In today’s marketplace, it's all about creating the most positive experience for your customers. You need to engage with them in a way that is unforgettable and helps them remember your business the next time they are in need of the products and services your company offers.
That’s why we asked 12 successful entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Q. What is one way you can create an unforgettable customer experience without making a huge financial investment?
1. Be friendly, truthful, and respond quickly
Seriously, a lot of time all you have to do is be quick to respond, friendly and truthful. Those are all free, except maybe responding quickly. But you need to have a system in place to respond via email within the same day (ideally within the same hour). You need to have instilled into everyone at the company that they be truthful and friendly to clients. —Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
2. Make eye contact
Simply making eye contact during conversations with clients immediately opens a human connection. It’s amazing how frequently we move through the world without truly connecting with people. —Rachel Beider, Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg
3. Personalize the response
When customers reach out for help or support, it’s often because they are facing some type of problem. Rather than using a generic response, my team takes the time to respond to customers by name, acknowledge their concerns, and assure them their problem will be taken care of promptly. Being the one to initiate follow-up goes a long way in ensuring customer happiness. —Mark Krassner, Expectful
4. Build rapport
If you want to connect with people, then it pays to know a little bit about them. Building rapport and talking to clients or customers on a personal level displays your commitment and authenticity. It's cheaper to keep an existing customer than acquire a new one, so building a long-lasting relationship should always be a focus of your customer relations. —Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com
5. Smile and mean it
Customers don't actually expect as much as you think. They've been put in a position where they accept unfriendly customer experiences to some degree. However, simple things—like smiling and meaning it—make an incredible difference and don't cost anything. —Serenity Gibbons, Calendar.com
6. Create a 'surprise and delight' moment
A cheap but impactful way to create an unforgettable customer experience is to create a “surprise and delight” moment for your customers. It can be something very small that they are not expecting. It should be thoughtful, but doesn’t have to be much. Some examples are freebies included in their order or a personalized "thank you" note. —Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
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7. Implement their ideas
One way to stand out from the pack is to listen to your customers and implement their ideas. Some of our best product features have come from our customers. If you use a customer's idea, thank them and let them know when it's been successfully implemented. You can even create an ideas exchange, where customers submit and vote on ideas, allowing the best ones to float to the top. —Syed Balkhi, OptinMonster
8. Listen actively
Never underestimate active listening. By showing a customer you are listening to them—not just smiling and nodding while thinking about your next sentence—you are offering an incredible experience. Big tip: Remember one point you can bring up later in the conversation, and ask one question that gets them to zoom in on a detail. Don't use the question to insert yourself. Get them talking more. —Jen Brown, The Engaging Educator
9. Create unique custom content
Unique custom content is key to the customer experience; however, it can be very costly to maintain digitally and in collateral materials. We bring our customers content in the form of exciting education, and hire qualified guides to teach subjects that are of interest to our demographic, providing unforgettable experiences. The content can be recorded live and offered as an incentive. —Matthew Capala, Alphametic
10. Have 24/7 chat bots
Live chat is becoming increasingly necessary as customers become accustomed to the quick turnaround time and ease of use. You can implement this game changer without making a huge financial investment by using sophisticated chat bots that work around the clock. —Jared Atchison, WPForms
11. Build a useful email campaign
It’s important to keep your current customers engaged with your product and up-to-date on new features. Email is the best way to do this. By mixing interesting and useful information with marketing and new product notifications, you’ll be able to keep your customers informed and engaged with your product. —Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc.
12. Invest in good product packaging
If you operate a brick-and-mortar establishment, packaging is everything! Invest in a type of branded product packaging that makes your customers feel like they are walking out of your store with a gift. Try implementing reusable bags for all of their sales that are over a certain dollar amount. It will reaffirm the sale and help prevent buyer’s remorse. —Kate Hancock, OC Facial Care Center
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