By Amy Townson

Normally, I work from my desk. To write this blog, I moved to the back porch to enjoy the changing fall season. Last summer, we had our back porch completely replaced. The original porch hadn’t been installed correctly, and its foundation had cracked. Ah, the joys of home ownership! The contractor who did this work was amazing to work with, and the results completely wowed us.

Thinking about my experience as a customer made me consider my client work as a consultant and what is important for a truly WOW customer experience. So how does customer service relate to a successful business?

The next time we need work done on our house, that contractor will be among the first companies we will call. We’ve already recommended them to friends and neighbors. The power of organic marketing can yield amazing results – new customers, repeat customers, and expanded business opportunities. “Wowing” your customers is a competitive advantage that sets you apart from your competition.

Ways to Wow

If we can all agree that organic marketing and “wowing” customers are important, the next question is how to do this. Several key takeaways stand out as I think about the experience and how it can translate to our work.

• Listen and Notice Details. Active listening is a core business skill critical to wowing your customer. Listen to them and confirm that you understand their problems and needs. I try to look deeper and pick up on details and connections they may not have made. For example, our initial ask was to do some basic repairs on the porch – had the contractor not noticed the details, we would have happily thrown that money away without knowing the underlying problem that needed to be addressed.
• Make It Easy. Customers who come to you already have a need or problem to solve, and it’s frequently hard to admit. Make solving that problem as easy as possible for them. Take the guesswork out of the next steps and solutions you present. Give the customer enough information to make an informed decision. And always explain the risks and benefits of the options. Resolve conflicts promptly (and avoid starting them), and keep in mind that you’re a guest if onsite. Our contractor handled everything for us, even navigating the process of working closely with the township to ensure a seamless permit and inspection experience.
• Be Sensitive to the Neighbors. No project happens in a vacuum. Pounding, sawing, and drilling late at night or early in the morning will likely not make your client popular with the neighbors. Every project has its neighborhood of influences, politics, complexities, and baggage. Attempt to understand and be respectful of the people, agendas, and factors impacted by your client’s project. Remember that your clients will live in that neighborhood long after completing the project. Help ensure that your clients maintain good relations.
• Be a Partner. Do you want each client to be a one-time job, or do you want repeat business? If the latter, then be their partner at every step. Understand their needs and work toward their success. By partnering to ensure your clients’ success and helping them solve their problems, you show them that you care and that their needs matter. Be upfront about risks and then work with them to reduce and have plans to resolve those risks should they happen. Show your client’s the respect you would want and that they deserve, and always work toward understanding and achieving mutual goals. Our contractor didn’t concentrate on the money his company was making; he focused on the porch’s safety. Once safety was addressed, he shifted to how we would use the space and recommended changes based on our lifestyle.
• Communicate Transparently. Keep your clients in the loop at every step. Frequent status updates are an easy way to increase communication, but you can go beyond this. Give them a way to pull down additional information, such as sharing files through Teams. Let them know as soon as you learn about risks, barriers, issues, and opportunities. With our contractor, we knew exactly what was happening at every point. He even let us know if there was a delay due to the weather. Do your clients receive the same treatment?
• Keep Your Word. We’ve covered reliability before, but if you say you will do something, do it! If you can’t, let your client know why AND what you will do instead. It’s so often the little things that add up to big success. We’ve all heard homeowner horror stories – letting someone work on your project can be scary. Our contractor delivered what he promised at every step; we need to do the same in the services we provide our customers.
• Bring Your Expertise. Your customers need you and your company to be an expert. As a Momentum consultant, I must stay at the forefront of technology, best practices, industry trends, and standards in my field. Even if you aren’t a consultant, technology changes and new research means an ever-changing business landscape that we all need to learn and adapt to. It’s on all of us to become the best we can be in our niche, whether consulting on advancing technology and business process improvement or building a back porch.
• Take Initiative. If you notice something that needs to be done, do it. If you can’t do it for some reason, let your client know. If you need information, try to find it yourself, but don’t assume. If in doubt, always check with the customer. If you find you need help, ask. As a consultant, I regularly work with new clients, and they don’t have the time to spoon-feed me – likely, your customers are the same.
• Anticipate Their Needs. I try to anticipate the questions I’ll receive from clients and find answers before they are raised. If there is a logical next step, prepare the information beforehand so you can respond quickly rather than waiting for the questions. If there is a companion need that frequently accompanies your customer’s original request, mention it so they can decide if that is a direction they want to explore. For example, I recently helped a Momentum client prepare a Request for Information (RFI). While they didn’t mention it, I anticipated their next need would be a solution assessment so they could compare the results. Rather than waiting for them to say something, I shared a template with them so they could start thinking about their next steps.
• Deliver Results. This one should go without saying, but it’s too important to skip. Customers expect you to deliver something. But wowing your customers goes beyond merely delivering what they requested – you need to deliver results that meet their needs. As a Project Manager, I can deliver a successful project on time and on budget to implement new software, but if that software isn’t used or causes new or additional problems, I won’t wow my client.
• Exceed Their Expectations. Competition in business is fierce, and simply meeting expectations is no longer enough. We must exceed expectations and delight our customers at every step. Transparent communications, a personalized touch, or even rapidly responding to customer requests can help you exceed their expectations.

Are You Ready to “Wow?”

Despite the shock and the high price tag, the entire experience of replacing the back porch was fantastic. As a customer, I was wowed. I think I’ve captured the key strategies that led to this experience. What do you think? Are there other strategies you use to wow your customers? Connect with us to share your ideas!

Written by Amy Townson

Amy is a certified project manager with over 20 years of experience and expertise in the health and human services industry, transportation, state government sector, contract management, and project management techniques. She has successfully managed over fifty unique projects and multiple portfolios of projects. In addition, Amy has provided training for state and federal clients on a variety of topics. She has strong facilitation skills with the ability to tailor messages to fit the audience’s experience level and role. Amy is a skilled leader of in-person, virtual, and combination teams.

Like Amy’s work? Check out some of her other blogs – Getting Started with Lean, How and When to Apologize, or Turning Strategy and Vision into an Actionable Plan.