April 2022 MA Interractive final | Page 27

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Lessons From A Customer Experience Master
I have a friend called Steve . He is the most sought after person in his field of business . He is so sought after that he hardly has time for any new customers . The repeat business he gets from his customers is so much that he needs help to manage it all . From his business , he has expanded into new territories and he is by all means a very prosperous person . He recently built his own house debt free and has a transport business with mini vans and buses constantly on the road making him richer by the day . What has made Steve so prosperous ? People who knew him in university will say that it is because he studied accounting and has a degree in accounting . But , Steve does not work as an accountant anymore . Steve runs a motor bike with which he does home deliveries for families .
How does one become so prosperous doing what Steve does you might wonder ? Well , let me tell you another thing about Steve . He has so integrated himself into the lives of his customers that he is literally like a family member . He knows what we like and so if for instance he stumbles on something that he knows we like which is not readily available - like plantain , he will buy it with his own money and bring it home . In this way , he displays an understanding of his customers ’ needs .
Steve is very dependable . When you have guests at home and someone wants something that you do not have in the house , just send a text to Steve and in no time he will deliver it to you without your guests ever realizing that it was not available when they requested it . Steve understands flawless execution and has perfected his art to the point of scientific precision . You can count on him to always deliver .
Then there is the aspect of communication . He has established such a flow of communication with his customers and their voice matters even in how he does his things . For instance , if his customer gives him some advice on how to become more efficient , he does not arrogantly brush it off . He has created the space for open back and forth communication and this endears him to them even more . It is a relationship where ideas are celebrated on both sides . Even though he has many customers , he has understood the principle of THE ONE . He makes each customer feel like they are the
“ In a saturated marketplace , customer experience therefore has become the most important business growth tool that there is and the more saturated the market , the more important the experience given is . ”
only customer he has and that is where the magic happens .
Steve has also developed a base of very loyal customers . Their loyalty to him is almost fanatical . I learnt that there was a time when one of his customers had cash flow problems because their money was stuck in some bureaucratic bottleneck with their business . The customer did not call him for a few days . When Steve found out what was going on , he sent a message telling them not worry about cash . He would continue to serve them and get whatever they needed until they got the cash they were expecting . This kind of action has created such loyalty to Steve because his customers know that he sincerely has their best interests at heart and cares for them .
Now when we talk of loyalty , we need to know that some customers are loyal to a client because they do not have much of a choice . They are not satisfied but they have to stick with the product or service even though they would rather not . In Steve ’ s case , loyalty is because the customers are very satisfied . There are tens of other riders that could have been used but people stick with Steve because they are satisfied with him and so their loyalty is also from the heart .
In any relationship , there are bound to be times of misunderstanding or situations where there are complaints . We once sent Steve an order and he got the order wrong . When he was told this , he immediately developed a new system where he now takes pictures of what he is buying and shares it with his customers before finally making the purchase . He managed the complaint without giving excuses and became better at his service delivery as a result of the complaints . In a very masterful way , he has been able to convert every complaint into a compliment and leaves his customers happy .
Another good thing about Steve is that he is so easy to reach . He is literally a phone call away . Steve will get you everything from gas , to mattresses , to food and groceries , to toiletries . Steve is your guy . Besides being so efficient , his attitude and disposition is so pleasant . He is always positive and like my daughter says , “ he has good vibes ”!
Finally , Steve has been known to go out of town just to ensure that his customer gets what they need . He delivers with such a sense of mission that touches a very strong emotional nerve . When you watch Steve ride away on that motorbike with a smile on his face , you know that you are seeing someone living his happy life and fulfilling a purpose with joy .
This story is not a tale . It is the factual account of a real person that runs regular errands for households every day . Without going to a customer excellence conference or without being an accredited customer excellence expert , in his little way he constantly manifests the components that have been scientifically proven to give an excellent customer experience .
The problem with so many people is that they complicate simple things . The customer experience was never meant to be rocket science . It is so simple that one needs help to miss it ! After all , we are all customers somewhere and we all know what a good experience feels like .
Remember that if two people are selling the same product at the same price and in the same place , what will determine who makes the sale is the person selling and the experience they give . In a saturated marketplace , customer experience therefore has become the most important business growth tool that there is and the more saturated the market , the more important the experience given is . ■
Dr . Wale Akinyemi is the Chief Transformation Officer , PowerTalks Corporate & Personal Development Consultants . This article is an excerpt from his newest book titled : The Experience : From Customer To Ambassador . You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Wale @ powertalks . biz .
MAL 47 / 22 ISSUE 25