customer delight - c3centricity

How to Measure Customer Delight and Prove Its Impact on Brand Loyalty

Posted on August 20, 2024August 23, 2024 by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

As we all know, customer satisfaction is no longer enough to secure brand loyalty – if it ever was!

Companies must strive to go beyond mere satisfaction and aim to delight their customers.

Customer delight refers to exceeding customer expectations to create a positive emotional reaction, leading to stronger loyalty and advocacy.

This post explores the importance of measuring customer delight, its impact on brand loyalty, and practical methods to achieve and assess it.

The Evolution from Satisfaction to Delight

Customer satisfaction has traditionally been the benchmark for evaluating customer experiences. However, research shows that satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal customers. According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, 20% of satisfied customers reported they would consider switching to another brand. This indicates that satisfaction alone does not guarantee loyalty.

Customer delight, on the other hand, involves creating an exceptional experience that surprises and excites customers. This emotional engagement fosters a deeper connection with the brand, leading to higher levels of loyalty. A delighted customer is more likely to become a brand advocate, spreading positive word-of-mouth and contributing to long-term business success.

Measuring Customer Delight

Measuring customer delight requires a different approach than traditional satisfaction surveys. Here are some effective methods to assess customer delight:

1. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

NPS is a widely used metric that gauges customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a brand to others, on a score of 1-10.

It categorizes respondents into Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. While NPS primarily measures loyalty, it can also indicate delight when customers express a strong willingness to advocate for the brand.

According to Bain & Company, companies with high NPS scores grow at more than twice the rate of their competitors. For instance, Apple, known for its high NPS, has consistently seen strong brand loyalty and customer advocacy.

Trader Joe’s also uses NPS to understand customer loyalty. Their high scores reflect the company’s emphasis on friendly service and unique product offerings, creating delighted customers who frequently recommend the store to friends and family.

2. Customer Effort Score (CES)

CES measures the ease with which customers can interact with a company, including problem resolution and purchasing processes. A low effort score often correlates with higher delight, as customers appreciate frictionless experiences. Gartner found that 96% of customers with a high-effort service experience become more disloyal, highlighting the importance of minimizing customer effort.

Glossier, a beauty brand, simplifies the shopping experience through a user-friendly website and seamless checkout process. Their low customer effort scores contribute to high levels of customer delight, evidenced by their strong customer retention rates.

3. Emotional Response Surveys

Traditional surveys can be enhanced with questions designed to capture emotional responses. For example, asking customers how they felt during their interaction with the brand can provide insights into their level of delight. Emotions such as joy, surprise, and excitement are strong indicators of customer delight.

Lush Cosmetics incorporates emotional response questions in their customer feedback forms, asking how their products … Click to continue reading

Twenty Ways to Delight Your Customers: Transforming Satisfaction into Loyalty

Posted on May 12, 2024September 14, 2024 by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Today, most markets are saturated, and companies are fighting for the same customers. This is why organisations should no longer aim for customer satisfaction but rather delight. But how can you delight your customers so they remain loyal advocates?

With fewer and fewer differences between the products and services offered, many companies have realised that they can – and should – differentiate by improving their customer experience. Here are twenty ways to get started, together with best-in-class examples, but I’d love to hear how you delight your own customers and turn satisfaction into loyalty.

1. Deliver Exceptional Customer Service

Exceptional customer service is the first essential step to plan. It’s about creating an unforgettable positive experience that fosters loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.

A study by American Express found that 70% of consumers are willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.

Nordstrom sets a high standard in this regard, famously accepting the return of car tyres they never sold to satisfy customer expectations and demonstrate their commitment to service.

This example underscores the importance of empowering employees to make decisions that prioritize customer satisfaction, fostering a strong customer-centric culture.

Another company renowned for its customer service is Zappos, an online retailer. The company has a 365-day return policy and is known for going above and beyond for customers, such as when a customer service representative sent flowers to a customer who had lost her mother.

2. Personalise the Experience

Personalization makes customers feel uniquely valued and understood. It is the second most important way to delight your customers.

According to a report by Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences.

Spotify exemplifies personalization by using sophisticated algorithms to tailor playlists to individual tastes, improving user engagement and increasing subscription retention rates.

