Design the customer experience

Customers determine the very existence of companies. If it were not for them, we would not have any businesses – a simple truth. As an entrepreneur, your initial customer experiences will set the tone for future customer experiences, so don’t leave this to fate. Intentionally design healthy experiences for your customers that inspire them.

I became an inspired customer myself when Paul took me to the opening of his sons’ bouldering gym, Block013. I had never experienced climbing until that day. I was nervous. I did not tell anyone, but on the inside I did not know what to expect. All these people climbing, what will they think of me? Jeroen, Robin, Kelly and Emily made us feel at home immediately. They explained all the ‘climbing basics’ to us. But they also emphasized that we should do only what we are comfortable with. They even designed the bouldering gym in such a way that beginners like me find it easy and accessible to start climbing. At Block013 bouldering is no longer something for just a select few, it is something we can all do. I have to be honest, if it was not for that customer experience, I would never have continued climbing. Now it’s two years later, and I am addicted to climbing. All thanks to an amazing customer experience, one that they purposefully designed.

Here is what I learned from this experience. First impressions last. Your first interaction with your customer will determine the future interactions. The first interaction should be designed. Don’t leave it to chance. Be intentional about it. I, for example, learned to acknowledge the possible fears or nervousness my customer might have before they interact with me.

Here are a few things that I learned to do while interacting with the customer:

  1. Prepare well. Research the customer. Think about their strengths, their possible needs and fears. Write down potential barriers for them to have future interactions.
  2. Appreciation. Write down three things you appreciate about the client before you meet them. You don’t have to share this, but having a healthy perspective on the customer will set the tone for a healthy meeting.
  3. Listen actively. While I listen, I take notes and ask clarifying questions. In the design-thinking world, this is called observation phase. During this time, stay focused and keep distractions away. Learn about your customer’s reality before selling anything. Customers will see you are truly focused on them and their success and not just in selling them what you have.
  4. Be open to co-design solutions. When you know the customer well, you are able to design solutions that will help them in the long run.
  5. Add value with no cost involved. I always go into every meeting I have with the mindset that I will give this person one solution they can implement without costs. Why do I do this? I am passionate about serving leaders and businesses, and if I only give solutions when I get paid, then I am in the money-making- business and not in the business design industry.
  6. Be open and honest. If the person does not need your service, tell them that. If you ask for feedback, be okay with whatever they say and really learn from the criticism.
  7. Ask yourself, did I inspire this customer today? Many times customers walk away satisfied but not inspired. People who are only satisfied with a product or service, might choose to go somewhere else in the future. People who are inspired by a service or product will not only come back, but will also tell  others.

Tips to grow in Customer Inspiration

  1. Se aside enough time to prepare for customer interactions
  2. Be careful to treat all your customers the same
  3. Take time to reflect and evaluate the interactions with your
    customers.

This blog post contains an excerpt from our new book, Design Your Business, by Paul Donders and Cias Ferreira

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