4 Step System to WOW Your Customers

In a competitive market, sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference between merely satisfying a customer’s needs and thrilling them so much that they’re bragging to their friends about your products. In other words, you want them to say: “Wow!”

According to Scott Martineau, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Infusionsoft and author of Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Small Business without Growing Crazy, there are four steps to wowing your customers.

• Step 1 - Create a culture of Wow! Customer service starts at ground zero. You need to talk about it from day one. You need to emphasize and teach it to your employees at every opportunity, and when you’re evaluating new employees, you should look for people who love to serve. Wherever possible add incentives for employees to go above and beyond. In a crowded field of competing companies, people will remember the small, personal touches far more than they will another advertising campaign.

• Step 2 - Welcome new customers with a splash. Do the little things customers don’t expect. Let them know that you genuinely appreciate the opportunity to serve them with a well-timed welcome gift. It need not be anything excessive. Even a small token such as a calendar or a coffee mug can serve as a bit of added value to your customer.
• Step 3 - Implement a system for ongoing Wow! Schedule follow up contacts to see how your customers are doing, and to remind them that you’re still thinking of them. A few weeks or so after their initial purchase, send them a hand-written thank you. Contact them after a few months with a voice message. Perhaps surprise them on the six month anniversary of their purchase with a gift card or send a personalized note on their birthday. Make yourself available in case they have questions, and let them know that you’ll be there for them not just when they’re buying your products, but also for the long haul.
• Step 4 - Use a periodic satisfaction survey to find out how Wowed they are. On a 1 to 10 point scale (1 being the lowest) how likely are they to recommend your product to a friend? The results from this simple question, sometimes called the Net Promoter Score, can give you an excellent snapshot of how well you’ve wowed your customers. A 9-10 rating means you’ve gained customers who will not only continue buying your products, but also recommend you to others, fueling your growth. A 7-8 rating indicates a satisfied but unenthusiastic customer who might be vulnerable to your competitors, while a rating of 6 or less is a sign of an unhappy customer.

Using this 4 Step System can help you take your customer service to the next level and create a monopoly on Wow!