“If you want your employees to deliver remarkable experiences, you have to expose them to what a remarkable experience looks like.”

In this episode of Over a Pint, Andrew sits down with Joey Coleman, author of Never Lose a Customer Again, to discuss client relationships and elite customer service.

Starting as a Criminal Defence Lawyer, Joey gained an in-depth understanding of why humans do what they do and how we can influence them to do what we’d like them to do.

Joey then went on to be a business consultant, teaching students at the postgraduate level, running a promotional products company and an ad agency, and being a full-time speaker, writer and consultant on all things customer and employee experience.

Joey has an innate interest in human beings and the experiences that we create for people, whether that’s in a courtroom, pitching an ad or selling a home, the experiences that we create dramatically influence how people feel about us, how they think about us and how they talk about us. Using these factors, Joey has pieced together his experience and interactions over the years in a variety of different careers to create a formula and methodology for creating remarkable experiences that keep your customers coming back for more.

Does automation take away from the customer experience?

Automaton is not bad or good. From a business owner’s point of view, or from a salesperson point of view or a real estate agent point of view, there are some real benefits to automation. It allows you to serve more people in a shorter amount of time or at the same time. The problem is when automation does two things, it diminishes personalization or eliminates personalization. When automation is not done transparently, you can make your customer or your prospect or your lead feel less than personally connected to you, which will have a long-term detrimental effect on your business, on your operations, on your goals, on whatever you’re trying to accomplish.

If we use automation to increase our response time, I think automation can be incredibly useful. In terms of transparency, a chatbot should immediately identify itself as a chatbot and a robot, so there’s no illusion of what’s happening, and the customer can accurately manage their expectations. It’s also essential to have a human checking in on conversations and responding before the individual escalates out of it.

Combining automation with personalization is the key!

How much personality and fun can you include on your website? Where is the balance between fun and business?

The research shows that websites with a personal spirit, a personal voice, convert exponentially better than those who are “professional.” Your website should become a character of yourself and accurately capture your spirit. Also, your team should have a bio page on the website that includes their photo and a description of what they do professionally as well as some highlights of what they do personally.

Sharing this type of information allows the viewer to make a personal and emotional connection to your business. The more personal information we share with our prospects and with our customers, the more connection we’ll be able to create.

What are the biggest mistakes businesses make when it comes to customer service?

1. Saying that they care about customer experience and customer service, but none of their company structures are indicative of that care.
2. Putting too much emphasis on gaining new customers and not allocating any money to create remarkable experiences for current customers.

How to get your team in the mind-set to provide excellent service 

Well, if your team doesn’t know what excellent service looks like, they won’t be able to provide it.

The biggest problem with getting employees to deliver remarkable customer experiences is twofold. Number one, they’ve never had a remarkable customer experience. Number two, the experience they’re having as an employee of that organization is anything but remarkable. If you want your employees to take care of your customers, you have to take care of your employees. If you want your employees to deliver remarkable experiences, you have to expose them to what a remarkable experience looks like. It’s that simple, but it’s not easy.

Should you brand gifts you sent to clients?

If the item has your logo on it, it’s not a gift. It’s a promotional product. It’s a marketing tool. I’m not against promotional products. I’m not against marketing tools, but let’s stop diluting ourselves to think that it’s a gift.

Instead, I like the idea of giving a present that is so thoughtful. That is so carefully conceived that it lets the recipient know that you were paying attention. Even when they thought you weren’t paying attention, you’ve observed something. You’ve investigated something. You’ve paid attention to know that something would really move the dial. 

How to know if you’re sending too much information or over-communicating with a client

So many entrepreneurs, in my experience, flood their new customers with information. Recently working with a coaching client, we found that in the first 30 days, they sent 78 pieces of content, and their target market felt overwhelmed.

It’s important to look at the communications you’re having and give your audience time to breathe between communications.

What’s the difference between client reviews and feedback?

Reviews and feedback are two separate, yet similar things. Often, businesses confuse whether it’s more important to go after the review or go after the feedback. I would say it’s first and foremost important to go after the feedback because the feedback is a real-time evaluator on how you’re doing on delivering a great experience to your customers.

__

Joey’s book is called ‘Never Lose a Customer Again,’ and it’s available in hardcover and as an e-book. Joey also has a podcast where he discusses all things customer relationships and experience.

You can also visit joeycoleman.com to connect with Joey or download a free starter kit to show you how to implement remarkable experiences in your business.

Got any topics you’d like us to cover in a future episode or a guest you’d like us to sit down with? Let us know in the comments below! You can also reach us on Facebook and Instagram.