It sounds like a broken record — «we love customers,» «customer satisfaction guaranteed,» or «service is our number one product.» The promises ring hollow without proof or evidence. Yet, customer caring is crucial to customer loyalty.
Here are three examples of what caring looks like up close and personal.
I rented a car from Hertz at the Tampa International Airport. Once in the passenger seat ready to start my journey, my first chore was to program my destination into my smartphone’s GPS. Big problem! Inside the giant parking deck, there was no Wi-Fi signal. No worries! As I made the final turn to exit the parking structure, I spotted a «GPS Pull Off» with several parking spaces. It provided a convenient way to peacefully pull into a parking space to program my GPS before exiting the airport onto a busy interstate. Caring proof!
A very gloomy Wall Street Journal on a very long flight left me with a severe headache. And, I never get headaches! As soon as I exited the jetway at the San Francisco Airport, I headed for the nearest newsstand for some relief — Advil. The airport vendor was about to close, but I talked him into selling me his last package. I opened the plastic container and removed the two tablets in foil for some quick relief. Tucked behind the foil was a collapsible paper cup just big enough for two large swallows of water. Caring evidence!
Last week a heartwarming story went viral. A student at Morehouse College was unable to find a babysitter for his five-month-old daughter. His wife had necessary chores, and he was studying for a mid-term algebra exam. The class was to be a critical review. So, he brought his child to the class at this all-male college in Atlanta. But, it created a new problem — how to hold his baby and take notes. Professor Nathan Alexander volunteered to carry the child in his arms while he lectured and periodically wrote on the chalkboard. In the tweet from Morehouse College President David Thomas, «This is about #love and #commitment. Loving our students and being committed to removing any barrier to their pursuit of excellence.»
Make your baker’s dozen personalized
My Lexus dealership takes excellent care of my car and my wife’s car. We drive 90 minutes to get all maintenance, bypassing another dealership closer. But, the attraction is not the TLC the cars receive, it is the way we are treated. Many upscale car dealerships provide a nice wait area for customers getting maintenance. There is the usual free coffee, TV, magazines, and sometimes pastries. My dealership has in my profile that I like hazelnut flavored coffee, so they make sure there are a couple of hazelnut K-cups with the Keurig machine. I get the proverbial bottle of cold water in the cup holder when I am ready to drive away. There is also a long stem rose on the passenger seat to take home to my bride.
Generosity is always valued by customers. But, we live in an era when value-added is often mechanized. Getting upgraded by the computer as a frequent «whatever» fails to have the emotional attraction that the same gesture has with a human fronting it. That turndown knock on the hotel room door with an offer of chocolate from the housekeeper can feel like a not-so-subtle bribe for a tip. Granted personalization takes time and resources but the closer it gets to a thoughtful gesture, the more it convinces the organization cares. I get a lump in my throat when I park in the «Reserved for Veterans Only» space at Home Depot.
Show allegiance to what matters to customers
I am on the board of a small museum. Like all museums, survival is in the hands of donors. Few museums in the world can sustain their overhead costs solely through the admission at the front door. Not-for-profit businesses like the museum bombard for-profit companies with requests for philanthropy. Some enterprises use advertising disguised as a contribution as their corporate citizen outreach, like the billboard at the ballpark or that big ad on the backs of little league shirts. But when «sponsor» is spelled f-r-i-e-n-d, it telegraphs sincere interest and caring.
Learn about the issues and causes important to your target market and channel your philanthropy it that direction. When a local hardware store learned that 80 percent of its customers had a pet they planned a «build a dog house» activity linked to the local humane society. For two Saturday’s patrons used tools and materials provided by the hardware store to build dog houses of all sizes. The humane society set up their «adopt-a-pet» operation in front of the store. Anyone who adopted a homeless animal got a free dog house if they wanted one. There was even a painter with stencils along ready to «personalize» each house with the pet’s new name.
Caring for customers is the demonstration (not just the promise) of unconditional positive regard and support — especially when customers encounter a challenge, obstacle or issue. Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Make it personal, make it generous, and make it matter. You will know your caring works when customers come back with their friends, not just their funds.
