Conversely, imagine you booked to go to an upmarket restaurant for a special occasion to treat your partner. You arrive on time and the maître d’ barely bothers to look up to greet you before pointing you in the direction of your table. The waiter takes a long time before they bring you the menu. You have to ask for the drinks menu and again wait ages. The place is a little bit chilly both in temperature and general vibe. The food is lukewarm and expensive. It would be fair to say you would likely be unhappy about this.
Looking at online reviews highlights the human tendency to focus on how we felt about something. I have commented before that people research logically and purchase emotionally.
If we feel good we start to look for things that affirm our feelings. If we feel disappointed, let down, or disrespected we then tend to look for further evidence to justify our feelings. Hence why so many online reviews mention a feeling and then have supporting stories and illustrations. Have you considered how you make people feel in your business?
Do you have a customer experience standard? Summarise in three to five words what experience you think you give your customers. Look online at your reviews or at your testimonials - do your customers’ comments align with your intended experience creation?
This is the season of JOY. Jingle bells, open-heartedness, and Yuletide carols are what people are looking for. What could you do to jolly up your service? Is your team empowered to deliver an outstanding experience? Are you focused on delighting your customers so when they find you their reaction is one of delight with an enthusiastic “yes!”?
Ideally, your service will be this good all year. Now is a good time to double-check you and your team bring the JOY!
- Mike Clark is director and lead trainer and facilitator at Think Right business training company.