2015

Make them Feel Awesome with Tiny Noticeable Touches

Make them Feel Awesome with Tiny Noticeable Touches
[box type="info" align="" class="" width=""]Great customer service starts from the ground up. I’ve partnered with TELUS , a company obsessed with improving customer service every day, to share stories of companies across Canada that are showing us how we can all expect more. To learn more about TELUS and how they are putting customers first, check out www.telus.com/expectmore [/box]

Customer Service Excellence starts with Tiny Noticeable Touches


TNT goes a long way when it comes to remembering a brand or an experience. How a client, guest or customer is left feeling is remembered and shared . The simple smile, whether in person or over the phone. A genuine acknowledgement of a customer when they enter your establishment and sincere thank you when they are leaving whether they have purchased anything during that visit or not goes a long way.

Looking for opportunities to go above an beyond is a sure way to create a loyal customer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSd31NwyS24

A few of my favorite T.N.T. experiences that stick out in my mind span from a weekend get-away, product deliveries, restaurants and travel.

[tweet_box design="box_10"]Your customer doesn't care how much you know until they know how much you care ~ D. Richards[/tweet_box]



TNT Tip #1 : It all starts with first impressions


[caption id="attachment_21077" align="alignright" width="348"] Our first night at Rowena's Inn... a little piece of Heaven. Our first night at Rowena's Inn... a little piece of Heaven.[/caption]

Rowena's Inn in Harrison Mills, BC. Arriving at the majestic landscape of the Sandpiper Golf Course on the Harrison River was a special treat in itself. As we settled into our private cottage, we discover a lovely written note from the Inn owner, along with

a bottle of local wine as an added treat. I recall thinking what a lovely space, wood fireplace, a grand king size bed, board games, and a huge soaker tub (AND, how great a cup of coffee or glass of vino would be). Sure enough they thought of everything. The tiny noticeable touches made a lasting impression and an extra special experience we have shared over and over (a nd over again - including this post! )

And of course, because I had such an epic experience at Sandpiper Golf Course too... had to include this little video... BIRD-EH!

https://www.facebook.com/CoachDaiManuel/videos/10156220697430454/

 

Not to long ago, I was chatting with a friend who was telling us about a restaurant she recommended. She was mentioning how the food and drinks were really good, but it was the customer care that blew her away. The tasters at the door were a great touch while they waited for their table and once seated I guess their meal was taking a little longer than expected and the server felt bad that the couple would be rushed to get tickets for the comedy show they were planning to attend that night. Secretly the manager at JOEY Restaurants secured two tickets for the event and informed them to enjoy the rest of their JOEY experience stress free. No added cost to the restaurant or my friend, but an above and beyond gesture that has benefited beyond that nights dinner.

Question: Have you ever had a parcel delivered to your place?  How about a box that was crafted from an old church, containing inside a personally-made, artificial hand holding a local beer bottle, along with a fake eye, snake blood, and tickets to a haunted house adventure? Okay maybe a NOT SO  tiny touch, but definitely noticeable. With a number of invites to attend certain events, launches, product reviews, etc., the Fearmongers grabbed our attention and ensured a spot in our calendar for making the unique effort to go above and beyond the typical email or card invite.

[caption id="attachment_21079" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Fearmongers definitely got our attention when we received this on our doorstep. Fearmongers definitely got our attention when we received this on our doorstep.[/caption]

Another unexpected favorite was our family's first trip to Disney Land. We were typical guests at the California Grand, yet felt like absolute royalty. From the special evening events they host to the character visits during the buffet breakfast. One night we received a phone call to our room and it was an invite to enter Disney Land one hour early to view the return of NEO. Michael Jackson's NEO was opening the next day and guests of the California Grande were being offered an exclusive pre-show entry. Entering the infamous park before the public is unreal! Walking down the middle of the downtown Disney boulevard, with no one else around, seeing the rides fast asleep before awaking for their first runs of the day, and the amazing calmness in a enviroment that is normally full of hustle and bustle... we will never forget that experience.

[tweet_box design="box_10"]One customer well taken care of could be more valuable than $10k worth of ads - J. Rohn[/tweet_box]

Another fine example of how a simple gesture for a couple regular guests was received extremely well! (and do you think I share this story with a lot of people? I sure do!)

TNT Tip #2 : Being aware of the impact customer care has on a brand is a must


The Walmart greeter seemed strange at first, but I didn't realize how much I appreciated the simple smile and hello when I walked in the store until it went missing.

The West Jet partners seem like real people, having common sense conversations versus the robotic scripts of some of their competitors. I truly appreciate being heard and having agents take the time to work through my concerns, questions and requests.[tweet_box float="right" width="50%" design="box_10"]Customer service is NOT a department, it's everyone's job! - Anonymous[/tweet_box]

When I set up my new cellphone with TELUS , I learned the agent on the other end has recently become a dad, he walked me through my plan and ensured the coverage met my needs. He was real and even followed up a week later to make sure all was going well and see if I had any other questions.

Another example is the service manager at Brian Jessel BMW - he walked me through my entire invoice and even went the extra mile and emailed me a few weeks post-service call to ensure my vehicle was doing okay. Wow moments!

TNT Tip #3 : Communication and getting clear on expectations is key!


Taking pride in your service shows. Communicating and getting clear on outcomes and expectations is next level of TNT service.

For example our floors were redone in our home. The company replacing the carpet with hardwood arrived on time and were done as scheduled -- Awesome! Upon arrival home all looked good (from afar). As we went to create dinner, we noticed our entire kitchen was covered in a sheet of sawdust, which led to us discover our entire home had a layer of dust... the walls, baseboards, counters, couch...absolute yuck and pain in the butt!

It would have been nice had the contractor communicated to remove all items from the counter, cover our furniture or warn us we will need to spend a lot of our time cleaning up our space post install. Our exciting return home to our upgraded living space was tarnished and left a sour taste in our mouth to ever refer or use Gerry's team again. (Note, I refrained from mentioning the brand in this post? Missed opportunity!)

jeff bezos customer service quote

In closing, any company or professional that puts emphasis on the TNT of communication, customer service, and client empathy, is already going above and beyond the industry 'norm'.

My advice to any companies out there that aren't taking a genuine interest in their customers, their concerns and feedback - you're boat is sinking! And what starts as a trickle in today's hyper-connected economy, can quickly become a surging leak you'll never plug. So, either learn to swim or create a humanized strategy to deal with the leaks that happened (and proactively create a plan to deal with the ones that have yet to occur... because it's not a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when').

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you are awesome - really This post is sponsored by TELUS. The opinions are my own...

And to be absolutely clear, this is my disclaimer: “Just so you know, I have been compensated to share my ideas on this topic. Sometimes it is in the form of products, or services or even money… But here’s the thing; I won’t  share anything with you that I don’t fully support. It doesn't matter what it is, or how much they are willing to give me, if I don’t believe in it, It won’t be on my site. Seriously. You’ll just have to trust me on this.”   ~ Moose

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