7 low cost high impact ways to Wow your customers

Published: Tue, 05/22/12




My book Five Star Service has had a sudden resurgence. Back to the No. 1 slot for customer service on Amazon, cool comments at events and lots of orders here too.

When the book was first published it was called Five Star Service - One Star Budget. I liked that because the title said it all. The best customer service costs little or nothing.

So in the spirit of 5 Star/1 Star, a magnificent seven ideas that will cost you nothing more than a little effort but will certainly create a WOW for your customers.

1) Find their thing
Their thing is something they care about that's just a little bit quirky. People like to belong, so if they have a thing and then find out you care about it too you'll form an instant connection.

2) Use their name
There is no sweeter sound than your own name.

3) Follow up
Every one knows they should, but hardly anyone ever does it. A follow up call, email or thank you note is worth its weight in gold. 

Just a note of caution here. I'm not talking about the plethora of emails I get these days saying, 'You called us on Tuesday, let us know what you think of our service'. I am talking about a real thank you, an extra piece of information or a genuine connection.

4) Voice of the customer versus voice of the system
Never ever, EVER say, 'It's our system', 'Company Policy' or anything which suggests your company is more important than the customer.

I'm not saying you have to agree with your customer every time, just find a different way to say it.

5) Add value first
Generally speaking, people don't find paying for something particularly enjoyable. Taking payment before you've added any value is a sure fire way to go overdrawn in your customer's emotional bank account. Your expertise, courteous behaviour, positive attitude and authentic care for your customer will add value - do this first. 

6) Look to others and think transferrable
The best customer service ideas are right in front of you. The trick is to think transferable. I'm amazed when I do a Five Star keynote and people comment, 'It's different for us because...'. The truth is, it's only ever slightly different. You have to adapt a little bit of this or twist a little bit of that and boom it's working for you.

The other great learning tool is to Flip It. Whenever you receive bad service, rather than feeling put out think; what's the opposite of this and how can I use it?

7) Smile, Smile, Smile
You think you smile enough but you don't. The shortest distance between two people is a smile, so go on, give it a go right now. You'll feel better, the people around you will feel better and your customers will definitely feel better too.

Five Star Service is available from Amazon here, or as an Audio Download from us here.


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