This approach demonstrates how leveraging data and technology to understand and anticipate customer preferences can significantly enhance the user experience.

Netflix offers another excellent example of personalization. It analyzes viewing patterns to recommend shows and movies, enhancing user satisfaction and retention. I bet you’ve clicked on many of their suggested titles. I know I have!

3. Offer a Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs reward and encourage repeat business, creating a tangible incentive for ongoing patronage.

This strategy boosts sales and delights customers by enhancing their emotional connection with the brand and making members feel valued and special.

Sephora’s Beauty Insider program offers a compelling example with tiered rewards, including birthday gifts, exclusive discounts, and early product access.

Any way that makes your customers feel special will also increase their loyalty and advocacy.

4. Maintain High Quality and Reliability

A company’s commitment to quality reassures customers and confirms their purchase decision, fostering trust and satisfaction.

Especially where larger and exceptional purchases are made, your customers need ongoing reassurance that they made the right decision.

Toyota is renowned for the durability and reliability of its vehicles, which has cultivated a loyal customer base

… Click to continue reading

From Good to Extraordinary: Ignite Your Business with Personalized Customer Delight

Posted on July 20, 2023September 12, 2024 by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

It’s time to move from customer satisfaction to customer delight. After all, no one wants to be good when they can be great!

These days, providing a delightful, personalized experience for customers is no longer just a luxury—it’s a necessity for sustainable business growth. While every business is personal, which we would do well to remember, many companies shy away from truly getting close to their customers. Perhaps they’re afraid they will learn that they’re not as awesome as they like to think they are!

However, it is precisely through building strong engagement and trust that businesses can unlock their full potential.

It’s time for a paradigm shift in your approach to customer service, empowering your employees to exceed customer expectations, so they can drive sales, and foster long-term loyalty. (I wrote about this a few weeks ago; take a look at “4 Ways to Empower Your Employees to Give Outstanding Customer Service” for more details)

By understanding the importance of effortless customer journeys, personal connections, and continuous improvement, organizations can transform their customer service into a powerful growth engine.

The power of effortless journeys

Every touchpoint in the customer journey presents an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. To provide a truly personalized experience, businesses must go above and beyond mere satisfaction and aim for effortless interactions at every stage.

Understanding and anticipating customer needs is crucial to achieving this. By leveraging data, market research, and customer feedback, companies can gain valuable insights into their customers’ preferences, pain points, and desires.

Armed with this knowledge, businesses can tailor their touchpoints to meet and exceed expectations. Whether it’s a seamless online purchasing process, a user-friendly mobile app, or a responsive customer support system, every effort should be made to eliminate friction and make the customer’s journey as effortless as possible.

And the effort is worth it:

According to a study by Salesforce, 84% of customers say being treated like a person, not a number, is crucial to winning their business.
Research by Accenture reveals that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers and recommendations.
A report by Deloitte found that companies that prioritize personalization see an average sales uplift of 10-20%.

Smiling for that personal connection

Building genuine connections with customers is the cornerstone of exceptional customer service. A smile is one of the most powerful tools to establish this connection.

Even in a call centre environment, where interactions may be limited to voice-only, a smile can be heard through the phone and can significantly impact the customer’s experience. Encouraging customer service representatives to adopt a friendly, empathetic tone and providing them with the necessary training and resources to do so can make all the difference.

Customers appreciate feeling valued and heard, and a warm, personalized interaction can leave a lasting positive impression. By investing in employee development and creating a culture that values the human element of customer service, businesses can cultivate stronger relationships and inspire customer loyalty.

Building … Click to continue reading

4 Ways to Empower Your Employees to Give Outstanding Customer Service

Posted on June 13, 2023August 23, 2024 by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

If you’re reading this, then you are probably eager to delight your customers and take your service to new heights. Well, you’re in the right place to learn how to give outstanding customer service.

In this article, we will explore four transformative ideas that will elevate your current customer service standards to exceptional levels. Prepare to embark on a journey that will empower your employees, foster customer loyalty, and drive your business towards greater success.

As our customers have found their voice and the power to approve, criticise or question brands and manufacturers, customer service has evolved into a vital aspect of every organization.

