Showing a little faith in people can improve customer experience greatly. A gesture of kindness, after all, is often remembered for a long time to come.
An example of a tremendous effort to improve customer experience comes from my travels. I was in Boston and wanted to buy a homeopathic remedy for my young daughter. At 9:10 p.m. I drove up to a local health food store, Bread & Circus.
The store closed at 9:00 p.m. and cash registers were sealed for the night. But the manager could see my concerned face through the glass door and let me step inside.
He listened to my concern, then walked down the aisle, picked up and handed me the $10.95 product I needed and said, “You can come back and pay for it tomorrow.”
I was amazed at his gesture to improve customer experience. He asked for my name and telephone number, but when I said I lived outside the United States, he replied, “Well, just come back in the morning and tell them what you got. We open at 9:00 a.m.”
I was back in the store the next morning with a grateful smile, and $10.95, and a big compliment for Mike, the night manager of Bread & Circus.
Key Learning Point To Improve Customer Experience
Statistics (and common sense) show that most customers are honest, appreciative and sincere. Yet organizations are filled with strict policies to foil the few who might try to cheat.
Make your business a place of caring, connection and trust to improve customer experience. Those you serve in an open manner will gladly return the gesture.
Action Steps To Improve Customer Experience
The next time your customer is in a tight spot, forgot his wallet, needs something extra now with only a promise for later, create a powerful and positive impression.
Take action on this oath: “In customers we trust”
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Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission. Ron Kaufman is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling “Uplifting Service” books and founder of Uplifting Service. To enjoy more customer service training and service culture articles, visit www.RonKaufman.com.
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