Today’s post is brought to us by our latest guest blogger, Nichole Bazemore. Nichole is an Atlanta-based freelance copywriter. Her company, Simply Stated Solutions, provides copy for sales and marketing materials (web content, press releases, newsletters, etc.) for small-to-medium sized businesses. She also writes weekly articles on career and workplace issues for Examiner.com. Find out more about Nichole via LinkedIn and Twitter.
I once worked as an international flight attendant for a major US airline, where all new hires had to undergo an intensive, six-week training before we ever stepped onto a plane.
Our training consisted of learning how to prepare beverage and meal services for both the business and coach cabins. In business class, the procedure went like this: lay linens on each passenger’s tray, offer him or her a hot towel with which to wipe their hands; offer warm nuts, followed by cocktails; then salad, followed by an entree. The grand finale consisted of an elaborate display of assorted desserts, fruit and cheese, and dessert wines.
In coach, the procedure was no less elaborate. Our beverage carts had to be stacked “just so,” with Cokes, Diet Cokes, tomato juice, and orange juice perfectly aligned. On a ten-hour transoceanic flight, we provided two full meal services, a snack service, and two beverage services.
I remember thinking, several times during training, “What the heck does this have to do with flying? Shouldn’t we be learning how to evacuate a plane?”
We did learn that, of course, but not before we learned how to put on one heck of a presentation. In fact, our entire job revolved around presentation and creating the customer experience. After all, the airline understood that people were paying for a first class, international travel experience, not just a multi-thousand dollar business class ticket.
With a brand new year upon us, this is the perfect time to think about the type of experience we’re providing our customers. It’s a great time to remember that little things, little courtesies, not only stand out in our customers’ minds, but also lead them to choose our product or service over another. Here are five little things that make a big impact:
- Following up. Responding to all emails and inquiries within 24 hours.
- Responding to all emails in a personalized, respectful manner. Believe it or not, something simple, like a salutation to open your message, helps you to bond with your reader.
- Meeting deadlines.
- Offering referral incentives.
- Sending cards to acknowledge birthdays or other important milestones in your customer’s life.
We all get busy, distracted, and overwhelmed. But we must remember that if we’re any of these things, our customers’ experience with us suffers. That’s why we owe it to ourselves to not take on more than we can handle, and to set realistic goals and boundaries so we don’t shortchange ourselves or our clients.
Our clients are looking not just for a service or product. They’re looking for a signature experience, one which is a unique expression of us as individuals. Whether we realize it or not, we’re already providing a signature experience.
The question is: is it one they’ll want to have again?
As Chief Operating Officer of wordZXpressed, I oversee the day to day operations, IT and marketing aspects of our business. I continue to serve as Project Manager for EHR/EMR interfaces with our customers as well as other IT functions. I am always interested in migration projects, implementation projects and emerging technologies in the healthcare industry. I am also a BIG fan of social media in business.
