Creating Customer Experience

Customer is the King, Customer Delight, Customer needs are of top priority, these are some terms we all here if we are into any job. More so if we are in service industry. Why is it important to ensure we provide a good customer service? Should this service be good only if we have gained a customer or shall we be good even to the futire prospect?

As a customer, many-a-times we are amazed at the kind of treatment we get. It can be a shop where we have been to buy a product or to avail a service. Let us try to understand customer experience through a scenario analysis.

Imagine you have been to a store along with your family to purchase a gold ring. It is a small ring you are purchasing for your child and would cost you around Rupees Twelve Thousand max. As you enter the store, there is a sales associate who quickly addresses you. Politely speaks to you while actively guiding you through the selection. He is ensuring he also keeps your child's choice in mind and keeps showing the options to you as per your like and taste.

How do you think is your experience as a customer till now?

Am sure you are impressed. You like the salesperson already for the wonderful job that he is doing.

And then enters one more family who wants to buy jewelry for their daughters' marriage. For sure they will end up spending in lacs of rupees.

The moment you started feeling the delight and were about to choose a ring, your sales associate excuses himself to guide the new customers. He is now engaging with the to-be-soon bride's family. You are waiting for someone to assist ahead.

Now what is your experience? How do you feel?

What happens is our whole emotion shifts in just a second.

Would you go ahead and purchase from the store?

Please chose your answer

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, as it is really urgent to buy it today

Let us see another scenario.

Imagine we are going to a salon to enquire about their services. We spend a good twenty minutes with the lady at reception learning about the offers and schemes available. Different plans that are there for membership and the benefits. She very pleasantly also mentions about the staff and their specialty. However, at the end of 20 minutes, you chose not to go ahead with any of the services. The lady still is being very polite and hands over the salon card to you by offering a 20% off on your next visit. She thanks you for spending your precious time knowing about the offers and asks if you would like to have water before you leave as its too hot outside.

How is your experience as a customer now even though you availed no service?

Which of the two stores would you recommend to your friends/ family, or you shall visit again?

We all know our answers.

Every time you train a salesperson or are selling your products and services to anyone, remember, it is not only after sales services that matter or the pre-sales talk that needs to be impressive, the image about your brand with which you leave your customer is what matters. Even if the deal is not closed today, keep the prospects open by building a good relationship. Even if the customer does not come back to you, he will spread positive word and help your brand as a whole.

Customer relationship is not just about selling your products and services and after-sales services, it also means to create prospective clients, creating a positive image, help with mouth publicity. More so today when it is so easy to spread the word through social media.

Are you creating the right customer experience?

Remember, Sales is that arm of any organization without which the mouth cannot be fed and without customers this arm is nothing.