Small Gestures to Make Customers Feel Valued

We live in a data-driven and digital-first world, making it easy for companies to overlook the value of genuinely connecting with customers.

Even as consumers yearn for self-service options to speed up transactions with brands, and even as they opt to research products and services long before contacting a vendor about a purchase, they still welcome small gestures of appreciation from the businesses they patronize. What’s more, they develop loyalty to the brands that show them respect by going the extra mile to meet their needs.

Consider how top customer service companies like Amazon, Nordstrom and Hyatt Hotels work harder, smarter and more effectively to satisfy their customers, making them feel valued and prone to repeat business. For example, on top of offering incredibly fast response times and seamless returns, Amazon empowers employees to sacrifice an immediate sale or their time for the sake of resolving a customer’s issues. When customer satisfaction is a company’s primary focus, customer retention is often a given.

Businesses without the processes or machinery to compete with multibillion dollar companies like Amazon are not, however, without resources that can impact customer relationships just as notably and favorably. Sometimes a personal touch—from a friendly smile to remembering a customer’s name to a waived fee—goes a long way toward building a lasting relationship.

For example, some insurance companies give their associates the option of sending customers celebratory or sympathy cards, or the authority to send a hand-written message.

Developing the necessary customer-centricity that encourages customer devotion to a brand must start at the top of the company hierarchy. This is where strategies for understanding and meeting customer need must start and then flow to employees, aligning them with the vision. This may mean loosening the reins of scripted interactions, which also means boosting hiring practices to ensure that the right people are in place—with the right emotional predilections—to address customer concerns with aplomb.

Companies that limit customer service due to time or budget constraints are missing the opportunity to grow their business. Remember when Starbuck Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz closed all Starbucks locations for three hours during normal business hours to give employees a refresher course on the art of making expresso? He also discussed the importance of getting to know customers and greeting them by name.

Yet, simpler measures—like bringing hotel guests extra towels, or presenting restaurant patrons with a free drink on their birthdays—can be just as effective.

Don’t neglect to leverage your company’s data to deliver personalized services. For example, your customer relationship management (CRM) solution makes it easy to map a customer’s phone number or email address with a customer record. Airlines do this all the time to automatically alert passengers of a flight delay or cancellation. When a passenger calls in, an automated system recognizes them and can quickly offer assistance.

If you notice a gap between customer expectations and the customer service you provide, make it a priority to get a leg up on your competitors by showering your customers with tokens of appreciation for the value they provide to your business. Small gestures will go a long way toward enhancing the customer experience and reducing customer churn.