KEYPOINT: Delivering a CONSISTENT and REPEATABLE EXPERIENCE to your customers with every interaction separates the BEST COMPANIES from everyone else. I share a PERSONAL EXAMPLE to help you see what a difference this makes to the customer.
KEY QUESTION: Do you give your customers a CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE with every interaction, regardless of location or employee?
If there is one thing customers tell me they HATE, it’s when companies aren’t consistent with their actions. It doesn’t matter the industry, size, or time in business…all customers hate INCONSISTENCY regarding how they are treated.
While it might sound like a minor issue, your customers say otherwise. The lack of CONSISTENCY breeds uncertainty, leading to customer defection…they leave and go elsewhere.
The number one devastating result created by the lack of consistency is ANXIETY. Customers feel anxious when they don’t know what to expect or their expectations aren’t met. Anxiety is created when we don’t know what will happen next. Humans like things to be PREDICTABLE. Why do you drive the same way to work each day? Sure, it might be the fastest route, but it is predictable. You know what you will get, which lowers your anxiety and gives you more peace of mind. Predictability kills anxiety.
We discussed this issue of creating anxiety in our first book (Creating and Delivering Totally Awesome Customer Experiences) 20 years ago, and it is even more critical today. We created a phrase to describe what causes anxiety…RANDOM ACTS OF EXCELLENCE AND CHAOS. Suppose you deliver an extraordinary experience one day and an awful one the next day. In that case, the customer is left feeling confused…they don’t know what to expect with the next interaction. When this happens, it leads to customer defection. Sadly, when I talk to customers, this happens more today than at any time.
Customers are the only ones that write us checks for our goods and services…this should be the place we start with any business evaluation.
Let me share a personal example from two weeks ago that illustrates this perfectly...
I had some work done in our yard and agreed to pay the contractor in cash…not a check, but cold hard cash. While this might not seem like a big deal, it was a relatively sizeable amount of cash…certainly more than I would ever keep on hand. I needed to go to the bank.
With all the online banking we do today, I was actually worried that the bank might not have this amount of cash on hand. So, I called my local branch and asked if they had that amount available for me to pick up in the next couple of days. They checked and assured me they could handle it, and I could stop by anytime. Perfect.
A few days later, I went into the local branch right after they opened and gave them my withdrawal slip. I was the only one in the branch at the time. The young lady that took my request looked at it and said she would have to check to see if they had that amount of cash…hmmm. I told her I had talked to a gentleman the other day, and he assured me it wouldn’t be an issue. My first interaction with her was not friendly. No smile. No “Welcome to our bank” statement…nothing warm or inviting. And this was before she knew what I wanted.
She returned and told me they had about a third of it in 100s and the rest in 20s and 50s. That wouldn’t work unless I was willing to walk out with a bag full of cash…not what I was looking for. Counting it would be a nightmare alone. Now I was getting a bit anxious…my anxiety was going up.
I told her I wasn’t willing to do the smaller denominations. Rather than giving me any options, she merely said that was all she could do. I then asked if she could call another branch in a city nearby and see if they had the other two-thirds of the cash in 100s. She did, and they had the money available. Great.
But she wasn’t friendly about it. It was a mere “transaction” to her…no interest in getting to know me or to be outgoing. And she didn’t offer to call around for me. I had to drive the entire process to get the cash.
I got the cash from her and left. Even as I left, there was no thank you for coming in, and we appreciate you being a customer or any other positive responses. I didn’t feel special, important, or like I mattered to her or the bank. It was a bad experience.
When I arrived at the other branch, things were 180 degrees different. As soon as I entered the door, I was greeted with a pleasant, “Hello, thank you for coming in…if you have a seat over there, I will be right with you.” I immediately felt welcomed and like I was important to the bank.
I sat down where instructed, and within seconds a lady came up with a big smile and again welcomed me to the branch and asked how she could help. I told her the situation, and she told me they had plenty of cash and that this wouldn’t be an issue. My anxiety immediately went away…I knew I was going to get what I needed, and it was going to be pleasant.
