WOW Your Customers!

At our recent Sterling Bank Women’s Business Initiative Luncheon in San Antonio, Rebecca Marek energetically provided colorful, memorable examples of extraordinary ways that a car dealership, credit card company, animal hospital, home renovation company, shoe store and hotel WOWed their customers. And she engaged the audience in sharing their own examples of excellent customer service which included kudos for a hair stylist, dentist, car repair business and pest control service. Imagine our delight when one of our customers spontaneously offered Sterling Bank as an example of terrific customer service!

She asked us to consider which would be the best goal for an ice cream shop: a) the world’s best ice cream, b) the best location in town or c) a steady stream of loyal customers. By reminding us that without customers, there is no reason to be in business, she set the stage for differentiating between satisfied and loyal customers. Bain and Company’s research reveals that 60-80% of customers who describe themselves as satisfied do not go back to the company, clearly illuminating the need to strive for loyalty v. satisfaction.

Rebecca challenged us to walk in the customer’s shoes. We often become desensitized to our environment, so we need to step through every interaction, as seen through the eyes of the customer. Walk into your office, as if it’s the first time you’ve visited to see and experience the things your customer encounters.

Though WOW may result from a single incident, quite often it is a sequence of consistently good service that will inspire loyalty and amazement. Ted Levitt of Harvard Business School summarized the goal very well, “The purpose of every business is to get and keep customers.” Thank you, Rebecca, for providing marvelous insight to help us all create more WOW moments to earn our customers’ loyalty.