Intro by Skip Cohen
I love Bev’s point in today’s post – are you meeting and exceeding customer expectations?
Years ago, before digital and in my Hasselblad days, at every convention, there would always be a few students who’d come by and want to show us their portfolios. Often the portfolios themselves were incredibly expensive – you know the type, split cowhide, glove-soft leather, even one that was tempered glass. They were stunning presentations on the outside, but like Bev’s point on a great restaurant – they were completely underwhelming on the inside!
Yes, you must “dress the part,” but your work has to match. It’s about exceeding expectations every time you touch a client. And it’s every part of your business – from your website, and social media presence, to live face-to-face opportunities and relationship building.
So many times over the years – it’s about artists who start to slip and get a reputation for mediocrity. Sadly “they start believing their own press releases.”
Build your reputation on the quality of your work and the quality of keeping your promises!
A new restaurant in town has opened its third location . . . and I have been to all of them! Bev
This restaurant, with its roots in Dubai, opened its very first location in the U.S. right here in Lexington, Kentucky because the owners went to school at the University of Kentucky.
The first time I went there, it was with a group of my girlfriends, and we were delighted with the decor and environment as it was so different from anything we had ever seen.
Over-the-top use of velvet materials as luxurious curtains, coffee tables next to couches for lounging if you wanted that option, tassels everywhere, frames glued to the ceiling, bold colors…it was a creative delight!
Then came the experience. The food was so-so and what you would find in any restaurant, not the middle east exotic fare we expected. The wait times for food to arrive was looong…and when breakfast was ordered, the food that came out was all wrong with toast being brought out 10 minutes before the rest of the meal, so it was cold and soggy by the time the meal came!
Another time, It was absolutely the worst experience as we waited for nearly two hours to get our food! And with children too…can you even imagine?! But…we forgave…and forgave…and forgave. We so loved the atmosphere and the crazy decor that we gave them many more chances than we normally would.
We appreciated the “branding” they did so well with the decor as it transported us to a fantasy land, but the customer experience fell flat!
After several of these poor experiences with the same problems over and over, we decided we most likely will not go back and most likely will not let them know our thoughts, but will quietly “slink away.”
With bad customer service/experience, you’ll not only lose your chance to recover after a problem, but you also may not even find out a problem exists.
NOTE: As time has passed since I wrote this, they have ended up closing all of their three locations.
Helpscout.net says 50% who encounter a problem will not complain. YIKES!
Today’s Tidbit is a cautionary tale.
From Helpscout.net, we learn some dangerous results of poor customer service and experience.
- Increased sensitivity to price. Who wants to pay for poor service or products? If you want to charge like a boutique business, you MUST offer over-the-top service, experience and products that reflect that. There is less tolerance for poor “anything” when you charge luxury prices.
- Bad experience spreads like wildfire. A 2014 survey conducted by American Express found that “While 46% of American consumers say they always tell others about good service experiences, an even greater number say they talk about poor service experiences. In fact, 60% said they always share the bad ones, and they tell nearly three times as many people (an average of 21 people vs. 8 people).”
- Expectations are higher. I believe that to meet increased expectations, we must rise above, do more to create tighter relationships with our clients, provide a distinct and quality product and as Tim often says, “Create Gaps.”
And, consistency in giving your clients an amazing experience is critical. In other words, DO NOT DISAPPOINT THEM…EVER!
