Seek “extraordinary” — avoid “standardization”: You are trying to differentiate yourself and your competition. So do that, don’t use best practices, “Best Practices” have become the baseline strategy of Cx. It has become, by definition, standard, but no more than as well. Seek to go higher and do more to impress those who take the time to walk through your door. If the competition is serving coffee, you serve cappuccino or expresso, make lattes, and do what you must to differentiate from them.
Train your front-line staff to see ways to improve people's experience right away and reward that staff. Make sure to keep them engaged. And if you are going to whine and moan about, “Well, that costs money!”. Yes, it does, but it's about offering value, and it's known the clients you want are willing to pay for value, up to 60% more.
Introduce a solid loyalty program:
Like any well-thought-out program, if it’s done right, it will be an excellent success out of the gate. It’s about getting the word out and getting people to use the program. Keep it simple, do not complicate matters; if you are a salon – 3 haircuts and the next one is 50% off. Perhaps survey your customers to see what matters to them. They know what they want, be creative and give it to them.
Educate Your Team
This seems like a no-brainer, but honestly, it’s one of the most accessible areas of improvement for client interaction. Don’t just educate about the brand or what they are selling; teach on reading the client's mood and how to empathize with them. Customers want to be understood; today, they are dying to be heard and understood. After the transaction is complete, people remember how they were treated, felt, and spoken to. Were they treated like meat with money, or do they think their friend works at the store they just purchased from?
That is a critical differentiator in client experience. People buy what they want but need to be sold what they need. That’s what friends do; they refer their friends to products they need. Teach your sales associates/ team members how this is done, or talk to us about it. Either way, we strongly encourage you to find a way to make it happen.
Booking Online – Payment Online
In-app payments in-store, no lining up, and no check-outs are relatively new, but this could be a solid positive experience and upsell opportunity for your high-powered tech-friendly clientele. The frictionless transaction is very enticing; heck, something new that allows them to have some recent encounter with your brand to share with their friends is sometimes enough.
Offer something that could impress and have them come back for more. Perhaps they bring that friend they were bragging about their experience in your store with them next time.
Facebook/Google and Locational Coupons
So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? If you are struggling with finding a way to get people into your brick-and-mortar, Facebook & Google have something to try. Coupons pop up when their location services say they are close to you, or perhaps just run ads that act as coupons for more business.
It’s not just for coupon clippers anymore; you can raise engagement and even partner with another nearby shop to push people to something related; Cafe & Bakery, Spa & Salon, Restaurant & Creamery, combinations are endless.
Networking Events
Host them, bring people in and turn it into a place to just meet, get a DJ, and have a local restaurant cater to promote their services and sell your services. You know the kid in high school who wasn't that cool until he hosted that killer party, be that guy/girl. If you host it, you can control it. It can be anything from Pampered Chief to a Paint Night. Keep it fun, keep it upbeat and have people invite people.
Any comments or additional suggestions are welcome below.
Don’t be shy to send me a message; let's connect. Perhaps CorEthos could help you with your business in some way. Meeting business owners or managers is our favorite thing. We would love to discuss how CorEthos can help you become remarkable!
