Super Customer Experience: Feelings Aren’t Random

Super customer service experience is about positive feelings but leaders grouse “we can’t build a business on the randomness of feelings.”  Well in super customer experience, feelings are not random. We can find them when we look in the right place.



The feelings are behind the impact – coming and going!



Super Customer Experience: Feelings Are Behind the Impact! Image via: Istock.



Super Customer Experience: Capture the Feelings Behind the Impact!

Customers come for one of two desired feelings: ease their pain and/or experience gain. What we do results in one of two feelings for the customers — positive or negative.

  • The Impact of Their Problem.

    Instead of getting caught up in just the details the customers speak, we need to hear the impact of their problem or request. When a network is down and the customer can’t do their work, it’s the impact of this void that causes the feelings. Understand the impact and we capture the feelings that tell us how to deliver a super customer experience.


  • The Impact of Our Approach.

    At every connection with the customers, our approach — conversation, empathy, processes, design, decisions, and actions — affect the customers’ pain or gain. When we first understand the impact of their problem, we can choose appropriate actions for a positive impact and super customer experience.


  • The Impact of Previous or Repeated Trouble.

    It’s easy to deliver a super customer experience when there has been previous or repeated trouble — if we hear the feelings of frustration behind the impact. The customers are craving relief from pain and confusion; the relief we give is amazingly positive!


  • The Impact of Heart-Based Service.

    If we live a narcissistic culture and focus on our success, our approach and connection often increases the customers’ pain and reduces their gain. As we focus on our procedures, we leave them stuck in frustration and far from the gain they seek. As we push self-service to reduce costs, we alienate those who need interaction to work with us. As we ignore their suggestions for improved service, we tell them that our view is more important than their needs. From this we lose them to the competition who sees the pain and void we left behind.

    If instead we approach every aspect of customer experience with a culture of caring service, we meet their expectations by relieving their pain or delivering a gain. We earn their trust, gratitude, and repeat business. From the heart, never fails with customers.







Leaders often ask me:

What is the one thing that everyone in the organization should do to deliver super customer experience?

Listen for the feelings behind the impact. Then relieve the pain and deliver the gain.




I have many workshops and sessions on this very topic. Join in the learning and deliver super customer experience!





From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

Related Posts:
Free Your Mind to Give Superior Customer Service in Difficult Moments

©2013-2018 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.


Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.



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12 Responses to “Super Customer Experience: Feelings Aren’t Random”

  1. Dan says:

    Hi Kate
    Love it.

    Impact seems to be made up of two parts: 1) a factual impact, (e.g, couldn’t serve customers for a period of one hour while the network was down) and 2) my beliefs about what that means (e.g., I’m the one who will end up criticized because you, Mr. or Ms. Network Admin don’t care enough or are not fully competent). In this customer service “story,” the facts are less important than the interpretations that drive the feelings, such as anxiety or embarrassment or anger. A tricky part is none of us know others’ perceptions unless they tell us, and even when they do, sometimes we all too readily discount them because we’d rather focus on the factual than the perceptual/feeling impact. What I hear you advocating is a kind of radical empathy that embraces the full picture of the customer as a person and the customer’s circumstances, not our opinion of how they should respond or should feel, given our assessment of the “facts.”

    I hope some of this is clear!

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Hi Dan,
      Well there’s a new term I’ve learned from you radical empathy/em>. Very interesting! I agree that should feel is a risky mindset and quite a waste of time. I go further than that and say that customers feelings while not predictable are less variable than most of us think.

      For business leaders, owners, and customer service reps who want to develop greater emotional intelligence, my message is … don’t see this as a colossal effort. Customers’ feelings are far less variable than most of us think. Find the pain they want us to remove and/or the gain they seek and you will find the words to get there.

      When I teach this to call centers, contact centers, IT Support teams — as soon as I get them thinking in this vein, they find the words to deliver great service!

      Customers’ feelings are not as random and unpredictable as some might think.

      Thank you for your addition to this discussion!
      Kate

  2. Khalid says:

    Thanks for your message Kate.

    It’s a great reminder for us to better satisfy our customers.

    Regards,
    Khalid

  3. Shep Hyken says:

    Kate – Feelings are important! Satisfaction is a rating, but loyalty is an emotion. And, emotions come out of feelings. I think every company would want their customers to say, “I feel good about doing business with them because…”

  4. Jon Mertz says:

    Kate, Everyone should ensure that they have the heart for service. It is a philosophy of life, and it needs to be present in our workplace and in our interactions. Customers will know, and appreciate, the difference; they can see it in the actions taken, the words spoken, and follow-ups. Individual and organizational philosophies aligned will deliver exceptional customer service, and it will show in the metrics. Thanks! Jon

  5. Kate, this is great! The basis for a strong customer relationship, i.e., engaged, advocacy, raving fan, is that emotional bond, especially one wrapped in trust, which is earned by doing the right thing in the best interest of the customer (reduce the pain, increase the gain). Clearly the best emotion any interaction with customers should evoke is a positive one. Love the “heart-based service” concept.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Yes Yes Yes Annette .. your additions of engaged customers for advocacy and loyalty punctuates the very spirit of this post!

      Many thanks for sharing and I hope you will offer your expertise on any post of interest here at Smart SenseAbilities(TM).

      Best and warmest wishes,
      Kate

  6. Farrukh says:

    Yes,! Kate customers are king in the business kingdom. You provide an opportunity for their satisfaction. Customers satisfaction mean successful business.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Well said Farrukh. And I love your phrase “opportunity for satisfaction.”

      Many thanks for sharing your perspective here.
      Kate

  7. Alli Polin says:

    Yes! You know, one thing I appreciate is when there’s not a script… or I don’t feel like there’s one. When I feel heard and they’re on my side working to fix my issue instead of running me through a to-do list that makes me feel like I’m stupid it makes all the difference. I guess, when I think back to my super customer experiences, I felt Iike I was talking to another human being. Your insights here are so important. Happy to share! There’s little that puts me in as bad of a mood as a terrible customer service experience!

    Alli

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