Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: What Are You Wishing For?

As managers who are responsible for customer service, we’ve all got those To-Do lists.  There’s always at least one in our Blackberry.   And another in our heads, in constant revision mode.  Maybe a few more, from long range fitness to Friday’s grocery run.  And of course, the list of ways to increase our business, from attracting new customers to pumping up that cash flow.  We dutifully cross out each completed item, or try to.  Then we add more to-do’s to the ongoing to-do list. That turns it into more of a never-ending story than a list of tasks done. Because there will always be more to do! And honestly, we know too well, that to-do list is never going to be done.

Instead of always running the To-Do marathon, why not change the scenery? Make a wish list for yourself.  We associate those with kids writing to Santa, and starry-eyed brides-to-be, or even our own birthdays. Usually a wish list is defensive: we compile a list of gifts we’d enjoy getting to make sure we don’t end up with  drugstore perfume in a bottle shaped like Hannah Montana, or eleven crock pots.

But those wish lists are for others.  A wish list for ourselves should come from the heart, not the accessories department.  Instead of “I wish I had a new pair of Ugg boots,” try “I wish I could polish my public speaking skills.” Rather than wishing for a new tennis racket to improve your serve, you may wish you could emulate a colleague’s organizing ability. Then look for a way to make that wish come true, whether it’s making practice presentations, or asking a co-worker’s help.  When you get your wish, you’ll feel  energized, confident—and capable of tackling any To-Do list on the planet.   Keep adding new wishes to your private list. You’ll find that “wishing” can boost “doing” every time.

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Seeing Your Business From The Customers’ Point of View

Regarding the customer experience, a friend once told me about a legendary shop in her neighborhood—legendary not because it was beautifully run, filled with bargains or fun to visit. “It’s a miracle she stays in business,” my friend said, describing the dusty store, tucked on an out-of-the-way street. Only a tiny, hand-lettered sign indicated that this plain stucco house was actually a business “open since 1947.” Each room was overcrowded with stock, some still in original, yellowed cellophane wrappings. Boxes and picture frames obscured a tall window, where winter sunlight strained to beam through.  The owner was a stern woman who repeatedly and loudly told her few customers “don’t touch!”   I wondered how she’d react to such treatment if she were on the other side of the counter, planning to make a purchase. How did she turn a profit?  Well, she didn’t:  she ran it strictly as a hobby, reluctantly serving those who braved her stony stare. Why open the doors at all?

The store is still there, now run by the late owner’s daughter. She cleared out the clutter, rearranged the stock and held a grand re-opening; hoping some of the loyal, longtime customers would come around. “My mother never looked at her store from an outsider’s eye,” she told my friend, who was amazed at the transformation. “If she had, she would have seen how tired the place looked, and how she could have treated people better. But she always said she did everything her own way, not someone else’s, and she didn’t care what it cost her.”

Imagine running a business with such arrogance. By ignoring the absence of customers, the outdated materials and even her own negative energy, she lost every opportunity to make her business thrive and grow rather than stagnate. Opportunities lost, since 1947! It takes such a small effort to walk around to the customer’s side of the counter. Do a little window shopping in your business.  Are you in the “don’t touch!” category with customers, or even employees?  Instead, invite them to share what brings them back to you—and what you could do that would inspire others to do the same.

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: The Olympics and the Customer Experience Vision

February may be the shortest month, but it’s always reminding us how strong it is, with icy fingers and frosty breath.  Never mind what the groundhog says, spring always seems at least six months distant. But this year, we’ve got the Olympics to brighten February’s horizon. Much more than the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics tend to mesmerize us, with daredevil ski champions and precision figure skating, not to mention, our once-every-four-years reminder of what “luge” is.  Secretly, some of us may wish we too could pull off a triple Salchow, or glide down a mountain at breakneck speed.  Never mind the gold medal, we’d just like the thrill and the appreciative applause, thank you.

