I was one of the 4 million customers who bought iPhone 4S over the weekend. My iPhone 3GS is fast, fun and it makes it easy for me to work and communicate untethered. Not only did my current phone keep me productive, but it still looks practically new. Still I, like 4 million others, ran out and bought the new iPhone 4s. Why do people drop a couple hundred dollars or more on a new iPhone if they don’t truly need a new phone?
Taking the already extraordinary and making it even more amazing is what gets Apple customers to come out in the millions to buy yet another expensive phone.
The answer is simple, really. Apple has developed a reputation for taking something that is already extraordinary and improving it. They take the elements that make for an amazing customer experience and they make the customer experience even better. iPhone 4s is twice as fast as its predecessor, boasts an 8 megapixel camera, 1080 HD video and over 200 new features. Taking the already extraordinary and making it even more amazing is what gets Apple customers to come out in the millions to buy yet another expensive phone. It’s the secret to earning rock-solid customer loyalty.
I’m working with a client that has a great customer experience. Mystery shopper reports, customer satisfaction surveys and focus groups all confirm that the company is loved by its customers. My charge for my client is to take the very best components of their customer experience and conceptualize, design and implement a minimum of 14 ways to improve upon the customer experience. We’ve dedicated 24-months to this project and we’re looking at everything from speed of response to surprise and delight.
Next week I am hosting a webinar called the Zappos Customer Experience where I examine how Zappos has mastered the customer experience by making the customer experience the most important thing in the entire company. My attendees will gain tips in this online workshop for constantly improving what’s great about their own customer experience.
Here’s a challenge for you. Identify the best part of your customer experience. That is, what do you do better than your competition? What do your customers love about doing business with you? Take that best thing and find 3 ways to take that to the “amazing” level. When you do, you’ll delight customers, get them coming back and you’ll be on your way to earning rock-solid customer loyalty.
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