She returned with the cash and said she would have the machine count it out for me twice to make sure it was accurate. That was comforting and lowered my anxiety about ensuring I got the right amount. She counted it twice in front of me with the machine and gave me the counting slip to verify the amount. She was delightful and accommodating the entire time I was there, including a bit of chit-chat throughout the process. I felt at ease and that I could trust what she would do.
I left this branch feeling special, important, and like I mattered. I left with zero anxiety. This was a completely different experience than what I had only 30 minutes prior. This bank had a complete LACK OF CONSISTENCY between their two branches. As I left, I wondered what my experience might be at a third branch…which one would it mirror? Would I be treated great or like a transaction? Would they alleviate my anxiety or create more of it? All these are questions you DON’T WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO BE ASKING THEMSELVES!!
QUESTION(S): As you read my story, could you relate? Could you visualize yourself getting this same experience somewhere you have shopped? Could you see any of it in your own business? Could you see the inconsistency and how it either created or relieved anxiety? What experience would I get if I bought something from you at one or more locations or from one or more of your employees? Would it create or alleviate my anxiety?
I hope this example gives you more insight into the POWER OF CONSISTENCY. Whether the experience was 30 minutes apart (as in my case) or if it was days apart, the result is the same. When customers get inconsistent experiences, the customer leaves confused. And if there are other options, which there are many today, the likelihood the customer will leave and seek another option is exceptionally high.
NO CUSTOMER ON THE PLANET WANTS TO FEEL ANXIOUS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THEY ARE HAVING…NO ONE.
Businesses that can deliver a CONSISTENT, REPEATABLE EXPERIENCE to their customers with every interaction ALWAYS WIN. They RELIEVE CUSTOMER ANXIETY and cause their customers to feel like they belong. They make their customers feel like THEY MATTER, ARE SPECIAL, AND IMPORTANT. This always wins the day over your competition.
Companies that do this GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ and create this feeling with all their customers. This is what it means to be CUSTOMER OBSESSED and to build your business, your experiences, and your processes around the customer. When everything focuses on your customer, they get a CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE EXPERIENCE every time. They get a WOW EXPERIENCE, and over time, because they have no anxiety working with you, they BUILD TRUST with your business.
WHEN CUSTOMERS LOVE TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU AND TRUST YOU, YOU ECLIPSE YOUR COMPETITION.
This allows you to go beyond just being differentiated by your products and services to being differentiated by who you are as a business…which is the most powerful and long-lasting form of differentiation. You have GONE BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™.
What To Do Next...
Take some time and reflect on how CONSISTENT you feel your business is delivering a CONSISTENT and REPEATABLE EXPERIENCE. Whether you have one location or many, how do your employees treat your customers? Can a customer interact with any employee and get a consistent, WOW EXPERIENCE every time? If not, I strongly suggest you consider incorporating CONSISTENCY into your overall VALUES and STRATEGY.
Most businesses compete on products and services…these are COMMODITIES today. If you want your business to be TRULY DIFFERENTIATED, it’s critically important to stop competing on COMMODITY FACTORS if you want to stand out from your competitors. Create a CULTURE that demonstrates to others just how important and special they are and how much they matter to you. And do you want all the benefits that the companies who have GONE BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ enjoy?
If this is what you want for your business, you can get it! You start by deciding to create this kind of culture and to incorporate the CORNERSTONES to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. There are a variety of resources available to help guide you. You can START by learning more about what it takes to make this happen. You can get this on my website (WOM10.com), by reading my latest book, my blog posts, and by reading more about it from other sources. Solid knowledge of what it takes to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ is a great place to begin your journey.
As usual, if you have any questions or need assistance along the way, feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions or give you some guidance…complimentary, of course. I want you to BUILD CONSISTENCY in your own business and become the envy of your competitors…helping you GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™.
