Customer Experience Soul - it's there or it isn't. What is it? It's an emotional connection. It's deeper than the physical connection... It's soulful. Not everyone can create the Soul-Based Customer Experience. Read on...
You know it when it happens. When someone touches you via a Customer Experience in a way that you want more... You want more than to be just their Customer... For me, when I go to the Bismarck Sam's Club (I know... sounds strange), I always look for a particular person. Ben. Another example... My hair stylist, Karen. I pay a LOT more than I ever imagined I would for the Experience that's not about the hair.
Customer Experience Management and Creation is what I do for a living. Sometimes, I like to attempt to observe how I act without judging the Customer Experience itself. When I am my "natural self" - being Chris Young, not Chris Young, Customer Experience Afficionado, I find that whenever I go to Sam's Club, I look for Ben. It's like an instinct. And when I see Ben, he says, "Hey Chris!" and of course, I say, "Hey Ben!" How often does that happen where we want to go out of our way to see someone? The only other place I can think of is my hair stylist Karen. She does that for me as well. It's rare to have that connection.
Ben is the kind of person that you would (I would) drive across town to see. I could see myself being friends with Ben. In fact... I want to be friends with Ben.
It all started last summer, when our air conditioning unit died. It's one of those 20,000 btu big wall-mounted units that already has a pre-cut, finished space. What does that mean to a non-mechanically-inclined person like myself? It means my anxiety level went throught the roof immediately when the old unit died. The last time it died, I searched everywhere until I found the one I was looking for.
It just so happens that the new Sam's Club had the type and size air conditioner I needed. The exact one literally. I was ecstatic and grateful. If you aren't familiar with Sam's Club, it's a warehouse discount store. It's huge, pretty clean, bare essentials in terms of decoration, and typically devoid of meaningful human interaction. Every time I go to a warehouse discount store - that's what I expect - wide-open spaces, low budget decoration, and minimal human interaction. And then I met Ben and he totally destroyed the old standard and raised it. Ben made the transaction so effortless and friendly. I found myself wanting to get to know Ben. I found myself wanting to hire him on the spot because Customer Experience Creators like Ben aren't frequently observed. It's like seeing a bald eagle. When you see these masters of Customer Experience Touch Points, you are blown away.
I was blown away. If Sam's Club isn't careful, they are going to lose Ben to one of the hundreds of business shoppers who pass through the door.
Two things I want to point out. If you are in the Bismarck area... Hire Ben. You won't go wrong.
The other point is what is happening here? I know it sounds different - strange perhaps, but this is what I call - Soul-Based Customer Experience Creation. It's the Sincera Customer Experience. When someone touches your soul in a positive manner, you want more of it. When I am around my hair stylist - time flies. Karen is sincere, kind, warm, and knows just what to share and not share about her life. I look forward to my time with Karen.
When I am at the mall, I invariably look to see if Karen is working and if she isn't busy, I walk in and say, "Hello!" I look forward to going to Sam's Club and seeing Ben and I walk purposely out of my way to say, "Hey Ben, how are you?"
Karen draws me to the City Looks she works at (WOW place!). Ben draws me to Sam's Club. Is this good for business? Oh YEAH! Who on your team draws people in? Who repels them? How is that working out for you?
When the Custmer Experience is being delivered by people like Ben and Karen, amazing things happen. These two Customer Experience Superstars are like halogen lights in the middle of the nightime summer heat. They attract lots and lots of people (not bugs!). They make people feel good about what they do. And they can help people enjoy the mundane. They decommoditize the product or service and turn it into a unique Soul-Based Customer Experience.
Decommoditize? "Normal" haircuts cost $10-12 for men in my area. My investment in Karen's Experience is double that. And I pay it gladly because I'm not getting just a haircut. It's not about the hair!
I want to go deeper here. To only say, "Find a Ben or Karen and your problems are solved," isn't going to help you get what you need. I do this for a living. I can spot a Customer Experience Freak from a mile away. How do you do it? I will say this loudly... If you aren't profiling your hiring candidates and then helping them want to treat the Customers in a wow manner in a very systematic approach, you are missing a tremendous opportunity to touch your Customer's lives and reap the rewards.
Yes, profiling is an investment of time, energy, and money... No doubt. But if you don't do it, your products and services are a commodity - plain and simple. Your products and services are priced based on your competition's price, not the soul connection. If you aren't profiling your Customer Experience Experts - you are going to create random soul-connections - some will connect, others won't at all. And your Customers can smell that a mile away. Will they still come? Yes. But it will be price, price, price. This applies to any industry where there is an interaction with a Customer, patient, or whatever you call your Customer. Call them good things...
Interesting observation... From a scientific, behavioral point, Ben and Karen are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Ben appears gregarious. Karen is more quiet and reserved, but chatty when the time is right. What they both have in common is their social-attractiveness from a value viewpoint (most profiles don't measure values - ours does). They obviously love people and people love them. They value social interaction. Quite frankly - any behavioral type out there can value people. Some people behaviorally are more reserved and quiet - like Karen. And think about that. When I am getting my hair cut, who is it about? It's about ME! Not only am I getting a haircut, but also a counseling session as well. As a result, I want to know more about Karen's life. Ever change hair stylists because your stylist won't stop talking about their personal life? Been there. Done that. Painful.
In summary... Two important points here... Seek to create Soul-Based Customer Experiences. You can't go wrong. Soul-based Customer Experiences require one key ingrediant, however. Without team members who really value and want to interact with people, you won't have the soul in your Customer Experience. Instead, it will be just another mediocre, price-based Customer Experience.
Watch for a future blog on my dentist - Dr. Gonzales... Amazing!
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
Comments