But even if we’ll never zigzag down a slope or whirl around an ice rink, we can still borrow some of that Olympic stardust. Every athlete in Vancouver started with only a dream.  Without the dream, without seeing themselves fly down the mountain or land a perfect double-axel, they’d be watching the Games at home, no matter how many chilly hours they’d spent practicing.  Sometimes, you really have to see it to make it happen.  See yourself in a challenging situation. How do you handle it? Do you come through like a winner, choosing the right words to get your message out?  Walk through it again, adding as many details as you need, from the confidence-building outfit you wear to the way your customer addresses you. How can you change the picture to be sure you win in the end?   Athletes thrive on “visualization”, mentally watching themselves score goals, cross finish lines, achieve victory.  They’ll replay it endlessly, tweaking their performance until they see no other possibility but a win. If they falter, showing even a whisper of doubt, they’ll all tell you that’s when they lost their chance.

Practice seeing yourself win, in small conversations and on bigger stages. Like the Olympic athlete, you’ll soon see yourself strictly going for the gold.

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: What the Super Bowl and Mystery Shopping Have in Common

Will you be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday? Of course you will you and many millions of others.  No longer “just” a football game, this winter TV ritual is a feel-good medley of sports and entertainment, advertising and snacking.  If football isn’t your thing (or your own team isn’t playing!) you tune in for the clever commercials, or the extravagant halftime show.  As the daylong pregame show always proclaims, there’s something here for everyone.  On Super Bowl Sunday, how can anything top the Big Game in all its glory? Nothing can touch it, which is why competing networks run old movies and marathons of crime shows. Why burn something original when no one’s looking?

Still, there’s another event, on a different network, riding along for the hype to score points of its own. The annual “Puppy Bowl” on Animal Planet is just lots of cute footage of frolicking, adorable dogs, airing every Super Bowl Sunday.  It’s no ratings rival for the game, but instead enhances the day with some laughs and the “awwwww” factor.  Fans of both events routinely wander from one TV set to another, enjoying two kinds of fun.

Given the mega-success of the Super Bowl, you have to wonder why anyone outside the stadium, so to speak, would seek to grab any of its spotlight.  But the upstart Puppy Bowl, which has added new stunts and surprises each year, simply basks in the Super Bowl’s shadow. Rerunning the same sweet shots of pups, plus halftime-cheering kittens, even an anthem-singing parrot, the program never tries to outshine the NFL’s crowning moment.  And yet without the gaudy Super Bowl, Puppy Bowl wouldn’t exist, couldn’t provide the smiling extra points that parallel the Super Bowl’s dramatics.

Even if the competition looms large in your life, you don’t have to use all your artillery to outscore it. You can offer an alternative, something perhaps smaller, but strictly unique and separate from that other experience. Whether it’s personalized service or a revised bid for attention, those extra points will point up YOUR value, no matter what’s happening in the big game.

Contact Market Viewpoint today for a quote on mystery shopping your competition. You may be surprised at what you learn!

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Is Your Heart In It?

“His heart’s not in it.” It was an odd remark to overhear, especially given the profusion of red-and-pink heart shapes that fill the pre-Valentine days.  A young man was describing how his supervisor was skipping meetings and stalling on big and small tasks that keep a workplace humming.  Apparently the boss was busy counting the minutes till his retirement. He no longer cared about anything or anyone else, including bringing his replacement up to speed.  So unfair to everyone counting on him, from bewildered staff to unhappy customers—some of whom might assume the guy’s not only retiring, but the business is history too.

Contrast that with a woman I know whose two retail boutiques were always a source of ready enthusiasm. “You HAVE to see this!” she’d bubble to a newly arrived customer. “I know you’ll want it.” No matter the season, or if she was coming down with the flu, whether her part-time helper was late arriving, or a shipment was missing, she’d stay upbeat. She put her heart into every sale and every task. Her enjoyment at matching customers to the perfect new product was genuine, and her eyes sparkled when she took special orders, delighting in the idea of finding the ideal accessory or color to please a particular person. Even when business slowed, she kept the pep quotient high. You couldn’t go in her boutique without feeling a charge of energy.

When she decided to pursue a different career path, gradually closing her shops, she remained enthused up to the end, no matter how few customers browsed the deeply discounted treasures. Her drive and her pride remained in high gear.  “I’m making a transition, but that doesn’t mean I stop the music,” she said. “When you care about something, you carry it through to the end.”

Is your heart still in what you’re doing? If not, revive it with a dose of recalled enthusiasm. Revisit a past success, or check out a colleague’s idea.  Keeping your heart in anything will keep your energy up, and that will hearten the customers around you. Contact Market Viewpoint today to learn about our motivational training and leadership programs, all designed to help you retain more customers.