Last week, I was getting ready for a client presentation when I realized that I forgot to bring markers. I took an Uber to the nearest office supply store and asked Jeff, the first person I saw in the store, for help. He said the three magic words, “Follow me please!”...
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Isn’t the role of a mail carrier to deliver the mail? This year my daughter Raka had sent me some golf balls with a custom message for Father’s Day. The day the golf balls arrived; the mail carrier had put the box in my mailbox. They had truly delivered the mail as the box was forced all the way in my mailbox. I tried to get the box out for a few minutes, and then I realized that there was no way I could pull the box out. As the box contained only golf balls, I started ripping the packaging to get the balls out. Soon the balls were out and I was in an “awwww” zone when I read the message on the balls, “Cool Golfer, Cooler Dad.” Once I was able to get all of the box out, I found hidden in the back a picture of Raka and myself. I got quite emotional looking at the picture. Then suddenly, the thought came to my mind, “Whoa, I am so glad I did not tear the picture as I was ripping open the box.” If that happened, nothing could have stopped me from crying. I realized that that the mail carrier’s job was more than just delivering the package. My daughter trusted the USPS to make sure that the golf balls and the picture got to me. Had the picture got damaged in the process of opening the box, they would have failed in their job. This is a common challenge for some brands where they define the end of their responsibility with the completion of a key task. Completion of a key task allows brands to be efficient. Instead brands must be effective; they must understand what the end-value and feelings they are committed to deliver and go all the way to delivering that successfully. What Is The Real PURPOSE Of A Brand? Brands must realize that they are not simply in a “task completion” business. Task completion helps a brand check boxes that is in their control which may or may not completely deliver on what customers expect and need from a brand. Instead brands must realize that they are in the “Feeling Delivery” business. They must zero-in on the highest level of feeling that will WOW the customer and deliver it every time. In the case of the mail carrier, they should have a clear picture of the happiness residents feel when they open their mail; and do what it takes to deliver that feeling of happiness. 3 Steps To Identify Why A Brand Exists: Have a clear idea of the feeling customers expect every time they use the brand. Do not stop at a series of tasks that is convenient to deliver. Go all the way to develop processes and tasks to deliver the feeling every time. ...
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It was a tough evening one night as my flight back to Denver was delayed more than three hours. I realized I will now get home at 2 a.m. As I was going through all these thoughts, I got the following text message from the airline: “Here We Go! Your flight to Denver is now boarding - Looking forward to seeing you soon.” First I was relieved and then when I read the text one more time I thought...
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I had just got to my car rental at the Dallas Airport and the moment I turned my ignition on, the message said “Service B Exceeded by 5100 mi”. Hmm. That did not sound good. I was not sure if I should drive the car for the next four days. I walked over to the rental car service person and made him aware of the problem. His reaction was “Just press enter and the message will go away!” Amazing, the message did go away. But did the problem go away? For the next four days, every time I started the car, the message was back, and I hurried to press enter to make the message go away. Every time I wondered if I should still drive the car and questioned my judgment in listening to the rental car service person to veto the car manufacturer’s warning. Needless to say, I was relieved to finally return the car after 4 days without knowing the consequence of Service B. The car rental company should have taken care of the problem before renting the car. That should be the customer service standard for the brand. When renting a car, a customer expects a worry-free experience from start to finish. That is true for any customer experience. The Importance Of Starting An Experience Right Just like a date, any brand experience must start on the right foot. Anything negative cannot simply be ignored, as it does not go away. In this case, pressing enter made the message go away, temporarily, but the problem was still there. In this case when a brand failed to start an experience the right way, it caused the following: I started the experience with unsurety. It was a further negative that the service person was apathetic to my concern about the problem. Being forced to live with the problem for the entire duration of the rental made me worry about the car. Not knowing what Service B was, I was worried about what could go wrong and what else could be wrong about the car. Overall it made me feel negatively about the rental car company. What Could The Rental Car Company Do Differently: Have a process in place where these problems do not have to happen. If a problem was brought to their attention, solve the problem by offering to change the rental car. Follow-up call or text to make sure everything is okay. ...
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I was back at Floyd’s for a haircut with my favorite stylist Dawn. (Click here to read how she became my favorite stylist). This was my first return visit and I was a little apprehensive if it will be as magical as the first visit. Dawn greeted me the moment I enter the shop. As we walked to her “hair-cut station” she asked me about my life and the moment the I sat on the chair, she was in business mode. “The last time we did a number 2 on the sides and finger length on top, all blended in. How did your family like your haircut?” I was amazed that she remembered the exact cut I had and that my haircut was dinner table discussion for my family. I asked her how she remembered all those details. She told me she makes it a point to remember every detail about every client as she is in a “Hairship” with them. “Hairship?” I was amused. I wanted to know more. “Yes, Hairship. It is a Hair Relationship!” She continued to explain “When a client shares with what style they like or about their life, it is sacred and I cannot forget that information, ever.” Wow. She has given a special name the client relationship. This name allowed her to remember every detail and start every haircut where she left off the last time. Customer relationships with brands must be continuous and ongoing and the thread must go on from one visit to the next. Dawn at Floyd’s showed me a simple way brands can take responsibility to own and maintain that continuity in customer relationships from visit to visit. Just give the relationship a special name. The Secret To Connecting To Guests Visit To Visit Customers start their experience with some brands from square one on every visit. They answer the same questions; their name and other personal information, what they like and do not like. This reminds them that the brand does not remember the interactions from past visits. How can they be expected to feel that they are in a relationship, when they see the brand making zero effort to remember them? THE RELATIONSHIP STARTS WHEN A BRAND LISTENS AND TRIES TO REMEMBER. Customers want anything they share to be remembered, especially their names, their stories, their likes and dislikes. Just like in the television series Cheers, a long-term customer relationship starts with “Where everyone knows your name”. When customers have to repeat information, it does not make them feel special. Brands need a process to listen and remember. Dawn at Floyd’s Hairship has a unique way of reminding herself that every customer interaction is special and needs to be continued to the next visit. Remembering The Following Information Shared By Customers Are A MUST To Build A Relationship: Every personal information detail, especially name Details of their choices and preferences Beyond what they like, what do they not like and would like to avoid ...
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