I should start by confessing that I have a *slight* affection for shoes. To be honest, I think I could give Carrie Bradshaw some serious competition. When I think of customer experience, I think of shoes.
Let me explain…. A few years back I purchased a pair of shoes. They were fabulous, comfortable shoes, until the sole of the shoe started to come apart. Normally, I would just throw them out and move on, but a friend told me to contact the company. So I did.
I wasn’t expecting much, most of the time companies tend to do very little to help the customers’ experience. I was so wrong. Barbara, a person who genuinely seemed to care about correcting the problem, was assisting me. She assured me they would stand behind their product, and send me out a new pair of shoes. Barbara told me to pick out a few pairs of shoes that were similar in style. She even helped me decide. The pair I liked was double the price of the original pair; I assumed that would be out of the question. Nope! She told me it was more important that I liked them and they “made it right.” While talking with Barbara, I noticed the fall boots (did I mention my shoe-addiction?), and told her how cute they were. Within a few days, I received my new shoes (new shoe smell) and a handwritten note from Barbara. The note simply stated:
“Thank you for being our customer, it was a pleasure to speak with you, and here is something to help you get those boots.” In the envelope was a coupon for 30% off.
The true test of any customer experience is how a company treats you when you really need them (when something is wrong). Clarks rose to the challenge and hit it out of the park to make my experience exceptional. Here we are many years later, I am still a loyal customer and still telling this story.
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