It’s the little things that make a big difference
Earlier this year, a friend told me her hairdresser would be closing down her salon due to increased rent and associated running costs. The hairdresser explained she would be moving her salon to a newly-built garden room at her home, which would mean she could continue providing the same hairdressing experience and maintain current prices.
My friend’s hairdresser asked if she would like to continue as a customer at the new salon. It’s not far away and maintaining the cost of a haircut was important to her, so she agreed to go with her stylist, who was very grateful.
Before her first appointment at the new location, my friend wasn’t sure quite what she would find. The hairdresser sent her details of the new address and reassured her she was available to answer any queries. When she arrived at the garden salon, my friend was truly wowed! The building was much larger than she imagined and offered an even better salon experience than before. It was easy to find (thanks to the instructions provided), there was no road noise, the surroundings were clean and freshly painted, and the coffee was excellent.
When my friend enquired about what proportion of customers had made the move with the salon, the hairdresser happily told her only two clients had chosen not to come. In the meantime, she’d picked up four new customers based on recommendation.
These are the reasons I think this hair salon relocation will be a success.
The hairdresser:
Gave plenty of notice of the change
Explained the reasons behind the move
Explained the benefits to customers
Kept my friend fully informed
Sent clear details on how to access the new salon
Created a clean, fresh smelling environment
Went beyond the quality of service previously provided
Gave a warm welcome and offered a cup of coffee
Created an impressive client experience, building loyalty and client referrals
Valued and considered her customers throughout the change process
What would your business be without customers?
I suspect not very successful! Every single customer is valuable to your organisation and it’s your team’s job to show each customer just how much they matter to you. Without customers you would not have a viable business.
The little things customers notice
Focusing on small details can make a huge difference to the quality of customer experience. These are a few of the small things that show customers how valuable they are.
How you welcome your customers. Do you make eye contact, smile and say Hello?
How you greet a returning guest or customer, “Hello, good to see you again”
What happens next - “How can I help you today?”
When we speak about customers, your internal customers (team members) are equally as important as Mrs Smith walking in off the street.
Do your leaders and managers welcome their team in a similar way when they arrive at work? You cannot deliver an exceptional external customer experience without maintaining an exceptional employee experience. Worth considering if you want to have a successful, profitable business.
Small things cost absolutely nothing to do and stay in the memory for a long time.
Do these things to go beyond your current customer experience
As a successful organisation, no doubt you already have a good handle on your financial results. Monitoring the figures and maintaining a healthy profit is essential to operations.
So imagine you extended this diligent monitoring and measurement into the realms of customer service. What impact would it have on your organisation if you were to monitor service as closely as those financial results?
Setting internal service standards and measuring performance against these breeds confidence and guides a team to do the right thing by the customer - and each other. Measuring service is not only reassuring for leaders, it enables the whole organisation to make small continuous improvements; those small things that show you’re serious about looking after your customers and demonstrate how valued they are.
Exceptional Service Makes Sense... Business Sense
If you and your organisation understand the positive financial impact of exceptional service and want every customer to have the ultimate experience, you’ll find lots more advice in my book Exceptional Service Makes Sense... Business Sense. I’ve written it for organisations who have a desire to be exceptional as well as those who are already doing a great job and don’t want to become complacent. The hairdresser didn’t, so why shouldn’t you?