Brain Chemistry and Love
When we experience something satisfying, our brain produces dopamine. It’s a chemical neurotransmitter that carries information between neurons in our brain. That, in turn, activates parts of our brain that are responsible for memory, mood, and behavior.
”Dopamine is a driver of human behavior. Our brains view it as a reward, thereby encouraging the activity to be repeated again and again. Reward and reinforcement are the things that establish personal behaviors, which is what makes us gravitate towards these satisfying experiences.” (Plexure)
The Power of Extreme Personalization
Customer experience futurist, Blake Morgan, uses statistics to show the power of personalized customer service. Here are a few.
1. Listen, Learn, Empathize
Alan Alda, an actor, and a best-selling author, spent years learning about successful communication. In his book, “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?” he discusses the importance of listening to people with eyes, ears, and feelings. We must pay attention to people’s words instead of waiting for them to finish talking so we can say our piece. We should watch their facial expressions and body language. And we must listen with our intuition to feel how the other person feels. All that facilitates more empathetic conversations.
This comes in extremely handy when we try to create personalized customer experiences. In fact, LiveHelpNow’s Director of Customer Success Annie Gray believes that empathy is the number one factor that contributes to wow-worthy customer interactions.
“I think the key to exceptional customer service is the ability to empathize with your customers. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and imagine how you would feel in that exact situation. Treat each customer as an individual and truly listen to what they have to say before you react.” (Annie Gray, Director of Customer Success, LiveHelpNow; Authority Magazine)
Listening with empathy helps add that personalized touch that sparks good vibes in customers’ brains. It makes customers feel like they are being treated “as individuals and not as a homogenous group.” That, Gray says, creates more memorable experiences. She offers a few tips to achieve that. Listen closely to understand customers’ specific needs. They include always using the customer’s name, using the same terminology as they do, and sharing something personal with them as well. “Give a little to get a little,” she says. “People are far more likely to share something personal about themselves if you share something personal first.”
Remember, genuine connection in human communication feels good. Get that dopamine pumping.
2. Treat Feedback Like It’s Gold (Because It Is)
Ask and You Shall Receive an Earful (Which is Awesome!)
First of all, make it clear that feedback in any shape and form is welcome. Real-time customer data is gold. So prioritize collecting it as part of your customer relationship management strategy. Your customer service team should aim to collect any customer insights it can. Conduct customer surveys and opinion polls. Gather information from existing customers as well as potential customers. This can help discover new demand for specific products.
Customer service analytics should be part of your customer support software. All customer queries can give you clues about your customers. So, listen and listen very carefully.
“Make your customers aware that you want to hear their suggestions. This makes the customers feel like they have more say on the product instead of only having the option to leave a review. [Then] actually listen. Some of your customers might have great ways to improve the product or allow you to make a personalized experience for that individual.” (Chelsea Cohen, Co-Founder of SoStocked)
The Good, The Bad, the Scary – It’s All Fertilizer
One major worry businesses have is that customers will leave negative reviews. It’s a legitimate fear. On average, 19% of reviews a business receives are negative. Additionally, negative reviews can stop an average of 40% of buyers from wanting to buy from a business. (G2)
Sounds scary, yes. But wait! Data also shows that negative reviews have tremendous power.
No one is ever perfect. So if a company has no negative reviews it raises suspicions. Additionally, it leaves the company with no possibility of future growth, which is never good for business. To grow, we need to make mistakes and use them as fertilizer, so to speak.
“Make it easy for customers to find negative reviews. This seems extremely counterintuitive. But research shows that people tend to trust businesses, organizations, and even other people more when they are completely transparent about both their good and bad sides. Why? Because when things seem too perfect, our alarm bells go off. Even though it might feel uncomfortable, make sure to feature both good and bad reviews on your website.” (Marc Lewis, General Manager, EcoWatch)
So, whatever feedback customers give you – take it all. It will help improve their experience as well as deliver personalized customer service for new customers. Because the more you know, the better you grow.
3. Make Products Fit Customers
Creating products that fit customers’ needs is an effective marketing technique. We all know the feeling when something fits just perfectly. It’s hard to say “no” when those shoes feel like they were made just for you. Or the vacation package that checks off every item on your wish list. So, why not do that for your customers? Experts recommend creating variants of a product to suit various needs. Now, if that’s not personalized customer service, what is?
“The one-size-fits-all solution does not apply when it comes to boosting customer satisfaction. You need to show your customers that you have been listening to them. Offer variants of your product, be they different strengths, combinations, colors, comparisons, and so on.” James Edge, Founder of Crush the USMLE
Edge explains that providing choices is what satisfies customers and facilitates brand loyalty. He gives examples such as, “a health supplement company that offers different types of Turmeric supplements. A homeware company that sells rugs in different colors. And an exam-prep company that offers a resource that students can use to compare courses.”
