The Unexpected Should Be Mandatory – Five ways to consistently surprise and delight consumers
A friend recently said that when it comes to rewarding customers, surprise leads to delight. I think he’s absolutely right, and I believe all brands should include a positive unexpected tactic in their marketing plan. That’s right, you have to plan for the unexpected, or at least develop a framework for how this can come to life in your organization.
When I worked for the Walt Disney Company, we called these ‘Magical Moments,’ and they were actually scheduled into our shifts by the computer system that deployed us. One of my favorite ”Magical Moments” was inviting a family to skip the line for one of the popular attractions. Following the experience, we would present a personalized certificate to the kids and then get back to our work. The cost? Ten minutes and a buck for the certificate. The return? Priceless.
There’s always been a benefit to this type of activity, but now that “mobile and social” trends amplify messages in real-time, creating magical moments becomes exponentially more valuable.
A similar concept was also the theme of a TED event I recently attended. TED is a nonprofit organization that hosts a series of invitation-only events where speakers are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less) and promote “ideas worth spreading.”
As an extension of this platform, TEDx aims to encourage a similar dialogue through independent local events. With the guidance of the parent TED organization, an amazing team here in NH organized TEDxAmoskeagMillyard and themed the event “The Unexpected.”
The day proved informative, inspiring, and of course, included plenty of unexpected moments. Howard Brodsky, the CEO of CCA Global Partners, spoke about “Delivering the Unexpected” in business. His comments focused on the idea that positive unexpected experiences help build employee morale, create customer loyalty and differentiate the business. In other words, ‘go one more step’ (to borrow from my friend Taylor’s blog).
While you don’t want the unexpected to seem contrived, there are ways to make sure it’s a common practice. Here are five simple ways to consistently surprise and delight customers:
1. Remember a customer’s name. We all love the sound of our own name.
2. Write a hand-written note. This can come from a customer service rep or an executive, but either way it will have a major impact.
3. Offer a small gift certificate when a customer provides constructive feedback (positive or negative). When our opinion matters, we’re more invested.
4. Throw in something extra the next time you fill an order. Do you believe in shopping karma? You should.
5. Provide an easy way to ‘sample’ your product or service (in software this is referred to as the ‘freemium’ model). Think about the feeling when we see someone handing out tablespoons of yogurt at the end of the grocery aisle. We might not even like yogurt, but we can’t wait to see if there’s another sample around the corner.
How do you make the unexpected a part of your customer experience?
Brady Sadler is the VP of Business Development & Marketing at GY&K. You can follow him on Twitter: @BradySadler
