How to Create a Customer Experience Worth Remembering

Do you know what the experience is like for your customers in working with you? It’s a tough question to answer honestly. Of course, as business owners, our initial response is almost always “it’s great!” – because anything else than stellar would not meet our standards of doing business (right?). The hard part about business though is that time is never on our side and if we’re not careful, our customer care could fall to the back-burner.

We won’t lie and say that this very situation hasn’t happened to us. We’ve gotten caught up in the daily grind and forgotten to send the handwritten ‘thank you’ card. While it makes us human, we know we can do better. And the more that we talked with other business owners, we found that they too, had the same problem from the time to time. Your “customer experience” should be a top priority. If you step on one person’s toes, ten people yell “ouch”. So that’s why we want to help you muffle the grumbles and help your customers feel overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for their business.

But how?

Defining Your Customer Experience

It is easy to get lost in the weeds on this topic, so we’re going to start with defining your customer experience for new customers. New business is important for all companies. We don’t care if you sell truck tires, vegan cupcakes or mulch for a yard – new business keeps your company growing. So let’s start with defining your new customer experience and talk about why that is so important.

When a someone clicks on your Facebook ad and is directed to your website to complete a “request a quote” page, what happens? Do they receive an email notification that their form was submitted successfully? Do they get redirected to a different landing page? Do you get a notification that form was submitted? How quickly do you follow up on the lead?

If you don’t know any of those answers, then there is already a breakdown in the communication process for new leads. It could also mean that your new leads aren’t getting the warm fuzzies they deserve. Afterall, a main goal for just about every company is to prove that they are different than their competitors – right? And what’s more different than showering your leads with goodness?

Moving along in the communication process, let’s say that Bob fills out a quote request form for new truck tires. He clicks submit and gets redirected to a landing page (which is good!). You also get sent an email saying that someone just submitted a form on your website (which is also good!). The problem is that Bob submitted the form at 4pm on a Friday. Your office is already closed for the weekend. Bob needs new tires next week and since you didn’t respond to his form and he didn’t get an email from you, he starts looking for another company that will respond. There goes your new lead, right over to the truck tire company across the street that works on Saturdays.

Now, we’re saying you need to work on the weekends, but what if you could still give the warm fuzzies and amp up your communication without having to do the work? That’s the power of email automation. So let’s look at it from another angle – one that has customer experience in mind.

Bob clicks on your Facebook ad, pokes around on your website and fills out the ‘request a quote’ form on your website. He gets redirected to a landing page on your website and you get a notification via email of the new form submission. Five minutes later, Bob receives an automated email about your quoting process and contact information. Maybe it even has an after-hours phone number or additional information how Bob can connect with your company. Then, two days later, Bob receives another email about what makes your company different. Maybe it includes information about your warranties and policies – assuring him that your tires are the best tires he could get for his shiny F-150.

During the time from when Bob initially filled out the form, and when you actually got around to calling him, Bob received one, if not two, emails from you. It wasn’t overkill, just a gentle reminder that your still around and will get a quote to him soon.

Let’s jump ahead – Bob accepts the quote for new tires and his truck is in the shop getting new wheels. What is your process now? Will Bob remember his experience when he needs new tires in the future? Will he remember to call you? This where we can really elevate your email communication through drip campaigns! From the time that you receive payment and he drives off your lot, Bob should receive an email requesting a review on Google. Maybe you have a referral program you could share with him, or a discount for another service. Then, two weeks later, you could send another email checking in “Hi Bob, how are you liking your new tires? If you have any questions, feel free to call our service department if you have any questions! Here are a few tips for making your tires last longer…”

How Email Automation Can Help

The point of email automation isn’t to spam your customers and send emails for the sake of sending emails. The point is to streamline your processes, increase customer communications, and help set expectations for your customers on what it’s like to do business with you. It doesn’t have to be salesy either! We can help you craft your message, outline your communication plan, and put the tools in place to get it done. The worst thing we hear from companies is nothing – so let’s get you started with a new customer experience program, one that will keep your customers coming back and raving about their experience with you!