Service with a smile isn’t enough
Running a successful business means treating your customers well + you know that, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article. As the saying goes, without customers you don’t have a business, you have a hobby. And it’s also true that it is much easier + cheaper to retain customers than gain new ones. Which all comes back to the idea that you want to provide a top-notch experience through your client interactions.
But how do you differentiate yourself from the others in your industry that also value customer service? By branding the heck out of all customer interactions.
Make yourself memorable
While at my first all-inclusive resort, it took me mere minutes to realize that the staff had been trained to say a few key phrases to the resort guests. As usual, they would ask “How are you?” + the normal response is to reply but also to ask the same question back. Every single person that I repeated “How are you?” to said the same thing – “Magnifico!”
At first it seemed a bit silly, but halfway through my vacation I found myself using it as my answer along with using it when talking to my friends that I had traveled with. Where I might have used words like fine, alright or good, I was instead labeling things with a higher value word. Therefore shaping my opinions + memories of the experience. If someone asks me what I thought of the Breathless Resort, odds are I will say “Magnifico” which will not only intrigue the person asking but also act as a positive recommendation.
Find your voice
Maybe branding your “smile” means closing out all emails with the same unique greeting or using the same follow-up question when interacting with clients. Whatever it is, make sure it lines up with your brand voice. Consistency is king with this concept + with your brand {as always.}
It wouldn’t make much sense for me to start using Spanish to close out my emails since I am neither fluent or associated with the language at all. My love of all things French + experience traveling through France would make it more acceptable to incorporate words like “voila” or “magnifique” into my client communications but my brand voice is more heavily rooted in my colors + nerd factor. Which is why my email signature always features a quote about nerds + I reference the fruit or color orange at least once an hour.
Once you have your brand voice, play around with incorporating those details in your blog posts, newsletters, client emails + social media posts. It may take a few times to find what feels natural, but once you do, you can bring that personality into many types of interaction. and you’ll also stand out from the online crowd.