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What do you experience when you encounter a brand for the first time?
According to New York Times bestselling author, Shep Hyken, new customers experience uncertainty. They don't know exactly what to expect from a company or its products.
Even if that company has a reputation, customers don't know that their experience will match what they've heard.
In the new edition of his book, The Cult of the Customer, Hyken explains how to move customers from the "Cult of Uncertainty" to the "Cult of Amazement."
Hyken and I discussed a few of the key concepts from the book in this lively interview:
Why "cult" is not a dirty word.
How every customer starts in the "Cult of Uncertainty."
Why you need a customer service vision.
Hyken's unique and practical definition of customer amazement.
Why leaders need to focus on the details to get amazing results.
You can watch the full interview or scroll down for some highlights.
Why "cult" is not a dirty word
Some people are scared off by the word, cult. Hyken shared an amusing story in our interview (go to minute 1:03) about a customer who so misunderstood the meaning that he refused to take Hyken’s call.
Hyken shared a little history to help explain that cult is not a dirty word.
It comes from the Latin word, cultus, which has several meanings including tilling, adoration, and care. Culture and cultivate both come from this same root word!
While some people associate "cult" with a fanatical religious movement, Hyken uses a broader definition that's much more positive.
Cult: Like-minded people with like-minded beliefs, that are heading in the same direction.
That's not necessarily a bad thing!
You might even belong to a cult and not think of it that way. If you have a group of friends you get together with each Sunday to watch the game, you have a cult! Or if you have a group of coworkers who are passionate about a particular project, then guess what? Cult.
How every customer starts in the "Cult of Uncertainty"
People are not sure what to expect from your company at first.
They might have gotten an impression from your advertising, product packaging, or from talking to an employee. But they won’t know for sure until they've experienced your products or services.
Unfortunately, many companies keep their customers in a perpetual cult of uncertainty.
A customer might see an ad promising a great product, and then experience something entirely different. Or they might have wildly inconsistent experiences from one time to the next.
Great companies offer a consistent experience that customers can count on.
Why you need a customer service vision
Regular readers will notice I refer to the term "customer service vision" a lot. It's a shared definition of outstanding service that gets everyone on the same page.
When I wrote The Service Culture Handbook, I discovered that having a vision is the cornerstone of a customer-focused culture.
Hyken has a different term, but it means the same thing. He calls it a "customer service mantra." It's a simple statement, preferably one sentence, that clearly defines outstanding service or an outstanding experience.
He shares a great example about The Ritz-Carlton’s mantra at the 6:00 minute mark in the interview.
Creating a vision is the first step to moving customers past the Cult of Uncertainty. (Note: you can create your own with this step-by-step guide.)
There are five customer cults, or phases, that customers can go through. Here's a summary of the five phases that Hyken describes in his book:
Uncertainty: you're not sure what will happen.
Alignment: you understand the mantra, and you're interested.
Experience: you have a good experience that matches the mantra.
Ownership: you've had more good experiences and you like the company.
Amazing: you've had so many good experiences you tell others.
What is an amazing customer experience?
Hyken has a great definition that he shares in the interview: "Amazement is above average, but it's above average all of the time."
Many companies shoot for the over-the-top, wow experience, but there's a big problem. We just don't have an opportunity to wow a customer very often.
For instance, a client of mine recently told me about an employee saving a customer's dog from a burning building. Now that's a memorable experience!
So how do you recreate that?
Unless you work for the fire department, you can't realistically expect all of your customers to have dogs in burning buildings that need saving. And an individual customer is unlikely to have their dog stuck in a burning building a second time. These opportunities don’t happen often!
What you can do is provide a consistently above average experience. That means working hard to ensure there are no service failures. It also entails doing things just a little better than your competition.
Why amazing leaders need to focus on the details
Hyken tells a great story in the interview about a detail-oriented executive (go to minute 17:33).
The executive was touring the gas station where Hyken worked while he was in college. While on the tour, the executive noticed a sign with a slightly jagged edge. He made a note of it, so the sign could be fixed.
When Hyken asked why the executive was concerned with that detail, he explained that he was worried a customer might catch their coat on the sign while walking by. He didn't want to damage customers' clothing.
Hyken took that lesson to heart. By paying attention to those small details, the executive set the expectation that details mattered. It encouraged others to do the same.
Learn more from Shep Hyken
Hyken is one of my favorite customer service keynote speakers. He routinely publishes great content on his blog and his Amazing Business Radio podcast.
In addition to The Cult of the Customer, he's the author of several other books I highly recommend: