So, I had several enjoyable customer experiences over the 2023 Christmas and holiday season. Two stood out, with one being exceptional and the other being delightful. I will maintain always, that creating magical moments for customers is not driven by either magic, or rocket science. It’s driven by a business purpose rooted in excellence, efficiency, eagerness to serve and enthusiasm for creating delighted customers.
While both experiences reminded me of the possibility of achieving high quality service delivery as a way of life, wherever customers are being served, I was reminded as well, that greatness only happens in those businesses that are determined to not live in mediocrity.
But back to my two memorable encounters. On new year’s eve, I was on a hunt for some local flowers and none of the flower shops that I visited had the specific flowers that I wanted. At the final shop, I had to settle for a substitute that was not quite as lovely as my preferred choice and for fewer than I needed, since they were low on stock.
Magical moments are driven by a business purpose rooted in excellence, efficiency, eagerness to serve and enthusiasm for creating delighted customers.
The two florists who attended to me demonstrated the qualities that I appreciate most in sales and service representatives. They suggested solutions without overselling and gave me the time and space to make up my mind. They asked many questions about décor and shared solid reasons behind their suggestions, all of which made perfect sense.
My experience was phenomenal and underscored some of the prime requirements for delivering a superlative customer experience. Firstly, sales personnel and customer service representatives must be subject matter experts, otherwise they will be unable to suggest sensible solutions. Secondly, the experience should feel symphonic, like the creation of a potion that pulls all of the essential inputs that are important to the customer’s buying decision, into a cohesive whole that makes the encounter effortless for the customer. Thirdly, sales personnel must know when to retreat and allow the customer to visualize the prospective solution. This is a critical part of the sales and service process, where nothing should be done to make the customer feel pressured to make a decision. The process should feel organic.
Sales personnel and customer service representatives must be subject matter experts, otherwise they will be unable to suggest sensible solutions.
At the end of my visit, I had the most delightful set of fresh flowers, as well as a gorgeous arrangement of silk flowers, with some extra blooms thrown in, free of charge. While I spent more than I had budgeted, I experienced “customer nirvana,” a phenomenon that occurs when salespersons create a blissful state within a shopping experience.
My second encounter at another retailer was more muted than the first, but still left me feeling delighted. I was deliberating whether to purchase a set of items that came in two colour combinations, both of which I liked. I wanted a second opinion on the final selection, so, I asked the security officer who was standing close by and who seemed as though he would be willing and able to assist. Well, I was not disappointed.
Right out of the starting block, the security officer asked about my décor and the colour combinations in the room where the items were to be placed. After a bit of conversation around dominant colours, complimentary furniture and frequency of use, the officer suggested the better option. I agreed fully with his choice, thanked him for creating a delightful experience and paid for my items, happily.
The new competency profile for these high customer impact positions includes eagerness to serve, on-spot problem solving, skills of enquiry, probing skills, collegial skills of persuasion and impeccable timing for closing a sale or encounter.
I walked away wondering whether there might be a career change in the security officer’s future, given that, as someone pointed out to me when I shared the story, “He stepped out of and served beyond his formal title.”
Let me share a couple of distinctive takeaways from these two experiences.
Multiple aptitudes matter during “live” customer encounters. Sales personnel and customer service representatives need to possess multi-lateral skills to deliver delightful experiences. The new competency profile for these high customer impact positions includes eagerness to serve, on-spot problem solving, skills of enquiry, probing skills, collegial skills of persuasion and impeccable timing for closing a sale or encounter.
The cadence of the interaction should feel organic, where the customer is allowed space to breathe and internalize the solutions being suggested by the sales or customer service representative.
Secondly, customer impact matters. During customer encounters it’s important to remember that in many cases, direction is more important than speed. The cadence of the interaction should feel organic, where the customer is allowed space to breathe and internalize the solutions being suggested by the sales or customer service representative.
Finally, given that everyone on the shop floor who is connected to the business, is a brand ambassador, going forward, let’s see more investment in the security officers, shall we?