with the correct spelling and you will receive it in the mail next week.” She knew what my need was but she didn’t even have to ask.
6. See through your customer’s eyes. Every now and then, take a step back from your role as leader, or even as employee, and objectively look at what your customer experiences. How do certain processes affect your customers? How well does your product/service work? If applicable, how does your place of business physically look to customers? Take notes and begin to make changes.
7. Measure customer satisfaction. Companies should be measuring whether or not they are exceeding customer expectations on an on-going basis. Measuring your customers’ satisfaction with quality, service, and timeliness are critical indicators of an organization’s long-term success.
8. Reward results and celebrate successes. It’ll be important to align your performance review process and reward system with an organization that focuses on customer satisfaction. And last, when your customers’ expectations have been exceeded, celebrate the success.

What else would you add to this list? Continually improving how you produce your products and deliver your service will create loyal customers who will be thrilled to suggest you to others.