And while most businesses see the need for customer service, too many service reps continue to respond using pre-defined scripts and answers. In today’s world of personalisation, this is clearly not going to delight your customers, so a fresh approach is required.

Enter employee empowerment – a paradigm shift that enables customer service representatives to make decisions within defined boundaries, tailored to the customer’s best interest.

While guidelines are still important, organisations should empower their customer service reps to do what’s best for the customer – within agreed boundaries.

So giving employees more say in managing customer connections is good for customers, but it is also good for the company.

Organizations prioritising employee empowerment create a positive work environment, which in turn fosters customer loyalty, and leads to greater business success.

The Power of Employee Empowerment in delivering outstanding customer service

Empowered employees exhibit higher job satisfaction, engagement, and a sense of ownership in customer interactions. They are also more likely to take ownership of customer interactions, proactively solve problems, and deliver more personalized experiences. This, in turn, leads to improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.

So what exactly is employee empowerment, you might be wondering. Well, it is the process of granting employees the authority, autonomy, and resources to make decisions and take actions that positively impact customer experiences.

By trusting employees to act in the customer’s best interest and equipping them with the necessary tools and support, organizations can unlock a host of benefits.

It increases job satisfaction and engagement as employees feel valued, trusted, and responsible for their work.

Investing in Customer Service Training and Development Opportunities

Perhaps you’re feeling slightly nervous after reading the previous section about giving your employees more freedom. Well, don’t worry; we are not suggesting that you give them a totally free rein.

Embracing employee empowerment does not mean relinquishing control; it means providing comprehensive training and development programs.

These initiatives equip customer service reps and other customer-facing personnel with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to handle diverse customer scenarios and deliver exceptional service.

Comprehensive onboarding ensures that employees receive proper orientation, understand their roles in delighting the customer, and are introduced to the organization’s customer-centric values and expectations.

And ongoing training, workshops and online resources are all vital to keeping employees updated on new products, services, and industry trends. They also allow them to … Click to continue reading

Forgotten Facts & Fantasies of Customer Delight

Posted on September 13, 2016October 4, 2024 by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that I’ve just returned from a three-week visit to Peru. I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker at IIEX-Latam in Lima and decided to take time off to visit the country after the conference. How glad I was that I took that decision, because I discovered that Peruvians are experts in customer delight!

Peru is an understated yet remarkable country that deserves a more amazing reputation than I believe it has today. While its image is dominated by Machu Picchu, this wonderful l and has so much more to offer visitors. From the sprawling cities of Lima and Arequipa to the rugged desolation of the high altitude desert plains and the humid cloud forests, I quickly fell in love with the country and its people.

Of course, my mind is never far from work and I realised that I was so enamoured by this country because it’s people have customer centricity down to a fine art. They are happiest when they are delighting their visitors. Let me share a few of the surprising experiences I had on my trip – I’m not referring to the amazing l andscapes – and which I hope will inspire your own customer centricity!

You’re welcome

Nowhere is this truer than in Peru. The North Americans may be quicker to wish you a good day, or to ask how your trip was, but they don’t really expect nor hear your answer.

It is the opposite in Peru. They go out of their way to ensure you are happy, even when you can’t speak their language.

A warm welcome is something you show your customers, consumers, and clients. It is not a simple phrase repeated without depth or substance. It is caring about how you can deliver customer delight. So how do you show your customers that they are truly welcome?

If you have a digital presence and have an opt-in form, then this is by sending back a welcome email immediately, introducing yourself and thanking your customer for signing up. You’d by amazed in this day of simplified automation, that not all websites have this welcome programmed within their sales funnel!

According to research conducted last year by Microsoft human beings have an 8-second attention span these days. And yes that’s shorter than a goldfish! But more than 70% of consumers expect a welcome email when they subscribe to your offer, according to BlueHornet. So why disappoint a third of your customers before you’ve even started your relationship with them, by not thanking them? Another reason to respond rapidly is that real-time welcome emails see more than 10x the transaction rates and revenue per email over batched welcome mailings according to Experian.

Another way of welcoming your customers’ business is by providing additional value. We all know how Amazon remain the first and best at this with their recommendation engine. But there are many other organisations working with recommender systems, including … Click to continue reading

Tag: customer delight