team member booked and paid for that guest ’ s hotel room at their nearest competitor .
This clearly went far beyond the average customer experience . No company can make customers happy 100 % of the time — there is no mobile app for that . But greatly exceeding customer expectations can be part of every company ’ s marketing strategy and business model . Putting guests ’ needs first , always , is a sure way to not only build a strong customer base but also to greatly reduce churn rates .
Another great example of brilliant service recovery is found in the Starbucks customer service experience , which allows baristas to go the extra mile . Baristas are trained to provide a card to inconvenienced current customers that says :
We apologize if your Starbucks experience was anything but wonderful . The next time we see you , please enjoy a beverage on us .
With every complimentary beverage , customer relationships are strengthened in real time . Such personalized experience — a reflection of the company ’ s customer service vision statement — leads to the right kind of customer feedback and enriches the customer life cycle .
Take These Steps For Building A Zero Risk Brand With Strong Customer Lifetime
To build a Zero Risk brand , you need to realize where you drop the ball the most , implement systems that reduce occurrences of those service defects , and create corrective protocols , then train your employees on these protocols to make things right .
Organizations can achieve greatness when their employees are allowed to do unexpected things — to show initiative and creativity , to step outside the scripted path . That is when the most delightful , interesting , and amazing results occur . n
John DiJulius , bestselling 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 .
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 • MSPSuccessMagazine . com | 21