Today’s Toughest Marketing Challenge is Not Achieving Customer Satisfaction!

Amazon

I have to start with Amazon because they clearly mention in their mission statement that they want

“to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Although they don’t specifically mention exceeding their customers’ expectations, they are known for regularly giving extra in their customer service. This might be by surprising their customers by sending the ordered goods by priority mail when the only standard was paid for. Or refunding the total cost of an article that failed to meet, if not exceed expectations.

They are also known for being extremely helpful in proposing other articles you might be interested in buying based on your current or past orders. Yes, it also makes good business sense to do this, but as a result of this practice, who doesn’t trust Amazon and start their purchase journey online with them? To Amazon, customer service means going beyond customer satisfaction alone.

One current challenge for Amazon is the (claimed) increase in fake reviews. I myself have on several occasions been asked to give a five-star rating in return for a total reimbursement of the cost of the product. Needless to say, I always immediately returned the item and informed Amazon.

This practice seems to be particularly common for articles coming from China, although I am sure it is becoming a widespread behaviour as companies realise the importance of high customer ratings. In fact, there are now platforms for checking the validity of reviews, so hopefully, things will improve in the near term.

Zappos

Just like Amazon, Zappos has made customer centricity the heart of their business. This probably explains why they were such a good fit when Amazon acquired them. Their mission statement, also referred to by employees as their “WOW Philosophy,” is “To provide the best customer service possible.”

CEO Tony Hsieh is claimed to have said that

“We believe that customer service shouldn’t be just a department; it should be the entire company.”

That makes it crystal clear how customer centric they are.

Another of his quotes is

“To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means do something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do must have an emotional impact on the receiver.” 

This mentions another of the reasons it is important to go beyond what customers expect today – the emotional connection. That is what touches our customers and makes them feel differently about a brand, company or service. Customer satisfaction is not enough; we need to stimulate their emotions, too.

Apple

Steve Jobs is famously quoted as saying

“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

It was, therefore, his philosophy to do limited market research and never to ask the advice of consumers on his innovations. What he did ask questions about, however, was their pain points.

In a video way back in 2014, Tim Cook talked about being “better.” While Cook mentions the environment, the bigger picture in what he was saying was that he wanted Apple to produce world-changing products that leave the planet better off.

This can be literal, like pollution, but also in a more figurative sense, like the iPhone, which has made millions of lives better through simpler accessibility and communication.

Over the past few years, we have seen clear evidence of Cook’s vision coming true. In an interview for Fast Company, he was asked what makes a good year for Apple. His reply?

“For me, it’s about products and people. Did we make the best product, and did we enrich people’s lives? If you’re doing both of those things–and obviously those things are incredibly connected because one leads to the other—then you have a good year.”

How many organisations would look different if they used these same criteria rather than pure financial metrics?

IKEA

I’m sure you’ve visited an Ikea store at least once, right? If you have, then you will have experienced a store that goes far beyond selling furniture and fittings. It’s a whole experience of customer delight!

IKEA is constantly improving its stores by adding new features that delight customers and keep them inside for longer.

Now, we may hate their forced maze-like forced routing; I certainly do. But they have listened to their customers and made it possible to take shortcuts to get more quickly to the department we want to visit.

They also added cafés and children’s play centres to make shopping there a more enjoyable experience.

They’ve now added augmented reality apps for smartphones, allowing customers to design a room with their furniture virtually.

IKEA has become a destination, not just for shopping but for the whole delightful experience.

Brompton Bikes

The final example I want to share is from the UK and shows how even retail can become an essential part of delighting the customer. The brand is Brompton Bikes, a folding city bike.

They understand that it is no longer sufficient to provide an excellent product and an easy way to buy them or to order online. Brompton have realised that their retail outlet needs to be an integral part of the brand experience if they want not only to satisfy but delight their customers.

Now, while that may not in itself be that new, Nike and other trainer brands have been doing this for a while; it is the first time I have seen it done for durable goods.

What Brompton has done particularly well is to understand their urban buyers’ lifestyle. They have been able to become an integral part of it by not only providing transport but also an easy way to buy accessories, get repairs done, and even park safely while their customers visit the adjacent shopping mall. In other words, they have made their brand a solution for city dwellers.

Going Beyond Customer Satisfaction

In conclusion, these examples provide a clear roadmap for anyone wanting to move their customer service and engagement to the next level by offering more than mere customer satisfaction:

• Surprise your customers with something unexpected. While I know it is becoming ever more difficult to do this these days, it is definitely worth the effort in order to build their loyalty.
• Touch the customer emotionally so your product or service resonates with them. Brompton has achieved this by deeply understanding the lifestyle of its customers. As Maya Angelou is famed for saying

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

• Strive for better in everything you do; never be satisfied with repeating previous successes. This is perhaps the greatest lesson from all these great companies. As the Hotel mentioned, they want to exceed the expectations of their guests.
• Make it a part of every employee’s objectives to ensure your products and services not only obtain customer satisfaction but go even beyond that in any way they can. As Tony Hseih says, customer service is not the responsibility of any one department.