There’s no debating it, customer experience and engagement are huge topics these days.
Books upon books have been written on the subject, not to mention the thousands of articles that discuss the growing importance and shifting trends of what your customers really want from you.
Scott Fogel of Firstborn has been one of the voices in the discussion, but has taken a unique perspective on customer engagement. In a recent article on Co.Create, Fogel argues, “Your brand doesn’t need anyone to #participate in anything.” His argument somewhat spits in the face of conventional practices. In a world where marketers stress the importance of building relationships with your customer base, Fogel believes your customers don’t really want to have a relationship with you.
According to Fogel, there’s one major problem with the way we believe we should be engaging with customers, he says, “We should never conflate heavy product usage with a ‘relationship.’”
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Think about the message being said here. We’ve gotten lost in the fact companies are still selling a product to a customer. It’s not a friendship, no matter how much the customer likes your company. The bottom line is: the “relationship” is a transactional one. Your customers may not be looking for a relationship, but they are still looking to have a remarkable experience every time they do business with you.
Fogel continues his argument by stating there are only three ways to stand out as a brand in a highly competitive digital space:
- Solve a real problem
- Say something interesting
- Become a facilitator
The core of client engagement, according to Fogel, is attention. Not participation. While solving a real problem, saying something interesting, and becoming a facilitator are all great ways to boost brand awareness and engagement, leaving participation out all together is a big mistake.
At entreQuest, we believe a remarkable client experience is one of the core tenants to being able to Grow Regardless. Joseph Pine and James Gilmore wrote back in 1998 about the shifting landscape of the economy and how as a society we are moving towards an experienced-based economy. In their work they outline how people are looking to not just buy a product from you anymore, but buy an experience from you as well. In 2016 it is easy to see how right they were about purchasing an experience.
While Fogel may have hit the mark when saying client engagement is about client attention, he missed by saying participation is not important. Your customers may not be looking for participation in the likes of being asked to Tweet or Instagram their favorite thing about your company … because, let’s be honest, no one wants to do that. That’s not participation. That’s lazy client experience.
We believe there are four pivotal steps to building a remarkable client experience:
Gratitude: Be gracious to your customers. Show them you care and appreciate their business. Try writing a thank you note to customers every now and then.
Recommend: Recommend your customers to other products, people, and even other companies they might be interested in. Even if you can’t give them everything they want, make sure they get what they’re looking for.
Educate: From an education perspective you can find a way to educate people to buy right and buy smart. Think about how restaurants are beginning to post the calorie count of their meals on the menu. They’re trying to educate customers on what the healthiest items are on their menus.
Participate: Find a way to participate in the lives of your clients in their community. Show a way where you can give back to them in terms of time. It’s as simple as taking five minutes and talking to a customer who walks through your door. Take an interest in their well being and they’ll likely reciprocate with continued business.
So, the answer is yes!
Yes, your customers want you to participate, but on their terms. The level of participation Fogel discusses isn’t participation at all. It’s a demonstration of a false sense of interest in customers. Instead, show them you really care. Show them you’re interested in what they’re interested in. Make the interaction and the experience about them – not about you. That’s what your customers really want.
Find a way to participate in a real and authentic way and you’re headed down the path towards a remarkable client experience.
