Go Above And Beyond As A Brand

Like many of you, I interact with companies and brands on a daily basis. From calling customer support to assist me with solving a website issue, to purchasing something as simple as toothpaste from an online retailer, I am constantly communicating and engaging with hundreds of businesses each month to help me achieve my professional goals as well as satisfy my personal needs.

Companies are always preaching about how they put people first, but how often do they really? Whenever I hear these sorts of phrases in a radio or TV advertisement, I’m immediately quite skeptical. I’m like, “Yeah right, show me!,” or “I’m trying to rack my brain about when they actually did go above and beyond for me, and I honestly can’t think of any at all.”

It often feels that there are so many brands that fall short, or at the very best, provide a minimally satisfactory experience for their customers. However, every now and then, you come across a company that actually does get it right, going above and beyond to provide their customers with a truly awesome experience. In light of this, I wanted to highlight a few examples and ideas that companies can consider to actually bolster and create a truly positive customer experience. It’s rare that I am “wowed” by a company, but here are a few that pique my interest and make me say to myself, “Hmm, okay, this is cool. They actually do care!” Here we go:

Personalization by calling to inquire how the customer experience has been thus far.

We’ve all purchased something online then later received an email asking us to fill out a survey detailing how our experience went. Oftentimes, our name isn’t even listed in the greetings section of the message. My initial thought when I get one of these emails is, “Ah come on, I already gave you my money, now you’re asking me to do MORE work for you? I really don’t want to do more work.”

This approach doesn’t feel remotely personal at all. It honestly feels like a robot sent me this message asking for my permission to be used as a data point number. If my experience was even simply just neutral beforehand, now I’ve got a slightly bad taste in my mouth with regards to the brand. Rather than providing me with a wonderful experience, it feels as though the company is trying to squeeze every last ounce of productivity out of me as a customer. Instead of feeling valued and appreciated, I feel manipulated and used.

Alternatively, there’s a route that companies can take that could easily turn this whole experience into a positive one. If I purchase something and then later, the company calls and genuinely asks me how my experience was, my attitude totally 180s. It feels like they actually do care. 

An example of a company that has mastered this technique is the online audio equipment store Sweetwater. If you purchase an item from their website, you receive a phone call later from an extremely knowledgeable representative, asking you how it’s going with your purchase, if you have any questions about it, if you need anything else, etc. Not only that, when you call Sweetwater for the first time before you even ever make a single purchase, you are assigned a personal representative who takes care of your entire list of needs right from the beginning of your customer journey.

This is an absolutely genius idea. My rep who I've been connected with for over two years is named Mike, and he calls me every so often (but not too much) to check on how I’m doing with my equipment. Most importantly, he doesn’t call to push new products on me. He calls to genuinely inquire how I’m doing with my equipment and if I need any assistance with it or have questions about it. By utilizing this method, he’s built an actual relationship with me. Because of this, I’ve even referred a few friends to him who now also partner with him to fulfill their audio needs on a regular basis. Not to mention, I’m featuring the brand here in this article too!

In fact, CCW’s Customer Contact Industry Review Online taking place May 10-12, 2022, will be featuring Sweetwater’s Director of Engagement, Tyler Grooms, as one of the event speakers. Among other topics, he’ll be reflecting on how Sweetwater keeps its customers happy and coming back to the brand time after time. Learn more about the event and register here!

Reward loyal customers with free upgrades.

Few things say that you care more than providing something free, and unexpected, to those customers who have stuck with you, particularly as you’ve grown. If a customer has been a participant of a certain membership tier for a long period of time, consider surprising them with a notice that, as a thank you for their loyalty, you will be upgrading them at no charge to the next level up in your tier totem pole. A similarly related example of something like this might be a rental car company. After a customer reaches so many rentals with their business, many brands will reach out to customers informing them that they are eligible for a free upgrade next time they purchase a rental vehicle.

For companies, this is also greatly beneficial in a couple ways. It helps spread word of mouth advertising. People so often feel cheated or screwed over by companies that when a brand actually goes out of its way to show even a minimal amount of care for their patrons, people tell their friends about it. Also, by bumping up your customers to another tier, they may gain knowledge and insights about other products that you offer, perhaps leading to more profits for you down the road as well as further increasing their customer loyalty. It’s a win all around for both the brand and the customer.

Provide frequent notices to your customers on upgrades that you’re making - transparency is key.

There is nothing worse than logging onto a website or app where you’re hoping to quickly achieve an objective only to realize that the whole platform has been redesigned. Few actions companies take frustrate me more than this sort of move. My banking app recently did just this. It was the middle of the day, and I needed to quickly login to check on something in order to complete a purchase elsewhere on the web. I was planning to obtain the information I needed and proceed onward, only to realize that a whole new platform had recently been implemented by the bank.

