Nick Caristinos
I recently read an article about my favorite places to visit – the Walt Disney theme parks – and what they do to encourage customer loyalty. Disney promotes two types of interactions called “Magical Moments” and “Take 5’s”. Magical Moments are planned events or promotions that create a special experience for the guest. Take 5’s can be either proactive or reactive interactions and represent an opportunity to do something extra or special for a visitor. But how do you create a meaningful customer service culture and customer loyalty in an organization where face-to-face interaction is incredibly rare?
Webnames.ca, like a growing number of businesses today, is almost entirely Internet based, and the vast majority of our customer interaction takes place online, by phone, email and snail mail. For online businesses finding ways to provide Magical Moments and Take 5’s can take some creativity. So where does one start?
First you need to provide a great work environment so your staff is passionate about your products, because this enthusiasm carries over into customer interactions. The next step is to create a storefront that welcomes customers to your world. Once you have the customer on your website you need to provide superior products and services at competitive rates. Many business stop once they have accomplished the above, and for some it may be sufficient; but for businesses that want to excel at customer service and provide the “Magic Moments” and “Take 5’s” that foster loyalty, these steps are just the beginning.
Some of the ways Webnames.ca has tried to provide these “Magical Moments” to our customers is through promotions, discounts, Referral Programs, our blog, newsletters, customized account reviews and bundle packages. For our “Take 5’s”, we allow any staff member to offer extra services, credits and even discounts based on the customers needs at the time of contact. By empowering individual staff members to make on-the-spot decisions, we are able to personalize our customer interactions and provide custom solutions specific to their needs. This is at the heart of the Disney philosophy at their theme parks – give each and every customer a magical experience and they will return year after year because they walk away with a good feeling. It’s more challenging for an online business to create winning experiences with customers than traditional brick and mortar stores, however when they do they are rewarded with customer loyalty.
In today’s competitive market place, advertising and pricing are not the only way to promote your business. Finding new and innovative ways to build customer loyalty is an integral part of the business model. I hope you will be inspired to find new ways to provide your own “Magic Moments” and “Take 5’s” for your customers.