Having a clear understanding of a customer's emotional involvement with a product or service can go a long way in helping to create a positive and memorable customer experience. Often times we do not fully understand the high level of emotional attachment a customer may have in a product or service we provide. The truth of the matter is that it couldn't be more important that we understand these emotions as they are often the foundation to creating a WOW! customer experience. Conversely, failing to understand these emotions can cause us to unwittingly harm a customer and lose them for life.
In certain industries customers are likely to have a particularly high emotional attachment to the product or service being provided. The medical field is a great example: there is a lot at stake and emotions can turn on a dime. Other industries that come to mind are child care, funeral services, financial planning, and bridal services. My wife recently had an experience with a jewelry shop that reinforced to me how truly important it is to understand the emotional attachment a customer can have with a product or service.
Several weeks ago I received a panicked phone call from my wife during her lunch break at work. She was in a frenzy because one of the prongs holding the main diamond of her wedding ring had broken and she was a nervous wreck that the diamond might fall out while she was working. I suggested to her that she place the ring in an envelope and lock it in her car until she could take the ring to jewelry shop after she was finished with work. She agreed and took the ring to the jewelry store that evening.
At the jewelry store a team member explained to her that it would be no problem to solder a new prong onto the ring and that they would re-dip the ring in a fresh coat of gold so it would be impossible to tell that it had been worked on. My wife was still uneasy about the whole situation and had expressed her apprehension to several of our friends that evening. It's not difficult to imagine the emotional attachment my wife has to her wedding ring – it has incredible meaning both to her and to me.
It should be noted at this time that my wife's wedding ring is two-toned: the engagement ring - on which the prong was broken - is white gold, while the wedding band is yellow gold. We chose this particular color combination and it matches my wedding band which is two-toned gold.
The following day when my wife returned to pick up the ring she was surprised to find that the both rings had been re-dipped in yellow gold and soldered back together. This was very upsetting to my wife as she was essentially returned a very different ring than the one she had brought in for repair. However she remained calm and attempted to explain to the gentleman who had repaired the ring that he had made a mistake.
The response she received was hard to believe. The gentleman who had repaired the ring essentially asked if it was alright the way it was and couldn't quite understand why my wife was so upset. He continued on to explain to her that it was a very difficult procedure to strip the yellow gold and re-dip the engagement ring in white gold and that it might take several days to complete. He even inquired again if it would be alright the way it was!
It was painfully clear to my wife that this individual did not understand the emotional attachment his customers have with the products he works with. The ring was repaired correctly and picked up by my wife several days later. However my wife and I are still taken back by the way she was treated even tough everything was made right in the end.
Do you think my wife told her friends about this incident? You bet she did - I'll bet at least a dozen of them! Not exactly the type of word of mouth advertising an organization is looking to generate. The truth is that we will probably be very reluctant to ever purchase jewelry from this jeweler again, or even bring my wife's wedding ring there to be serviced although we have a warranty and service plan for the ring.
This incident shows the importance of understanding a customer's emotional attachment to your product or service. Even though everything worked out alright, this jeweler has likely lost our business and has a pretty poor standing with my wife's friends all because this individual was unable to comprehend my wife's emotional attachment to her wedding ring.
If you work in an emotionally sensitive industry, or train those who do, be sure to stress the importance of the emotional involvement a customer is likely to have while interacting with your organization. Failure to do so can cost you valuable customers and generate substantially negative word of mouth advertising.
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
- Customer Service Defined by Four Little Words
- Consistency is Key to an Exceptional Customer Experience
- Bad Customer Service - What is it Costing You?
- Are Your Vendors Hurting the Customer's Experience
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
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