I now had to spend the next several minutes learning how the new platform worked, navigating the new layout, where the options and buttons I was searching for were located, etc. It was annoying. If a customer is already on the fence about a business with which they frequently engage, a simple frustration like this could be the very thing that sends them elsewhere to another competitor. If I had been informed earlier, I could have been more prepared and ready for the change, and hence, less frustrated by my experience. Perhaps they mentioned something about the new layout in a previous email, and I just happened to miss it. That’s totally possible. That’s why it’s crucial for companies to provide these kinds of updates consistently and repeatedly to customers before implementation.

By frequently updating your customers on changes coming down the pike, you are keeping them in the conversation. There are several advantages for doing this. For the last few years, I have been a monthly subscriber of the podcasting platform Blubrry.com. They do a tremendous job of highlighting that which I’m referencing here. They regularly send emails to their customers informing them what new updates they are making to the platform and their services, identifying all the new things you as a customer can do with the updated tools, etc.

It’s amazing because I feel like I’m constantly being given new perks just by being an already existing monthly subscriber. I don’t have to pay extra or do anything at all. Even if some of the updates are just routine maintenance announcements, the transparency of telling me what is going on each step of the way makes me feel like they truly care about me as a customer while simultaneously inspiring my confidence in the brand and its products. It feels honest; it feels trustworthy. If I wish to turn these email notifications off at any time, there’s an easy navigable option to do just that. 

Furthermore, when companies provide frequent communication to their customers, it allows them the opportunity to elaborate on why their products are superior to other competitors on the market. With Blubrry, since they frequently send out updates on what’s happening at the company, I feel confident that they are not only keeping up with the competition but setting the pace when it comes to innovation. I don’t even need to bother myself with learning what the competition is up to. I think, “Oh cool, Blubrry is on it!,” and I can move on with my day.

Approaches like this truly simplify customer effort. I’m confident Blubrry is taking care of the important technical stuff, while I can focus on creating the fun podcast content which I desired to make in the first place. For that, I stay a loyal customer, very satisfied with the monthly charge I see on my credit card statement. 

Providing this information also allows the company a window of opportunity to offer additional services throughout their communication efforts. Blubrry has built up my trust, and I’ll take a look at new offerings on the side of their email blast after I check out the updates I’m getting from the brand.

Consider offering something free just for the sake of it.

This may seem counterintuitive on the surface, but I honestly believe it goes a long way towards upping customer satisfaction. There are so many companies doing so little that when a brand actually goes out of its way to think of me, I’m completely blown away. It’s a lot like when a person goes out of their way to think of you for something or sends you a small thank you note or gift for something you previously did for them. At some point, most of us have received at least one email from someone genuinely thanking us for an action we took. It feels incredible to receive such a nice note doesn’t it?

In a world where everyone is so rushed and busy, when someone goes out of their way to think of you or to thank you, even for just a small moment, it goes miles. The same is true for brands. Something as simple as sending a nice magnet to customers can have a positive impact. The very simple fact that I was thought of, is incredible. And it’s yet again another opportunity for brand exposure. I’ll stick that magnet on my refrigerator and have a tiny positive serotonin hit to my brain every time I see it on there when passing by on my way to the snack cabinet.

I also love when you complete an online order and are then offered something free for your purchase. Say one buys a few shirts from an online clothing company, and then at checkout, the company throws in a free pair of gloves or a hat. That’s totally awesome. It also allows the company to offload no longer needed or expired inventory items, while simultaneously pleasing the customer with something “extra” and introducing them to other lines of products. 

Consider providing a premium experience across all products and experiences.

This is a trend that I notice frequently. For many companies, if you purchase the top-of-the-line product, you get the high-end experience that accompanies it. However, purchase one of the lower tier products, and well, your experience also drops accordingly. Instead, consider providing a high-end user experience to all customers no…matter...what. This way, everyone feels valued and appreciated. A company that does this well is the shoe brand Anthony Veer. Just check out this unboxing video here! Purchasing a pair of shoes from them, no matter the price, makes one feel like a special and valued customer.

This has a positive benefit to the brand as well, helping them to retain customers for years. People remember these little details. While they may not seem like much at first, long term they can do wonders. 

Go, make customers feel appreciated!

Never forget that word of mouth has always been, and continues to be, the greatest advertising tool in your arsenal. In a sea of endlessly subpar, or at best neutral customer experiences, when a brand does go just an extra inch to satisfy customers, the effect is uniquely profound. Don’t forget that people talk. That’s what humans do. A positive experience leads to users telling their friends, and even strangers, about how great their experience has been while engaging with your brand. Go the extra inch for your customers, and they’ll spread the good news for you for miles.