A Constant Contact customer recently asked, “How do I find my company’s WOW!”?
This is a great question.
A WOW! is something that makes your customers’ eyes light up. It doesn’t have to be big, but it does have to be memorable or different. The best news is that you only need one or two things to make people go WOW!
First, map out your customer touch points and processes
Look at everything from how people find and enter your business (online and offline), how they evaluate your products and services; how they buy from you and any post-purchase follow-up or service.
Once you’ve mapped your customer process, trace your customers’ experience yourself. Call your business to see how employees answer the phone. Send invoices or marketing collateral to your home address to see how materials arrive and look from your customers’ perspective. Test your online shopping cart—just how easy or hard is it to purchase from you? Ask a friend or colleague to be a secret-shopper and give you a full run-down.
Look for the “little” bumps or glitches in your process, smooth those out, and then look for one or two places where you can create a WOW!
“To Go” parking spaces — huge WOW!
A local pizzeria, for example, had “pizza to go” customers complaining. During really busy times when the parking lot filled up, people had to park in the next lot. To get to the pizza place, they had to cross a busy bypass road that divided the two parking lots. Picking up a pizza—especially with young kids in tow—was a little dangerous.
The store owner talked to his landlord and had two parking spaces right outside his storefront designated as “Pizzeria to Go Customers Only”—with a time limit of 10 minutes. Problem solved. Happy customers. WOW!
Focus your WOW! in places that reinforce your differentiation, not the basics. How you swipe credit cards, for example, may not be a huge differentiator (although it could be—think Apple Store).
How you answer the phone, however, could be a major WOW!
No more “dial 9 for directory” during business hours
Every company says it offers great customer service. A manufacturing company we interviewed recently, however, took this beyond a stale mission statement posted on a website.
To show that it valued its customers and their time, the company dedicated two people to answering their phones. When you call the company, you’re greeted with a cheery hello and transferred directly to the person you’re calling. If you’re calling interested in a specific product, a sales person or engineer immediately answers your questions.
Voice mail, “dial 9 for directory”—and the usual frustration—gone. Eliminated. Kaput. WOW!
Test your WOW!
If you’re not sure that your WOW! is working for you—or if it’s the right one—test it. Listen carefully to feedback. Look to see what makes people respond or what lights up their eyes.
Look at the feedback you receive in email, on social media or review sites, or what people say to you or your team during conversations. Write down what you read and hear—you’ll know soon enough if your WOW! is registering with people.
Do you have a good WOW! story? Share it with us—we’d love to feature it. Send an email to SocialSuccess (at) ConstantContact (dot) com.
