Intimacy is often underrated in your relationships with customers. That’s right – you want to be more intimate with them. We’re talking about the kind of intimacy that makes customers think fondly of you and your organization. And it can be achieved on almost any budget.
First of all, you want to do intimate things consistently and thoughtfully (just like any good romance). Secondly, do things that will make your service stand out from competitors – or better, stand out from anyone who delivers customer service. Focus on what you want customers to remember and talk about, says research from Vanguard Communications Corp.
Some proven ideas:
- Offer more than what customers request. For instance, reps at a bank call center ask customers if they’d like information about their savings or checking accounts, even if they call on the “mortgage line.”
- Set guidelines, not rules. Train frontline contact center pros to use their judgment on special requests, rather than follow strict rules.
- Celebrate customers. A bank sends commercial customers lunch on their anniversaries. Southwest Airlines mails customer birthday cards and free drink coupons for their wedding anniversaries.
