WOW is such a short, simple word, but it really encompasses a lot of things. To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do must have an emotional impact on the receiver. You are not an average company, your service is not average, and you don’t want our people to be average. You expect every employee to deliver WOW.
When a customer experiences WOW, you are giving them a pleasant surprise. You are exceeding their expectations. You are addressing their needs thoughtfully and in unexpected ways. It is an expression of your authentic interest in the person who seeks your products and services, not just in the transaction. It is about making enduring personal emotional connections with empathy, generosity, and gratitude. It is about awareness of common human concerns that make a difference to each customer. It is about truth, it is about meaning, it is about details.
In today’s ultra-competitive markets, enduring businesses call for enduring customer relationships. How can you deliver products and services with a WOW Customer Experience built into them? You must make the WOW Customer Experience part of the product/service design, and that requires a continuous culture and happiness decision-making context, not only once for purposes of definition, but as a foundation for day to day operations.
WOW Customer Experiences are about meaningful details, they are unique, and not part of a mechanical scripted process. They are unique gestures, not born out of rules or “best practices,” but as an expression of your company’s culture, its shared values, and ideals. These values and ideals inform the employee’s decisions that create exceptional outcomes.
When delivering a WOW Customer Experience, the number one challenge is for the whole organization to remain aware of its value, to live it day in day out, and to take proactive action in caring for it. The whole team must remain focused on this effort, otherwise it can be derailed by either the urgency or the series of repetitive tasks.
Often times, a discussion on Customer Experience happens only for the purpose of definition. However, the only way to deliver true WOW continuously is through constant evolution, adapting quickly to changing needs, fine tuning what’s most useful to your customers. This requires conversations on a wide range of decisions where culture should be a key criteria.
The customer driven organization – 9 focus areas:
Share your knowledge
Make the experience great
Know the customer
Make it easy and convenient
Make them feel valued
Engage with the customers where they are
Do it right the first time
Surprise
Ask them for advice
