Last week I discussed business growth and new market expansion. This week, I am reflecting on a second pillar to growth – customer experience.

First published via my weekly LinkedIn newsletter with bonus content >

There are many cliches when it comes to customers, and how best to retain them. At the forefront is the overused slogan, ‘the customer is always right.’ However, the reality is that customers are often wrong, have inflated expectations or ones not aligned to the business and what is on offer. Mass audience businesses seek to attract ‘all’; however, this is likely the quickest route to customer dissatisfaction.

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” – John Lydgate

Over our close to 20 years in business, Square Holes has conducted many studies to understand the customer purchase journey, from pre-purchase to during and post, and how to encourage a procrastinating potential customer to make a decision sooner. Such studies are valuable in identifying friction points and how to make the experience better, leaving the customer with a positive feeling at the end. Exciting innovations can come from this, to streamline and differentiate.

The danger can be that a journey, using technology or otherwise, is too regularly made so frictionless it is boring, robotic and with little humanity. This may be from trying to please all of the customers all of the time, or just being lazy.

Knowing how to best serve each type of customer may be optimal, along with being self-aware and brave enough to know that the business is NOT for everyone.

In my first research job in Melbourne, specialising in customer research, a line used on heavy rotation was ‘consistently doing the right things right.’ It seems so simple but understanding the mission critical aspects of customer experience (e.g. easy product selection and purchase) and consistently doing them right is key. Consistently, meaning that every, or just about every time, the right things are done right, and if not, the business quickly responds to a complaint or issue and resolves with effortless magic. Even the grumpiest customers know the world is not perfect, but glitches need to be resolved with empathy and efficiency.

The challenge is that the right things are likely different for different customers. Some aspects may be quite universal – e.g. on-time, in-full for a delivery company. Yet, a price conscious customer wants a discount, particularly in an affordability crisis, whereas a quality seeker is seeking confidence that paying more for themselves or for a gift to a loved one is worth it.

Getting the basics right is often a missed fundamental.

What truly makes good customer service shine for the right customers is beyond boring, putting a cherry on top – adding joy, the unexpected, and exciting to make it worth coming back to soon. Good customer service is more than just the basics.

Business growth, inspired by real people

Have a great Easter long weekend.

Jason