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To create an unforgettable impression on customers you need to provide a unique experience throughout the customer journey. Your customers would only return if they believe that they have been treated exceptionally well. Making sure that you always create a good impression on your customers will help you grow your business as it assures the customers that their needs are integral to you. There are several ways through which you can ensure that your customers receive a memorable experience and some of these are listed below.

Make the First Impression Count

Creating a positive first impression is important. This not only includes attending to the customers immediately, it also includes being presentable and accommodating. You need to have a welcoming attitude towards your customers and this has to reflect in the tone of your voice and your body language.

Greeting your customers with a smile and being enthusiastic about helping them would make a huge difference to your customer. Communicate in a clear tone, make sure your customer understands what you are offering so that there is no problem later on. Don’t check the time or your phone while attending to a customer as it might give the customer the impression that you have more important things to deal with than him/her.

Stay calm at all times and offer help when you feel that the customer is in trouble. A business needs to ensure that all service representatives have proper knowledge about the products so that they can offer guidance to customers.

Ensure Outstanding Service

While first impressions are important, it is ultimately the product and service in itself which ensures customer loyalty. Customers love to get the ‘Wow’ experience and making sure that you go the extra mile for a customer never hurts. The more effort you put into pleasing your customers, the more your customers will appreciate your dedication and they will remain loyal to you.

Peter Shankman, famous public speaker and author, was all praise for Morton’s restaurant when they delivered his requested meal at the airport after he had tweeted about it as a joke. He was surprised by this act and made sure that people heard about this amazing experience.

Put in the effort to improve your service continually and make sure that you maintain a certain standard when dealing with customers. A lot of businesses start well but with time their service declines instead of improving. The best way to make sure your customers are satisfied is by providing them with exceptional service every time.

Adopt a Customer-Centric Approach

According to Accenture, 62% consumers switched service providers globally in 2013 owing to bad customer service provided by the businesses. This is how seriously customers take the way they are treated. Knowing who you are dealing with is the first step in creating an exemplary customer experience. You have to devise a way through which you can influence your target audience. For example, if you are dealing with children, you should have employees who know how to deal with kids and have the patience to understand them. Likewise, if you are dealing with teenagers you have to be tech-savvy and prompt yet be entertaining.

A lot of companies do not have employees who are enthusiastic about their work and it shows in the way they address customers. Customers need to feel valued and it would create a negative impression if they feel that a representative is either being inattentive or is getting annoyed by their demands.

Empowering employees can go a long way, it would allow them to be proactive and result oriented which would ultimately benefit the business. Make sure your employees understand that customer service is a company goal and they have to put the customer first.

Zappos is the perfect example of a customer-centric company. It has not only empowered its representatives, it has also ensured that customers get what they have paid for and more. Zappos has no scripts for representatives to follow and no time limits and even encourages employees to get to know the customer on a personal basis. The idea is to make sure that the customer feels important, heard and valued.

Surprise your Customers

Make sure that you are driven to please your customers in unusual ways. When a business creates a personalized experience for a customer, it shows how much thought and effort they have put in to please that individual. Don’t forget to surprise your customers from time to time in order to make them remember you.

Let us take the example of a hotel which surprised one of its regular customers. While in Nashville, the customer became quite fond of the clock radio, which played spa sounds, in her hotel room. She spent two years of trying to get hold of the clock radio but could not succeed. On her third visit to the hotel, Gaylord Opryland, she took to twitter to inquire about where she could get one for herself. The hotel regretfully informed her that these clocks were custom made but recommended some other clock radio versions. Unfortunately, none of them came with a spa sound option, the writer thanked the hotel and left it at that. At the end of the day when she arrived back at the hotel, not one but two clock radios awaited her, in the room, with a handwritten note. The writer, touched by the amazing customer service, made sure that everyone heard about the way the hotel surprised her.

Following some of these strategies will help you create a resourceful and customer friendly environment which would work towards providing your customers with an incredible experience.