Building a Great Customer Experience

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and experienced bad customer service? I would dare say that most of us have.

At one time, I lived in a town that had a reputation for poor customer service. There is a fast-food restaurant near where I live today that is notorious for messing up your order.

Poor customer service is likely the top reason customers either stop frequenting a business. Consistently bad service will eventually develop into a word-of-mouth reputation, leading potential business to never enter the doors. And, businesses with a reputation for bad service will soon be shuttering their doors.

It isn't hard for a business leader to imagine that scenario coming to pass. We've seen it happen before. As a result, business owners need to develop a plan to ensure that their customers have a great experience.

Just like consistent bad experiences eventually spread by word-of-mouth, great experiences will do the same. And, if your located in an area that is known for it's average or sub-par service, you could potentially dominate the local market by continually exceeding client expectations.

Here are a few tips to make that happen:

• The very first thing a leader must do is to define what a great customer experience looks like in your industry. Go for something extraordinary. Don't settle for something that is good enough.
• You should also jump into the customer's shoes. View your company from the perspective of your clientele. How would they describe their experience? Great, Good, Average, So-so, Sub-par, Terrible?
• Get the opinions of your customers, especially those that don't normally frequent your shop. Third party reviews can help you see through the clouds that surround your judgement. They can also point you in the direction of things that work, and things that need to be fixed.
• A follow-up to the previous point would be to recruit people to give you a review. By selecting people you know and trust, you can get the hard core facts that you really need.
• Develop a culture of greatness. This is a long-term plan. Just like you cannot turn a large cruise ship on a dime, you can't change a company culture at your command. It takes time to develop and nurture. In the end, however, a positive culture that encourages employees will result in better customer experiences.
• If you have problem areas, do whatever it takes to fix them. This might mean that you re-assign some staff to areas where they are more productive. It might mean dropping something you offer. It might even mean letting the wrong people go, and replacing them with the right people.

What are some ideas you have that can improve customer experience, keep clients coming back, and spreading the word about a business?