Expected vs. Amazing

Recently, I have been visiting a local coffee shop, BackPorch Coffee Roasters, in Bend, Or. After my second visit to BackPorch, the barista behind the counter immediately recognized me and engaged me in a discussion. "Cappuccino? On the wet side, right?", she asked. Now, I can only imagine how many coffee lovers she serves in a day, and for her to remember me after two weeks since my first visit, I was amazed! I was expecting the service to be, well, somewhat the same as any coffee outfit. "Hi, what can I get this early morning?" Not bad, but not particularly amazing. Starbucks, who is presumably selling experience over the coffee they serve, certainly has never remembered me, even after many visits.

So can your business do this? Yes, absolutely. Instill in your customers that they are the most important thing in the world when it comes to serving them. I was recently on the phone with customer service from an aviation insurance company. My last name is not the easiest thing to pronounce, but the customer service representative asked me how to pronounce my last name to prevent future representatives from pronouncing it incorrectly. For some, this may not be a big deal, but after hearing my surname butchered over and over again numerous times, I was relieved to think that on my next call they will not pause after saying my first name and guess which version of my name they were going to painfully speak.

Here are two crucial things to remember about your customers:
• Name (if possible)
• Reason for their first visit (probably more important that the name)

Keep in mind that there are endless varieties of technological applications out there that companies integrate within their system to remember you. Consider the airline reservation interface. Once you create an account, you can return without doing much work as the system has remembered your preferences from your last visit. Although this is very effective, it is somewhat regarded as "automated" and certainly does not have the impact of a personal experience.

Keep your customers amazed and keep 'em coming back.