Another great way of finding the best fit for each customer is to create a product recommendation quiz. It’s an important strategy when it comes to creating a personal rapport with customers. Customers enjoy taking quizzes when it comes to their preferences (psychology of gamification at work!) But, most importantly, the results will match customers to products, ensuring a great fit. Want to learn more about product recommendation quizzes? Check out this insightful guide from our friends at Interact.
After you learn all about your customers’ preferences, you’ll be one step closer to creating a wholesome, tailored service. That results in happy customers and increases customer loyalty. Companies can provide personalized and relevant product recommendations and product suggestions. Send personalized emails with personalized offers and content. Create personalized recommendations for each individual customer. This can help promote new products. Exceed customer expectations and increase customer retention rates. Delight customers by creating a personal connection with them. Then watch them become your brand ambassadors.
4. Surprise Customers with Thoughtful Gifts
Everyone loves a freebie. An unexpected gift can make a customer feel appreciated and special.
“One surefire way to boost eCommerce satisfaction is to give the customers an unexpected ‘freebie’ when they make a purchase. For example, if you’re selling a website design service, you could throw in a free training for marketing an online business. It’s also helpful to note the freebie’s usual price, so they know how much value they’re getting.” Cierra Loflin, Chief Marketing Officer, Zodiac Guides
However, it’s important to remember that above all, it’s the thought that counts. While nice for a few seconds at first, thoughtless freebies lose their value faster than a car once it leaves the sales lot. When it comes to personalized customer service and making memorable experiences, thought and creativity go a long way.
Add Value in a Unique Way
Customer experience expert, Chip Bell, calls thoughtful surprises value unique. He believes these types of customer experiences go a long way. Because value-unique service is so uniquely personal, it makes the customers feel very special.
“Value unique is doing something unusually different, kind of ingenious or creative and totally unexpected. It’s creating a sense of surprise. So it’s less about generosity and more about ingenuity. “ Chip Bell, Customer Experience Expert.
Getting to know customers on a personal level can help determine what type of gift would delight them the most. And you don’t have to stalk them to get the information you need. With the right, customer management tools, it’s likely you already have the customer information and personal details you need.
Customer order history can show their preferences. Their browsing history can tell you what they’re looking for. Customer journey maps show all the touchpoints a business has with its customer base. Their online behaviors can give you even more clues.
If you happen to interact with them directly through live chat, email, phone, or text, you can get even more personal information by, well, talking to them. Make every conversation a fruitful conversation that helps you learn more about each customer. Keep a record of all the personal data – from customers’ birthdays to their favorite colors. Then, you will have no problem adding that personalization to each customer’s experience. Now, that’s a great way to exceed consumer expectations.
5. Tie a Bow on the Packaging
Speaking of gifts, it’s important not to forget about the very first experience customers have with your product or service. Beautiful, carefully packaged products show care and personalization efforts.
“When customers receive a box with their items carefully packaged in a beautiful way then they are impressed and highly satisfied. In eCommerce, the customer journey never ends with the sale. The customer has bought the item but hasn’t physically seen it. There is a moment of nervousness in between the sale and arrival of the product for first-time customers. This is why you need to ensure fast delivery and great packaging.” Ben Wallington, CEO of Designerwear
There is another reason for putting together attractive packages for eCommerce customers.
“Many people keep boxes from deliveries to store items at home or to send on as a parcel. Having your brand name on the box will extend the life of your brand in your customer’s home. It will create brand awareness as it travels through the postal system to friends’ or families’ homes,” Wallington says.
Digital products and services are no expedition. Instruction emails, presentations, files, and other elements of the onboarding process should all reflect care and personalization. If anything, the digital “bow” on a service means even more than that on a physically delivered product. It shows that even though a company conducts business through a screen, it remembers that its customers are not numbers but humans who can appreciate some extra care. One way to blend the physical and digital realms is by using a QR code generator to create unique codes for each customer. These codes can link to personalized content, enhancing the customer experience across physical and digital touchpoints.
6. Never Have Customers Ask, “Where is My Order?”
That’s right. This question should never come up. Personalized customer service means being proactive with order updates. Go beyond order confirmation and let your customers know exactly when it’s due to arrive and where it is in the shipping and packaging process.
“Treat this experience like an Uber ride. Notify the customer about each step in the delivery process. Many companies are now taking a picture of packages on the customer’s front door and letting them know it has arrived. Visibility and communication throughout the shipping process are so important.” Travis Turner, Director of Business Development for Hire Dynamics.
In the case of digital services, be there for your customer every step of the way – from sign-up to onboarding, to continuous follow-ups.
Personalized Customer Service is Key to Customer Satisfaction
If there is anything companies should strive for when it comes to customer experience, it’s to be memorable in customers’ minds. Competition is fierce and expectations are high. If they remember an experience, they will return for more and tell their friends about it, too. Personalized customer service fulfills the psychological need humans have to feel special. And when they do, their brains feel like they are in love. So get personal with your customers and see them fall in love with doing business with you.
