Vacations, a game-winning home run, a romantic movie — those are what memories are made of this time of year. Customer service? Not so much — unless you follow this template.
Almost half of customers say they can’t remember having a recent successful customer experience, the Global CX Wake Up Call Report recently found.
Some say it’s because the response was poor. Others say the person who was supposed to help them didn’t have the ability or desire. Some say they couldn’t even get the right information. Over all, very little — if anything — felt special about customers’ encounters.
“Helping your clients, co-workers or even friends keeps you top of mind,” says communications expert and author Dianna Booher. “Whatever specific situation, being memorable represents the first step in getting a message across.”
What message is that? It says that you and your company care about customers and want them to come back. Even if it’s subtle, customers feel it in a positive experience. Then they do come back.
Here are five tactics Booher recommends to make yourself and your company memorable:
1. Be a doer, not just a talker
Do more than provide information. Tell customers how they can use it. Or tell them how you’ll use it to do something for them.
When they ask questions or make requests, answer them with the best information you have, then say, “I’d like to help more. Can you tell me why you asked (or requested) that?”
When they tell you their reasons, you’ll likely find a way to help them use the information you’ve given or maximize the request you’ve handled.
2. Surprise them
A surprise can take many forms, say Booher. Quick wit is often appreciated because people remember the good feeling or big smile they had during the interaction (and probably not the actual joke). You can even use wit in an online chat. Of course, consider the customer you’re dealing with before you get witty. Some are all business, and with them, that’s how you need to keep the exchange.
Other ways to surprise them: Give them a chance to try a new product. Offer to introduce them to another customer or colleague whom you know shares a common interest, problem or passion. Tell them about a favorite website or news feed that makes you laugh. Share a link to a story, white paper or study that is important to their industry.
3. Paint a picture
Use colorful language as much as you can to keep your conversations lively. Buzzwords, jargon and clichés are as memorable as a traffic signal.
Metaphors, puns and analogies stand out. When possible and appropriate, use them when giving directions, when explaining how to use a product or service, when sharing a story that customers can relate to or when making small talk to build rapport.
4. Tell stories
Make your stories brief, but do share them. Customers don’t have all day to hear your anecdotes, but if you have something that’s relevant to their personal or professional lives, let it fall naturally into the conversation.
For instance, if they’re trying a product for the first time, tell them how it positively impacted another customer. If they’re facing a challenge, talk about how a customer overcame the same thing. If they tell you about a favorite hobby, sports team or city, share a few sentences on your experience with it.
5. Dress up to stand out
Make a physical statement tastefully. We aren’t just talking about how you dress either, especially since a lot of customer service professionals don’t see customers face-to-face. But you want anything that customers see to stand out in a classy way.
Consider your website, business entrance, delivery system, packaging and presentation of employees who work face-to-face with customers. They should all be similar with a crisp, consistent, professional look.
You might try something that is not the typically accepted uniform in your industry — kind of like Steve Jobs’ signature black turtlenecks and denim, which was a contrast to the typical CEO’s suit and tie. Another example: Amazon’s smiling face arrow that points from A to Z. It’s on everything Amazon.
