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Focusing on
Consistency (Part 2)
by Adele Sommers
Consistently
pleasant customer experiences produce “raving
fans” who spread positive “buzz” about
our products and services. In contrast, even a single
unhappy experience can sour a customer, who may then
take her business elsewhere. This customer often doesn’t
inform us of the reason — but does
tend to rant unhappily to an even wider circle of friends,
according to the American Management Association.
In Part
1 of this series, we saw how consumers are able
to exercise their choices to achieve the most enjoyable
and efficient experiences possible. This article, Part
2, explores four more techniques that can help ensure
top-to-bottom consistency in creating positive customer
experiences.
 Reviewing
the First Two Ingredients in the Recipe
The recipe for customer
satisfaction contains several key ingredients that pertain
to quality, business systems, marketing/sales, customer
service, and good common sense. Two of the basic ingredients
we covered in Part 1 were:
- It’s far more cost effective to keep existing
customers than to find new ones. Why? Customer
retention research shows that once companies have
loyal customers, the cost of keeping them is just
one-fifth the cost of attracting new
ones. Therefore, it makes sense to continuously and
consistently delight them.
- It’s critical not to over-promise and under-deliver.
Either we can under-promise and
over-deliver — or, over-promise
and over-deliver — but, at
all costs, we should strive not to under-deliver.
Our credibility and trustworthiness evaporate whenever
we make promises we can’t keep.
Next, let’s
look at four additional success criteria.
Ingredient #3:
Prevent Variation in Service and Product Quality
 For
services, preventing variation means being unfailingly
helpful and pleasant in all customer interactions. It
means that personnel must be able to satisfy all of
the company's advertised claims. And they’ll also
need an understanding of the creative latitude they’ll
have to meet customers’ special needs, to offer
the greatest possible “quality
in perception.” In these ways, personnel will
have the means by which to “wow” customers
— over-delivering by giving even more than customers
expect.
For products,
preventing variation means ensuring that every article
produced conforms as tightly as possible to the ideal
— as close to perfection as you can make it. Unlike
what you may have learned about quality decades ago,
this requires going beyond merely staying
within tolerances, which was the “old school”
of quality thinking. The reason is that weaknesses can
arise from being “barely within specs” —
possibly enough to cause system failure. It’s far
more likely when several critical values together are
all “barely within specs,”
because the effects can accumulate.
Ingredient #4:
Ensure Your Customers’ Downstream Success
Ask yourself: Are
you most heavily focused on your own immediate gain
— your own business results — or do you express
a vested interest in ensuring that your customers will
succeed? If your emphasis is truly on your customers'
success, then how about your customers’ customers’
success, or even that of your customers’
customers’ customers?
By consistently
emphasizing the downstream chain of successes that your
customers and their customers will enjoy, you will create
consistent, perpetual value for all who use your offerings.
(More
on this topic.)
Ingredient #5:
Create Theme-Oriented Products and Services
You can design an
imaginative suite of coordinated components with
theme names, slogans, mascots, music, literature, accessories,
and services. Such ensembles will spark your customers’
imaginations and entice them to buy one after another
in the desire to complete a set. Many companies have
learned that customers will gladly pay a premium for
a group of collectibles while raving to their family
and friends.
 An
example of an enterprise that has experienced extraordinary
results using this technique is American
Girl. This company pairs authentic doll characters
with historically researched novels that tell the life
stories and adventures of the dolls. It also sells coordinated
outfits, period furniture, and accessories — even
hair styling services!
American Girl has
quietly exploded from a tiny mail-order business into
a $344 million firm using mostly word-of-mouth advertising.
It creates wholesome, educational offerings for which
their ever-expanding clientele gladly pay top dollar.
Ingredient #6:
Design a Mesmerizing, Theme-Based Buying Experience
Taking theme ideas
even further, you can create a whimsical buying atmosphere
for your customers, either in a physical storefront,
online store, or both. Your staff might wear costumes
or use custom scripts to keep in step with the characters
or theme. The novelty and entertainment value can spark
customers’ imaginations, attracting avid buyers
in markets such as toys, technology, hotels, clothing,
accessories, and foods.
In the area of
foods, Trader
Joe's, which has stores primarily on the east
and west coasts of the U.S., has enjoyed remarkable
popularity over the last several decades. Everything
Trader Joe’s does revolves around a tropical, nautical
motif.
 The
theme dictates what staff members wear, the decorations
in the stores, and the unique, exotic, low-cost, private-label
foods it sells. Walking into any store feels like arriving
at an island vacation spot. The clang of ship’s
bells punctuates the sounds of Hawaiian shirt-clad staff
members chatting cheerfully with customers. The quality,
selection, value, and whimsical, theme-based atmosphere
attract a steadily growing base of “raving fan”
shoppers.
In conclusion,
these powerful tips can help you create customer satisfaction,
loyalty, and endless word-of-mouth promotion. To reap
the benefits of the fun and creative ideas, however,
don’t overlook the foundational aspects. This means
being sure to over-deliver on what you promise while
maintaining consistency in your product and service
quality.
Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers
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The
month of June ushers in commencement at many educational
institutions. So, why not use this occasion to “graduate”
to a higher level of serving your constituents?
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