What Can You Do To Create a Better Experience For Your Customers?

If you’ve ever seen one of my speaking presentations, you’ve most likely heard my story about my favorite cab driver. It is an example of excellent customer service. It’s universal—I don’t know of anyone that hasn’t been in a taxi. If for some reason they haven’t, I can’t imagine they don’t know what one is.

In the story, I talk about the “amenities” the driver offered, which made me want to ride with him the next time I was in his city. These included complimentary soda, newspapers and a quick side trip to see a famous local attraction – at no extra charge. I also received a surprise thank you note four days after the trip.

Last week my friend, Ron Prather, sent me an article from HyreCar entitled, “15 Things Every Uber & Lyft Driver Should Keep In Their Car.” Some items were business necessities—a spare tire kit, the right kind of insurance and more. Then there were other “should haves” that might make the customer’s experience better. Some of those include:

• Air freshener to make your car smell nice
• A snack box to give your customers a little something they weren’t expecting
• Auxiliary cords for passengers to charge their phones
• Sanitary wipes, paper towels and cleaning supplies
• First aid kit—just in case
• Water bottles to give to customers
• And more!

You get the idea. The article made me think about how all businesses should have a “should have” list, especially if you want your customers to have a certain experience. I refer to this list as Customer-Focused Musts. It doesn’t have to be a tangible item, like a bottle of water or a tissue box. Maybe it’s a “must do,” such as returning a call in a timely manner. For example, a restaurant’s customer-focused list could (and should!) include clean restrooms, a warm greeting, clean dishes and silverware—and of course, good food. There are plenty of musts that could go on the list. These are just a few.

What would be on your list of customer-focused musts? You could discuss this at your next team or company meeting. Start by having everyone read the HyreCar article as a creative primer to get the conversation started. As mentioned, some of the 15 things in that article include things you need to run your business. What else can you do that focuses on your customers and their experience? What “amenities” might your customers appreciate? There’s nothing stopping you, so what are you waiting for? It’s time—and you must get customer-focused!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXIX, Shep Hyken)

.hytPlayerWrap{display: inline-block; position: relative;}.hytPlayerWrap.ended::after{content:””; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; cursor: pointer; background-color: black; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: center; background-size: 64px 64px; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;utf8;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHdpZHRoPSIxMjgiIGhlaWdodD0iMTI4IiB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgNTEwIDUxMCI+PHBhdGggZD0iTTI1NSAxMDJWMEwxMjcuNSAxMjcuNSAyNTUgMjU1VjE1M2M4NC4xNSAwIDE1MyA2OC44NSAxNTMgMTUzcy02OC44NSAxNTMtMTUzIDE1My0xNTMtNjguODUtMTUzLTE1M0g1MWMwIDExMi4yIDkxLjggMjA0IDIwNCAyMDRzMjA0LTkxLjggMjA0LTIwNC05MS44LTIwNC0yMDQtMjA0eiIgZmlsbD0iI0ZGRiIvPjwvc3ZnPg==);}.hytPlayerWrap.paused::after{content:””; position: absolute; top: 70px; left: 0; bottom: 50px; right: 0; cursor: pointer; background-color: black; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: center; background-size: 40px 40px; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;utf8;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEiIHdpZHRoPSIxNzA2LjY2NyIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxNzA2LjY2NyIgdmlld0JveD0iMCAwIDEyODAgMTI4MCI+PHBhdGggZD0iTTE1Ny42MzUgMi45ODRMMTI2MC45NzkgNjQwIDE1Ny42MzUgMTI3Ny4wMTZ6IiBmaWxsPSIjZmZmIi8+PC9zdmc+);}

“use strict”; document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function(){if (window.hideYTActivated) return; let onYouTubeIframeAPIReadyCallbacks=[]; for (let playerWrap of document.querySelectorAll(“.hytPlayerWrap”)){let playerFrame=playerWrap.querySelector(“iframe”); let tag=document.createElement(‘script’); tag.src=”https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api”; let firstScriptTag=document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag); let onPlayerStateChange=function(event){if (event.data==YT.PlayerState.ENDED){playerWrap.classList.add(“ended”);}else if (event.data==YT.PlayerState.PAUSED){playerWrap.classList.add(“paused”);}else if (event.data==YT.PlayerState.PLAYING){playerWrap.classList.remove(“ended”); playerWrap.classList.remove(“paused”);}}; let player; onYouTubeIframeAPIReadyCallbacks.push(function(){player=new YT.Player(playerFrame,{events:{‘onStateChange’: onPlayerStateChange}});}); playerWrap.addEventListener(“click”, function(){let playerState=player.getPlayerState(); if (playerState==YT.PlayerState.ENDED){player.seekTo(0);}else if (playerState==YT.PlayerState.PAUSED){player.playVideo();}});}window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady=function(){for (let callback of onYouTubeIframeAPIReadyCallbacks){callback();}}; window.hideYTActivated=true;});