Customer Experience – How to Dazzle Your Customers?

This is the opening interview scene in the movie 21, where Ben, played by Jim Sturgess, interviews for a scholarship at Harvard. [Source: www.script-o-rama.com]

Interviewer: Premed, 4.0 GPA, 44 MCATs, President, American Legion Math League, TA to Professors Wilkins and Sanders. Both of whom are friends of mine and who wrote glowing recommendations.

And you’re accepted early into school here at Harvard Med, pending graduation from MIT. It’s very impressive.

Ben: Thank you.

Interviewer: The Robinson Scholarship is comprehensive, as you know. It’s a free ride. And free rides don’t come easy.

Ben: Absolutely.

Interviewer: We have 76 applicants this year, only one of whom will get the scholarship and most of whom have résumés just as impressive as yours. Right.

Ben: Professor Phillips? Some kids grow up wanting to play for the Red Sox. You know some grow up wanting to be, I don’t know, a fireman. I grew up… Well, really, I just wanted to come here to Harvard Med. And now that I’ve gotten accepted, it seems to only come down to the money.

Which I don’t really have. So, what I’m trying to say is that I really, really need this scholarship.

Interviewer: Did you rehearse that?

Ben: Yeah. Like, 14 times in front of the mirror.

Interviewer: Unfortunately, desire doesn’t figure into this much. The Robinson is going to go to someone who dazzles. Somebody who just jumps off the page.

Ben: Oh, well, then, I’m also involved in a science competition. We’re building a robotic wheel that can navigate itself using a proprietary GPS system. Well, I’m designing the system. So…

Interviewer: Right. Ben, last year, the Robinson went to Hyum Jae Wook, a Korean immigrant who has only one leg.

Ben: Well, I have both my legs.

Interviewer: Well, have you considered cutting one of them off? That was a joke. Ben, it’s all about the essay. You need to really explain to us what makes you special. What life experience separates you from all the rest?

Life experience. What can you tell me, Ben, that’s going to dazzle me?

Dazzling Your Customers

Whenever I think of customer experience, I keep reminded of this scene as to how we are dazzling our customers with the experience.

How Do You Make Your Customer Experience Stand Out?

Here, I will talk about some of the outstanding customer experiences organizations offer from across industries, including mattresses, sports, airlines, and technology.

1. Casper

Take, for instance, the ship-to-your-home mattress company Casper. They created a bot called Insomnobot3000, just for insomniacs. Customers can chat to the chatbot about whatever is on their minds and have a real conversation. This is available only between 11 pm, and 5 am.

With the chat, the insomniacs get a little peace of mind to help them fall asleep.

Through the chatbot, Casper collected the mobile numbers and sent them promotional offers and discounts. They could bring in $100 million in sales in the first year of the chatbot’s launch.

Make it easy for customers to connect with you and humanize the experience.

2. Southwest Airlines

The company invests heavily in its employee experience and has long been ranked as one of the best places to work. They constantly remind their employees to enjoy their work and take pride in what they do.

In 2011, a man booked a last-minute flight to see his 3-year-old grandson one last time. Unfortunately, he arrived late at the airport due to heavy traffic, getting there after the plane was scheduled to leave. However, the pilot had waited for him before taking off. Recognizing the humanity of its customers has helped Southwest Airlines become a leader in successful customer service.

Your business can succeed as well as Southwest by giving your employees the pride and satisfaction to work with your brand, which can ultimately lead to happier customers.

3. Adidas

Adidas realized that customers were shopping online more. So, they poured resources into a simple and tailored-to-fit customer experience by personalizing its messaging and content based on data insights and user engagement.

The company also began listening to customer feedback (Contact Center Software for E-Commerce Industry). This introduced them to a desire for more sustainable goods from customers. The company began producing shoes from ocean waste and sold over 1 million pairs in just one year.

By investing in CX, you can change your company’s growth trajectory and even establish yourself as a leader in your field.

4. Microsoft

In the early 2000s, Microsoft was experiencing a hitch in its growth until its new CEO came in and led the change from a bureaucratic corporation to an innovative collaborator.

Microsoft partnered with B2B companies and shared best practices to build new B2B products, which gave the boost that Microsoft needed and democratized access to technology.

They also began to invest more in their social media presence. Today, Microsoft has a strong presence on Twitter with accounts for various themes – careers, development, events, security, and customer service. Microsoft customers can interact and engage with just about every aspect of the brand through social media.

Microsoft makes sure that they respond to comments on social media on time. The quicker you respond, the more satisfied your customers are, which will make your customers involved and keep coming back for more.

These are unforgettable experiences that have made these brands what they are.

How Do You Provide Unforgettable Experiences?

So much of these customer experiences are a result of listening to customers – their wants, needs, and desires. After listening, taking the necessary steps to change is just as important. Once they see their feedback being implemented, customers feel empowered and become the champions of your offerings.

But don’t forget! Listening to your employees is just as important, more so the frontline employees, as they have their feet and ear to the ground on the customer expectations. This is a goldmine of information that you should tap into to ensure excellent customer experiences.