Creating Remarkable Customer Experiences

We are approaching a new era of Remarkable Customer Experience. Until now, companies have settled for satisfying customers; meeting their expectations; giving them what they asked for. But now, the companies that are going to win are the ones who leave customers saying, “Wow!” These are companies that seek to go above and beyond, offering the level of customer service that gets people talking. Interestingly enough, we’ve seen examples of this with successful companies like Starbucks, Zappos and Chick-fil-A. They each have created a dynamic and unique customer experience that leaves every customer with a little – and sometimes a lot – more than what’s expected.

Creating remarkable customer experiences is not some fresh, new and hip topic. Even experts and professionals have had their say regarding this as well. In Tom Peters’ book, Design, he says…

“We still applaud the ideal of the ‘satisfied customer’. Instead we must FOCUS on creating a dramatic, novel customer experience.”

As studies continue to show, we’re gradually moving from a mere transactional economy to a more experiential society. People desire more than average products and average services at average prices. They want to be engaged.  They want an experience. This is relevant for every industry. Eventually, even firms providing accounting, legal, and medical services – the ones we’ve stereotyped as anti-innovative in their customer service approach – will have to think along the lines of creating a WOW experience for their customers if they want to remain relevant.

This means that everything has to be viewed from the lens of creating remarkable customer experiences. This includes everything from the way companies draft documents and forms, to the way they design their websites and office space, and interact with customers both on and off-line. It’s about the WOW! It’s what Seth Godin calls “The Purple Cow”. It’s about being remarkable. Offering remarkable products, services, and experiences for every customer. These will be the companies and brands who will win as we continue to become a more socially conscious and technologically savvy world.

Added comment…

“Everywhere that I go, I’m noticing how most companies fail in the area of creating remarkable customer experiences. Most stores, restaurants, and companies are still operating under the residue of the industrial era where being just good enough or average was the norm. It’s been this way for decades. Many of them haven’t innovated in this area because there wasn’t an immediate need to… until now.

Now companies like Apple and brands like Johnny Cupcakes are proving that there is undiscovered treasure hidden under creating the kind of experience that customers will remember forever, whether it be through a product, service, advertisement, viral video, email, phone call, text, website, or just a simple hello.

I’m really interested in seeing the type of companies and brands that will emerge in the next few years who will totally redefine customer service and customer experience as we know it.” -Antwon Davis