John DiJulius :
The Top 9 Foolproof Ways To Create A Customer Experience Revolution
Successful entrepreneur and international customer experience expert John DiJulius refuses to compete on price . Instead , he competes in “ experience wars ,” where his customer service is so superior that customers don ’ t think about what they pay .
DiJulius has been winning experience wars for decades . Years ago , at one of his John Robert ’ s Spas , a chain of upscale salons repeatedly named one of the top 20 salons in America , a new salon moved in a few doors down . While his salon charged between $ 100 –$ 150 for a haircut , the new salon put a sign up that said , “ We do $ 10 haircuts .” After his worried staff wanted to offer discounts , DiJulius said no . He told his team to focus on their customer experience and non-negotiables and said , “ Make sure you are brilliant at the basics .” Then he put a sign in his salon window that said , “ We fix $ 10 haircuts .”
DiJulius is also the founder of DiJulius Group , a customer experience firm that provides consulting , training , and executive education to help simplify , systematize , and create accountability for the experiences companies deliver . Working with Fortune 500 companies including Starbucks , the Ritz-Carlton , and Nordstrom , DiJulius maintains that customer service is the place to compete . “ There are a lot less people who don ’ t know how to do it as well ,” he said .
DiJulius taught businesses how to create a customer experience revolution , which he defines as a radical overthrow of conventional business mentality designed to transform what employees and customers experience . “ This shift produces a culture that permeates into people ’ s personal lives at home and in the community , which in turn provides the business with higher sales , morale , and brand loyalty ,” he said . “ This is our value proposition , thus making price irrelevant .”
DiJulius explained that your perception is flawed when it comes to how good your customer experience is . Citing a survey where 300 leaders from 300 different organizations were asked if they thought their company provided superior customer service , he revealed that 80 % of the leaders said they believed they did a good job . But after sending the survey to their customers , they discovered that only 8 % of their customers agreed with them . “ Your employees need to understand that they are in the customer perception business ,” DiJulius said . “ What customers think is their reality .”
“ There is a difference between customer loyalty and retention rate ,” DiJulius said .
By focusing on customer experience , you can “ create clients so loyal that they don ’ t even know how you compare to their competition ,” DiJulius said . “ They brag about you . Your customer should not be able to imagine a world without you and your brand in it .”
Here ’ s how to improve your business ’ s customer service .
Invest In Customer Experience Training . Hiring is critical , but culture and training
1 are even more important because customer service is not common sense . “ A customer experience comes down to one thing and one thing only : your average service aptitude from the CEO to the janitor to the newest employee ,” DiJulius said . “ Service aptitudes are a person ’ s ability to recognize and exceed a client ’ s expectations regardless of the circumstances .” People are not born to serve . Service aptitude comes from three places : previous life experiences , previous work experiences , and current work experiences . “ The only leaders who don ’ t invest in customer experience are the ones who don ’ t realize the financial impact it has .”
2
Avoid Policies . Make Guidelines Instead . “ Policy is the worst word you can have
or use with your employees ,” DiJulius said . Policies punish the masses because they force your employees into making decisions that are “ black and white with walls ” and stifle your employees ’ creativity , empathy , and innovation . Years ago , DiJulius banished policies after a client called him about a salon policy that charged people if they didn ’ t show up for their appointment . DiJulius discovered a manager who wouldn ’ t refund a client even though the reason the client missed her appointment was because her husband died that morning . DiJulius promptly refunded her money . “ People get afraid to go against policy ,” he said . “ Change the word to guidelines , because policy punishes 98 % of your clients for what 2 % might be trying to get away with … I ’ m okay if 2 % take advantage of me or my company because of what I get back from 98 % who can ’ t believe how we handle it .”
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