Customer Experience- Is This The Way You Engage Your Customers!!!!

I had read this blog by the Sales Ninja in regards of sales and customer service and would also like it to be the topic of latest blog. I guess many of us have experienced these scenarios and it really disgusts us with the sort of service we get. I would like to share the experience that my wife and I had gone through last week that really frustrated her.

But first, I would like to share an excerpt from the Sales Ninja blog on his experience in a branded outlet:-

Now, let’s talk about Armani, one of my favorite designer labels. I was in KLCC (a high end s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g. m.a.l.l in Kuala Lumpur), walked into Emporio Armani to get some clothes. You may or may not know, Emporio Armani is very expensive! That day, I bought about $3,000 worth of clothes.

As I was paying, I was waiting for some super service lines that this super expensive store will give me.

Know what I got? “Thank you, please come again.”

What the…?? Can’t you see my name written on my credit card? Can’t you ‘customized’ your canned speech to, “Thank you Mr. Hanzo for s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g. at Emporio Armani, the choice you made with the fine shirt and Armani Jeans is fantastic, you look absolutely great in them. (or whatever ego brushing script) Please come again.”

This is what I meant SERVICE that sucks…… It is true what the sales Ninja has wrote. By just quoting your customer’s name (which is already written in his credit card), you have already engaged the customer to another level. You have made your customers feel different, closer and appreciated and he will definitely leave the outlet with a smile. Everybody likes to be called by name. Isn’t this what we want to offer to our customers: enhance the customer experience?

Now this is what happened when my wife and I visited Wong Kok Char Chan Teng in Sunway Pyramid last week. We have a voucher with us that provided us either a free drink or some sandwiches. So we decided to go there and have a drink and my wife just needed to order another one for her. To our surprise, the waitress told us that we need to spend at least RM10 in a single receipt before we were entitled to use the voucher. After hearing this, my wife was very unhappy and felt cheated because there are no such terms and conditions in the voucher.

I do understand her reaction. It was not because of the price issue that provoked her. She just felt she was being cheated by the voucher and the coffee shop. When my wife asked the manager why didn’t the terms and conditions stated in the voucher, he just told her that it was a printing error and the management’s decision to apply the terms on the voucher. Then he just told us to file a complaint to the HQ if we wanted to.

It was an unbelievable experience. Is this the way of a big chain of restaurants engaged their customers? The way you communicate and engaged your customers really reflects the identity of the company. As an established group, you need to ensure that all customer touchpoints are properly managed, and be ascertained to improve your customer experience to align to your brand promise.

All marketing materials should be checked thoroughly before sending out to your customers. What you communicate with your customers is the promise that you need to fulfill. By giving out misleading information will leave a bad experience to your customers and gives a negative perception of your brand.

Even your error is out in the market, please admit your mistakes. Inform your customers. Like in this case, write an email or sms to inform your customers. Or maybe even a notice at the entrance of the restaurant. Your customers will be forgiving enough if you admit your error. Don’t let your customers find out themselves and make your customers puke and leave a bad taste in their mouth.