Hey Jill!

Team YO! Sushi

Nice, simple stuff, and yes, I know it’s ‘automated’, but they didn’t have to send it…..and it’s valid for a couple of weeks!

The idea of ‘planned spontaneity’ is a great way of delighting customers – here’s an article I wrote all about it on the Management Issues website.

How could you build ‘planned spontaneity’ into your business?

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“Public service announcement: This is the buffett car here – To the passenger who left their hot chocolate on the counter, please come back to collect it. All you have to do is stir it – all the chocolate is at the bottom”

Now, is that ‘delighting’ the customer or  ‘stirring things’ with the customer? I guess only the announcer and the customer will know!

Whatever, it certainly made me smile on a friday morning!

Not sure about the hot chocolate drinking customer though! (or should that be ‘not’ chocolate drinking customer?)

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After a wonderful lunch by the beach, we came to pay the bill. I went up to the bar and produced my card, only to find that they don’t take cards, and I didn’t have enough cash!

‘Don’t worry’ said the restuarant owner, ‘pay next time…. but don’t come tomorrow, we’re closed!’

Now, THAT is customer delight!

Of course we’ll be back to pay….. and probably have another delicious meal too!

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Click below on the links:

Institute Of Customer Service report           ABTA customer complaints      Previous 3D Thoughts

Hear how Asda handled this complaint:

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I know for a fact that I am also among the two thirds of us who have, according to the report, walked away from buying something because we weren’t prepared to wait.

It’s a great example of ever increasing customer expectations – people just won’t stand for it anymore, literally! I believe it goes further than that: it’s not just queing, it’s waiting for the phone to be answered, it’s waiting for people to get back to us, it’s the time it takes for a webpage to download – we want things quicker, we want them NOW!

In my presentations and training, I often suggest people ‘stand in their own queues’ to find out what it’s like to be a customer of theirs. By that I mean, ring up your own business, go into reception, email an enquiry, visit your own website, request some information and find out what it’s like to ‘stand in your own queues’.

So, why not do that yourself? How do you measure up? Would YOU stand for it?

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When asked, UK customers said: ‘Customer Service Experiences Generally….’

• Exceed Expectations – 2%
• Meet Expectations – 62%
• Miss Expectations – 32%
• (4% weren’t sure!)

The American Express Global Customer Service Barometer shows that on average, UK consumers will pay a premium of 7% for the privilege of good customer service and 70 per cent state they would do more business with an organisation that offered decent customer care. Interestingly, in the US, it’s 9% and it’s 11% in India!

So, as ever, the message is a simple one – do all you can to ‘exceed those expectations’ and ‘delight’ your customers! It’s clear that many still aren’t doing it which means that’s an opportunity for those who do!

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I do feel that the ‘initial’ response to the ‘complaints’ and issues raised didn’t seem to be addressed in a way that I would expect of Apple – there was talk of them subverting ‘web chat’ about it, and then Steve Jobs apparantly ‘trivialised’ the issues raised when he was queried about the ‘reception problems’ when it was held in a certain way by saying ‘”Just avoid holding it that way“.

Apple have now reverted to type, and taken action – they are offering everyone a ‘bumper case’ that solves the problem with every phone purchased. They are also offering one to all those who have purchased 4G’s previously, and crucially, offering ‘refunds’ to those who did actually buy the ‘bumper’ when they bought their phones originally.

Creating 'Devoted' Customers

But, have they ‘reacted’ quickly enough? I can’t help thinking  that because of the ‘high expectations’ many of us have with Apple, their response appears a little slow – I suspect that there may be many ‘devoted’ customers who were ‘disappointed’ with the ‘poor experience’. 

If any other organisation where, perhaps there aren’t such ‘high expectations’,  had responded in such a way, it may well have been seen as a real positive – by ‘exceeding expectations’ they would have had many ‘delighted’ customers.

It’s all ‘relative’. If you create ‘high expectations’, you have to ‘deliver’…. consistently.

“We want to take care of everyone. We want every user to be happy” said Steve Jobs. Apple have estimated that it has cost them $175 million in deferred revenue as a result of this – the interesting thing will be to see what the ‘cost’ is to their ‘brand’ and ‘reputation’ in the marketplace longer term. 

Raising expectations (which is a good thing) has to be supported by a consistently ‘great’ experience, even when things do go wrong!

Your customers expectations and the way you respond to problkems will determine whether they are ‘delighted’ or ‘disappointed’ – it’s all relative!

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I stayed at the Premier Inn in Welwyn Garden City yesterday before speaking at a conference there and was very pleasantly surprised. It’s a ‘solid’, no – nonsense approach that focuses on the ‘core’ offering of simplicity, comfort, consistency and good value. I can’t help thinking that they work hard on managing customer expectations and do simple little things to reinforce that – consistently.

The staff were very welcoming and helpful, check in was simple and swift, the room was nice and spacious,  facilities were clean and comforting, and even the signs helped reinforce their ‘warmth’!

From their ‘up front’ TV advertising campaing with Lenny Henry, to very clear and upfront pricing, they also offer a ‘Guarantee of a good night’s sleep’ to back it all up! It’s a great example of ‘positioning’.

No, this is not an paid advertisement for Premier Inns, it’s just a great example of a business that has ‘set it’s stall out’ and concentrated on doing those things right.

The result? People like me tell other people like you!

So, a couple of questions for you:

• What does your business ‘stand for’?
• How do you demonstrate that in all your activities?

Yes….  I said ALL of your activities!

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On a very ‘crowded’ and ‘noisy’ website, I eventually found the ‘watch and chat’ bit. When I clicked on the ’watch’ bit up came what turned out to be advert followed by 2 more, with no real indication that I had clicked the right area.

Nothing against adverts at all – after all, that’s what funds ITV – but please ‘MAKE IT EASY FOR US TO BUY FROM YOU!’ – In this case, let me find what I want on the site (the match itself) and at least let me know that the ‘streaming of the match’ will follow after the ‘short advertising break’.

So, I’ll reiterate the point – customer focused businesses create a customer experience that makes them ‘easy to do business with’ – online and offline. How easy are you to do business with?

Right, back to my ‘research’!

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A new report has just highlighted that ‘usability’ is the number 1 factor in what customers look for.

According to the “Revolutionizing Website Design” report from digital marketing agency Oneupweb, clearly presented pricing and shipping information, for example, is the most important feature of e-commerce sites, followed by indications of credibility and trustworthiness. Visual appeal and functionality like cost calculators and search were also relatively important. But advanced features such as live chat and social hooks were important to but a small minority of respondents.

So, I’ll keep saying it! Online or offline – BE EASY TO BUY FROM!

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