• I would post a motivational quote to help me keep going even when I didn ’ t want to take another call . In fact , I still do this ; I have a quote by Kobe Bryan on a shelf in my office ..
• Going for a brief walk outside is the best way to disconnect for a moment . Leaders of companies must acknowledge that the extra break won ’ t be a cost , it will be an investment . The break will help your team members be physically and mentally prepared to deliver amazing service to every customer , every time .
2 . FORESIGHT
The second skill your team members must have is foresight . This skill is vital because you want to ensure that your employees have the foresight to anticipate customers ’ needs and to assist their peers and colleagues when they are inundated with too many tasks .
At Baro , one of my restaurants , one of our core values is foresight . We want our team members to have the awareness to act on customer needs by offering suggestions before they are asked – this helps create an experience customers have never had before . In my business , an example of this could be a waitress recognizing that the family of four who has a toddler with them will need a high chair . Our guests shouldn ’ t have to ask for this ; we should anticipate this to create an effortless experience for our guests .
When it comes to employees , do your team members have the foresight to recognize that Sally , your office manager , who just received three phone calls at once and has a FedEx employee waiting for a package to be signed for , needs help ? Without her having to ask ?
Team members with foresight not only earn higher customer loyalty by delivering a better experience but they create comradery with their peers . If this comradery is created they are more likely to work together to deliver a seamless customer experience which also increases customer loyalty . 3 . EMPATHY The third customer service skill was first introduced to me when I worked at 1-800-GOT-JUNK ?’ s corporate office . Their core values are Passion , Integrity ,
Professionalism and Empathy , or PIPE for short .
Do your team members show genuine empathy for your customers ? If your customer happens to mention that there was a death in their family or they have upcoming surgery , will your team members acknowledge what has been mentioned and show empathy ?
HOW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE EARNED WARBY PARKER FREE PR
Often , your customers share information with you that calls for empathy . You can use that to build a stronger relationship . Take this Warby Parker story as an example .
A customer of Warby Parker in Atlanta showed up to pick up her glasses and after the employee asked her how her day was going , she responded with : “ Not well . I had my car stolen yesterday … I ’ m here to pick up the glasses that I ordered .”
Side note : I ’ m wearing glasses from Warby Parker as I write this – I love them and their company – they are actually the company I ’ m learning from the most from right now .
The Warby Parker employee could have simply said :
“ Oh , I ’ m sorry to hear that . Here are your glasses …”
But it ’ s what they did next that ’ s separates them from their competition and is something I ’ m preaching within my businesses and to my clients … they are creating customer microexperiences . A customer micro-experience is a subtle , affordable and memorable gesture you do for your customers that resonates with them for years .
The Warby Parker team sent this handwritten card to the customer shortly after : “ Hey Tess , We were so sorry to hear about your car . Since you probably won ’ t be the designated driver anytime soon , here ’ s a round on us ! Love , your friends at Warby Parker . PS . Your Durand frames look amazing !” The customer had mentioned in passing that she felt like she needed a beer . Within the envelope was a gift certificate to a local microbrewery so the customer could get that beer .
This Warby Parker employee listened , showed empathy and took action on what she had heard to create a memorable experience .
Now , not any employee could do something like this . Only truly empathetic people could do this genuinely . I don ’ t know the Warby Parker customer personally but I ’ d bet that this customer will never buy prescription sunglasses from another company again in her life , which is true customer loyalty .
Oh , not to mention , this customer experience earned Warby Parker free PR in Forbes , Business Insider and Mashable . As the saying goes , customer experience is marketing !
Michel Falcon
Michel Falcon is an entrepreneur , advisor , and international keynote speaker who leverages customer and employee engagement strategies to grow businesses . As an entrepreneur , Michel has grown a hospitality company with over hundred employees and tens of millions in yearly revenue . Companies like McDonald ’ s , Verizon Wireless , Alfa Romeo , Lexus , Illumina , Electronic Arts , and BlueCross BlueShield have called on Michel to work with them on their strategy or speak at their company events . Michel has traveled throughout the world , visiting Canada , USA , Israel , Austria , Australia , Germany , Nigeria , and others to speak at conferences ranging in size from 25 to 1,200 audience members . His thought leadership has been included in Entrepreneur , Inc , Time , Forbes , Digiday , and Yahoo Small Business Advisors .
michelfalcon . com
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