connection that ’ s so engaging and compelling that the customer literally “ feels ” something afterward .
What drives today ’ s customers are emotions and feelings , some of which can ’ t be expressed in words and are triggered unconsciously . The most important element in customers choosing whom they buy from is how a brand makes them feel .
So , how do you create such an experience and train your employees to provide it ? Examine every touchpoint in the customer journey to see if you have built in the feeling of “ cared for ” in the journey .
5
Find The Conversation Gifts .
It is all about finding the conversation gift — there is a gift in every conversation . If you look for it , you will see it . By now , most of you are familiar with FORD ( family , occupation , recreation , and dreams ) and probably have implemented it in your business . Now more than ever , focusing on FORD during conversations , especially virtually , is critical , and it is easy . This helps you find the conversation gift — professionally and personally . Let me show you how .
Many of the clients we work with have easily customized their CRM system to add FORD fields , something you check either before or during an interaction with a customer and update after . I want to show you a fantastic best practice we use at The DiJulius Group , and many of our clients have started doing the same with great results . Even though we have the FORD fields in our CRM system , we strongly recommend that when you are at your computer , you use a FORD tablet ( see below ).
LinkedIn for mutual connections we have and where they may have graduated from .
Then during the conversation , I just write down any additional info that comes up . Using this and paying attention , I always find the conversation gift that allows me to follow up with something . Many times , it could be a link to an article or video of a topic we discussed , an introduction , or some great restaurant suggestions for their upcoming trip . It takes less than 30 seconds to do post call . You can see the rest of the FORD tablet has space available for the business discussion and call to action needed .
Videoconferencing calls are so much better than the old traditional conference call . Recently , I was on a Zoom call with someone I had never spoken to before . There was so much FORD info in plain view behind him — his diploma , a photo of his wife and kids , and his favorite sports team . This type of info allows for the conversation gift follow-up .
6
Utilize Relationship Hacks .
Many little investments in relationships are key to building that emotional connection . I learned a great relationship hack from reading Adrienne Bankert ’ s new book , “ Your Hidden Superpower , Kindness .” Adrienne talks about taking a few minutes to video text people , instead of just texting them , and the power of it . So , I tried it , and to my amazement , it was fast and easy , and the responses I got were incredible . I have always texted my employees on their company anniversary dates to thank them . Now I send a video text instead , which actually takes less time than typing and has a significantly larger impact . I am trying to force myself to think before I text anyone — employees , my sons — would this be more powerful as a video message ?
7
Justify A Relationship Tax .
What if your business started charging every customer an additional 5 % relationship tax that was non-negotiable ? This is a great exercise to do with your employees . Tell them you are implementing a relationship tax Jan . 1 . The tax is for the relationship they have built with every customer during each interaction . Ask them what will they do as a result to ensure no customers complain about the new relationship tax ?
Typically , the answers employees come up with are simple ideas they realize they should have been doing all along . When you can justify the relationship tax , without actually charging for it , you start becoming irreplaceable in your customers lives .
You absolutely can become the brand customers can ’ t live without by training your employees to create an emotional connection every time they interact with your customers .
The organizations who understand that the human touch is the most important part of any experience — especially a great customer experience — will flourish . n
This FORD tablet not only helps to collect key customer intelligence during calls , but it is also a great tool to prep for a call . Now , for any scheduled calls / meetings I have on my calendar , I will do a little prep before the call . Typically , first thing in the morning , I will fill out what I already know from what I may remember , what we have in our CRM system — like the city where they live — any FORD already documented , and their past purchase history . It reminds me to do some recon on
John DiJulius , best-selling author of five customer service books , is the chief revolution officer of The DiJulius Group and works with the top brands in the world on customer and employee experience .
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