The WOW Factor: How to Deliver an Amazing Customer Experience Every Time

Creating a positive customer experience is key to keeping your target market coming back, whether you’re operating a digital business or a brick-and-mortar storefront. You don’t just want your customers to enjoy themselves when they’re in your store or shopping on your website–you want to create such an amazing user experience that your customers won’t be able to help but tell their friends about all your business has to offer. After spending decades creating great experiences for my patrons, I’m excited to share my top tips on delivering the WOW factor for your customers, time after time.

1. Know Your Customers
   It sounds obvious, I know–but it’s key that you know who your customer base is when you’re working to develop an experience that makes sense for them. Knowing your target market’s age, likes, and dislikes are all key to making your customers feel great every time they interact with your business. When you deliver an experience that’s a good fit for your target market’s demographic, there’s a good chance that they’ll start spreading the word about how much they love what you offer.
2. Have Empathy For The Problem You’re Working To Solve
   Whether you offer a service or a product, you’re working to solve a problem or meet a need of your customers. The better you understand their need, the better you can show empathy and support in both your product design and your customer service. Be sure to educate your employees on the needs of your customers, as this can help them pick up on the language they can use to form a meaningful connection with your patrons.
3. Stay Consistent
   Is your drive to create an excellent customer experience as strong as the day it was when you opened your doors? If not, it’s time to reevaluate. Consistency is key, and your customers want to know that they’ll get a top-notch experience from you every time they utilize your business. In the event that a customer doesn’t have a great experience, don’t just apologize. Ask them exactly what went wrong, solve the problem, and report back to the customer on the steps you’ve taken to ensure that the issue doesn’t happen again.
4. Value Employee Suggestions
   Your employees are the ones who work with your customers on a day-to-day basis, and they know what your organization could do to improve the customer experience. Talk with your employees about their thoughts on how to make every interaction with customers even better. When you come across an employee idea that works particularly well, be sure to thank the employee and let them know how their suggestion made a difference.
5. Keep Up With Technology
   One caveat to being consistent: you don’t want to be so consistent in your business that you turn your nose up at new ideas that could improve your customer experience. Using apps, new programs, and digital processes to make things easier for your customer is smart, and can help you keep up with your competition. It can be helpful to introduce new technology to your customers slowly, as too much change at once can feel overwhelming.
6. Go Through The CX Yourself
   Walt Disney used to walk around Disneyland, pretending he was a visitor, to get an idea of what he could do to improve the experience of park visitors. Walking through what your customers see when they visit your business can help you find places for improvement. If you’re worried that the experience would be different based on employees recognizing you, it can be smart to send a friend or family member in who can report back on what went well and what could be improved.
7. Utilize Customer Feedback
   Your customers might not be able to tell you exactly what steps to take to create a better user experience, but it’s likely that they’ll be able to tell you what’s working and what’s not. Just like with your employees, it’s smart to shout out customers who have a great idea that leads to a better experience for your customers. Naming a process or item after a customer can be a fun way to show them that you appreciate their input.
8. Get Personal
   It can be tough to keep up with phone calls and emails, and it can be even tougher to deliver personalized responses to your customers. Doing so, however, can be well worth the time spent. When you take the time to have a real person answer the phone and have a conversation with a customer, or have an employee craft a personalized email each time one of your customers has a question, you’re creating a genuine connection, which can help your customers feel loyal to your business.

Written by Benny Marotta.
Have you read?
Five Invisible Components of Effective DEI Work That All CEOs Must Consider by Laura L. Kangas.
A Conversation with Seaquake Crypto CEO Andrew Katz.
Persistence, Integrity, and Active Listening: Vinod Gupta on the Top Three Skills Needed to be a Successful Entrepreneur.
Why We Must Move Beyond Performance as a Top Criterion for Determining Leadership Potential by Dr. Kimberly Janson.
A new era of leadership – The DNA of the Chief Data Officer by Lance Mortlock.