I’ve been reading quite a bit lately about how to create a customer experience that will WOW clients and keep them coming back for more. When I ask agents what they do to create these types of experiences for their clients, most have a difficult time answering. Although most agents say they provide “good customer service,” many can’t define what this actually means for their agency.
For whom should you try to create these exceptional experiences? In my view, you should try to create WOW experiences for a small subset of your current clients.
Take the airline industry. Most airlines have received a lot of “heat” lately due to increased fees, delays, and the hassle of traveling. Because I travel quite a bit, I follow what’s happening in this industry. I’ve noticed that many people are complaining because they’ve had difficult experiences with one airline or another. By contrast, when I started thinking about my travel experiences, I realized that they’re generally excellent. I normally fly American Airlines or Southwest out of Nashville. Both these airlines treat me differently than they treat the occasional traveler. Let me give you an example.
Last December, my family and I went to Costa Rica for a vacation. We flew on American Airlines. The afternoon before our departure, I received a call from Carol at the Admirals Club in Nashville. She informed me that our morning flight to Dallas had been cancelled. Taking a later flight would cause us to miss our connection to Costa Rica. She told me that she had already rebooked the entire family on a flight connecting through Miami in first class (our original class of service). We ended up arriving in Costa Rica an hour earlier than originally scheduled.
Carol monitored the situation and was proactive in helping a good customer (me) reach my destination with the least amount of travel interruption. I could provide you with several other examples of times American Airlines personnel went out of their way to help me in difficult situations.
Does American treat all customers this way? No, and they can’t. American (and Southwest) has learned that they should focus additional attention on their very best customers. Agents need to do the same. As with the airlines (or any business for that matter), agents need to identify their very best clients and then create customer experiences that will continue to WOW them.
For airlines, it’s easy to segment their customers by number of miles flown. The more you fly, the more personal attention you receive. For agents, it’s harder to determine your best clients. Revenue is one indicator but, in my opinion, only one indicator. Your measure should probably combine revenue, number of policies (the more, the better), who they know, and any other indicator that makes sense in your organization.
The next step is to design experiences that are appropriate for each level or type of client. If Pareto’s 80/20 rule holds true, the top 20% of your existing clients generate 80% of your revenue. What are you doing to make sure they know you appreciate them?