Thoughtful design is cheap yet usually neglected. It also shows you care. Don’t just give me a chair. Take some extra care to make it interesting, comfortable and attractive. It makes me want it and value it more.
Now, that is just a chair. What about a service? Care can show up in how you design the experience that the customer has. The timing, nuance and touch you create can take something that is expected and bland to an experience that is memorable and valuable. Consider the following strategies for your service to enhance the customer experience:
- Delight With Touchpoints: Communications is a large part of your engagement and responsibility with customers. Bring added value by providing insight, expertise and ideas to issues your customer is seeking to solve. For example, if you provide design services, use timely email to educate on how color affects buyer perception. An attorney might offer ideas on how to protect assets that their clients have not considered yet. Deliver your service, but also bring value through communications that help your customers.
- Create Self-Service Portals. If your customer feels empowered, then they will not only enjoy the relationship with you but be proactive in the relationship. Depending on how your service business is structured, you can create a support system which allows for submission of issues, a forum for cross-collaboration with your customers or social media inputs to keep a continual loose tie with your fans. Designing these with elegance to your website as a hub creates multiple ways for your customers to feel connected around community, problem-solving and overall value.
- Enhance Your Personal Presentation. Create a show wherever you may be whether at your office, at lunch or at conventions. Dress professionally, care for your hygiene and be fit. Practice etiquette at all times and be a leader that serves. Your likability is a large factor in connecting with clients and designing a personal experience for them. Assume everything they see personally is in your design control. Make it a work of art that promotes congruence with your brand and show care for your customer by presenting your best. It’s part of the experience.
Design opportunities are everywhere in your business. It comes down to whether you care enough for the customer to go the extra mile and create delight and excitement for them.
One of my favorite things to do in business and life is work on the steps a customer takes whether in buying or in consulting service. Anticipating what they will do and thinking ahead to design value which they can enjoy and consume brings unexpected delight. I enjoy it and so do my clients. They know I care about them enough to be working and thinking on their behalf.
What are some things you can do to design a better experience?