We go about life collecting experiences. We remember experiences through our feelings and emotions. It goes without saying that a product or service must also be of high quality, but it’s how we were made to feel as individuals that marks the difference between a good experience and a fantastic one. And that contributes heavily to what makes a customer loyal to a brand.
Last week, I was at one of my favorite coffee spots and after I was handed my cappuccino, I moved away from the counter and slid my mask down briefly to take a much-awaited sip (as I waited for my husband’s coffee). The barista abruptly ordered me to leave my mask on. At this point, there was no one else inside and I have yet to master the skill of drinking a coffee with my mask on!
Let’s assume this coffee place has an unwritten rule of only serving people with masks on, but one can certainly handle such situations with more tact and sensitivity. I still love their coffee but the experience was demeaning as it was obviously tarnished by the manner the message was conveyed
How do we interact with our customers? Do we emotionally engage with them? How can we make them feel special as we build their loyalty?
Interacting with our customers should not feel like a check box item. Each client is unique. Learn about your customer, ask thoughtful questions and more importantly, listen! In the same way, when they ask you a question, do not simply provide a canned response. You might have heard the same question twenty times today but that customer will hear your reply only this one time, so make it count.
Empathy is another important component when building emotional connections with clients. It is different from expressions of sympathy, such as feeling sorry or pity for someone. Empathy involves trying to understand another person’s view or emotions. It is also not the same as the Golden Rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’, since this assumes that your interests match theirs. Empathy is about discovering those different tastes, as George Bernard Shaw would say.
At this point, it would be a pure waste of time and resources if we only listened and established our clients’ values, preferences and tastes. We must show our customers that we have understood them, and this can vary among businesses. A hotel might stock a guest’s minibar with their preferred juice before arrival instead of waiting for the guest to ask for it. A restaurant might assign a quiet table, away from the busy main dining room, after learning that their patron is hosting an important business lunch.
Clients are the backbone of any business and they must not be treated as merely numbers. They are individuals who are looking for authentic, honest service. Even if a company falls short of a product/service, customers might ’forgive’ the occasional oversight and give them the opportunity to turn the situation around, if they feel they are getting genuine service.
Going back to my coffee story, I completely understand that a business might have a ‘policy’, however, I would have been a happier and more loyal customer if the barista briefly used empathy to connect with me emotionally, exercising a polite tone.