December 1, 2022
Making things easy for customers — How does that look?
Everyone tells us to deliver unparalleled service and high-quality products.
How can we be sure our offers are making things easy for customers?
How Someone Made My Customer Experience Easy
Years ago, in a busy mall, standing in a long line, something wonderful happened.
It was in a really great store. We’ve all browsed and sprayed and sniffed in the Bath & Body Works store. It’s just that kind of place. Walking in is usually calming and pleasant.
Unless it’s four days before Christmas and everyone else in the metro area is in there with you. 😕 Wall-to-wall people, workers moving swiftly to satisfy needs, and long lines of tired people winding through the displays.
We sighed, looked at the time, and shifted our shopping bags. We moved slowly ahead, trying to estimate the time we would wait.
And Then…
And then, here’s what happened. One employee, with one of those little plastic back massage tools with the rounded ends, came to each person and quietly gave a gentle massage to the upper back.
It lasted probably 30 seconds, but made an impact that was much more significant.
Wow.
A Massage With A Message
That person said, “I see you. You’re tired. Let me help.”
Yeah. Pretty good message, right?
She Made Things Easy
She was quiet and courteous and extremely kind, and moved among us steadily. An amazing and unexpected caregiver.
There was a noticeable shift in my mood and my fatigue.
Suddenly I was relaxed again, even with a long wait.
It wasn’t just me. It was all of us.
One by one, customers were all the way back at the calm and pleasant place we started, eager to do business.
Making Things Easy For Customers
So who decided she would do that? Because it was brilliant.
What she did eased the experience. In 30 seconds, I was restored.
And the truth is: This is what we need to do for our customers. We need to make things easy.
The challenge is how to accomplish that. You have no cute store, no candles to sniff or lotions to sample. You have no back massager.
So…
You have to invent your own ways to bring “easy” into each customer’s journey.
We need to see the frustrations, the hurdles, the “squeezed” feeling people get when they encounter snags and knots in the process. And to see that, we need to be paying attention in a deeper way.
This happens when we get outside of ourselves, even outside of our team, and reach the needs of those we serve.
Do You Have To Make Things Easier For Customers?
Well, not if you don’t want them to come back!
But most of us do.
It might be difficult. I’ll tell you why.
Here’s what’s hard: When you ask your customer about those snags and knots, you find out you have to look at what’s wrong with what you’re doing.
It’s unpleasant and a little threatening. And everything in our ego fights to look away instead.
In fact, the fear of looking can even keep us from asking.
We don’t want to see our mistakes, and we sure don’t want to see that we might be R-O-N-G (👈🏼 See what I did right there?).
If We Do This…
If we can force ourselves to accept the idea that we might be overlooking something in our processes, we are showing up with a game-changer.
Making things easy for our customers.
Giving them a reason to stay, or return.
And folks who encountered snags, knots, and delays will once again be all the way back to calm, pleasant, and eager to do business.
From me to you, here’s a 30-second tension-relieving virtual back rub in your busy life. Hoping you found a moment of peace and a fresh outlook here.
(If we each share it with two friends, and they each share it with two friends, and … Could we calm the whole world?)
Glad you came to read today.
If I see you again soon, we’ll talk!
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Because we’re all trying to serve, and it helps to encourage each other.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Or on that clever “Contact” image below 😄.
Did you ever notice? Old people say the smartest things.
Like “There’s nothing prettier than perfect posture“
or
“Try to learn a little something new every day.”
Remind me to listen to old people.
