Joy from Knapsack here! One of my main roles at Knapsack focuses on communication and client relations (aka, customer experience).

So I’d love to share with you some ways to help improve your customer experience. My focus today is on this idea: Give people “more” by creating an emotional connection.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to make our clients’ experience more memorable (in a positive way, of course!).

Now you don’t have to go overboard by trying to completely change your customers’ entire experience. A small impact can still be a positive impact. I recommend starting by writing down all of the touch points you have with your customer, and choosing one specific moment to improve.

We decided a few years back to focus on improving our meetings with potential clients. We wanted to make sure the meeting stayed productive, but if possible, became enjoyable for both parties. We started using video chat instead of a phone call and found that not only did we improve our productivity, but we were able to connect on a more personal level.

Suddenly, instead of emotionless small talk on the phone, we were getting to know our clients better; learning about where they live (snowy, sunny, rainy) and hobbies they enjoy (biking, skiing, trying new foods). Instead of just being people on the internet who email each other for services, we now have faces, personalities, a connection to care about each others’ success with this project.

Efficiency is important to us here at Knapsack; we love having processes and sticking to them. And guess what: you don’t have to sacrifice your customers’ experience when you follow a process. You can still treat them as an individual.

One of my favorite places is Walt Disney World, and I’m always impressed with their customer service. Something they have to make your vacation feel more personal is the “I’m celebrating…” button. It’s basically a giant button that they write on with a sharpie to note if you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc. Super simple and inexpensive, yet those clunky buttons can lead to unique experiences.

My niece, Kaylah, wore the button for her 16th birthday, and throughout the day various cast members wished her happy birthday, she received a free souvenir, and she even had an unexpected birthday phone call with Mickey Mouse.

My point with the above example is that the button is a part of their process. They pass out hundreds of those buttons each day, and it requires minimal work on their end (mostly verbally acknowledging people). Yet it created a personal, even emotional connection for not only my niece, but for all of us on the trip with her. So when working on customer experience with your business, remember that you can still find automated ways to make someone feel unique.

We like to send out Knapsack branded notebooks and a personalized notecard to people we work with; it’s easy to fit into a weekly process, yet still shows we are thinking of each client as an individual.

Takeaways

• Review through your customer touch points

• Find one small moment to improve

• Create an emotional connection in that moment

• Your customer now has a story they can tell others to help build your brand loyalty

Go Further

If you seriously want to improve your customer experience at your company, I highly recommend checking out The Disney Institute’s “Disney’s Approach to Quality Service” conference. It is typically held at the Disney resorts, however they also allow colleges/universities around the country to sponsor events. I attended one a few years back in Middletown, VA, and I still lean on things I learned there as we continue to innovate and improve experiences at Knapsack.