HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR CLIENTS FEEL? UH DOES IT MATTER?🤷🏽‍♀️

Oh yes it does! How do I know? Well let me share what happened to me recently.

Last week I happened to visit a large store for an errand and a beauty spa later on the same day. I left the spa cheerfully singing a song that had been playing whilst I was there, all the way home! I walked out of the store determined never to go back there unless I really have to!

The store

I spent a good twenty minutes in the store. The first person to greet me was the security guard who checked my receipt against my purchase at the exit. I commended her genuine courteousness and encouraged her to keep it up, even though it came ever so late!

I had seen several supervisors and staff walking around the store yet none of them greeted me, including the one who watched me struggle to carry two large items to the check out without a basket. Worse still, the cashier who begrudgingly stopped chatting with her peers to attend me did so with a huge dose of indifference. No smile, no eye contact, no words, nothing!

The spa

It was my first visit there. From the time I arrived to the time I left, I experienced consistent, professional, and comfortable attention from everyone - from receptionist to the proprietor. The ambience was warm and friendly, the conversation was light and professional, the décor was airy and inviting, and even the choice of music was just perfect.

I decided to try a new nail treatment (not the one I was booked for), I was accommodated and it exceeded my expectations! Even though I ended up spending more than I had planned to, I left feeling great and looking forward to my next visit.

What set them worlds apart?

So what was the major difference? The shop staff me feel irrelevant while the spa staff made me feel so special. It all came down my emotions (how I was made to feel). You see my experiences were driven by the emotions evoked during my time there. And my emotions will determine whether I will spend more money with them in future!

Research shows that our emotional responses as clients or customers influence our choices to purchase a service or buy a product more than logic does, since emotions drive our behaviour. When we feel an emotional connection with a brand or service and feel like we belong (the way I did in the spa), we are more likely to go back (just like I do! And I can't wait!).

Dear Manager of the store,

Customers may not complain verbally but they will complain with their custom, and this inevitably translates into lost income for businesses like yours. When you say that your customers come first but your team behave like they couldn’t care less, we feel it.

So what’s the moral of this comparison I hear you asking!

If you are a manager or supervisor leading a customer services or client facing team ask yourself this question, reflect on it then ask your team what they think:

What are we actively doing to ensure that our actions (the way we provide our service or sell our products) make our customers feel like they want a repeat experience?

Are you satisfied with your answers?

If you are not satisfied and need help figuring out what you can do let me know!