By next year, 50% of people will value the customer experience above price and product. My husband definitely falls in the half of the population that is seeking a memorable customer experience. Allow me to share the following example.
Josh recently needed to mail some important documents which required a tracking number. Within walking distance of our house there are both a USPS and UPS store. In fact they are on the same block. The USPS store has broken entry doors, inconsistent store hours (despite posted hours) and there is always a line. Once it’s your turn at the counter the service feels very transactional and you are made to feel like a number, rather than a valued customer. Not surprisingly my husband chose UPS for his shipping needs and his experience was so memorable he decided to share it with me.
The employee behind the counter proactively greeted him before he even approached the counter and asked right away how he could help. The exchange was conducted efficiently, led by a knowledgeable employee and per Josh, you could tell he really wanted to be there. You could just feel his enthusiasm, said Josh, and so much so that he actually wondered if the employee was the owner of the franchise. Josh was even thanked for his business at the end of the exchange.
Despite a sizeable difference in cost to ship the documents via UPS (over USPS) Josh consciously chose to pay more for a better customer experience. Would you?