My favorite soft drink is Coke Zero. It doesn’t have the bitterness of Diet Coke. To me it tastes very close to regular Coca-Cola without the calories. I now ask for it by name at restaurants-and am finding that many restaurants are offering it in addition to Diet Coke which makes me happy!
Why am I telling you this?
The thing I don’t like about Coke Zero is that it’s kind of pricey. In our local supermarket a 12-pack of Coke Zero may be about $6.00 or so, if it’s not on sale. For an entrepreneur with a family that feels like a luxury item, especially since soda has no nutritional value whatsoever, to spend our money on consistently.
But, I still like the Coke Zero taste, so what do I do? I buy the store brand version of Coke Zero. To put it nicely the store brands are the knock-off versions of famous products that people love, but since they don’t have the name brand in it, they’re cheaper. The store brand version is about $2.50 to $3.00 for a 12 pack, which the frugal part of me loves. And…and…it tastes really close to Coke Zero!
How this applies to you
When the supermarket created the knock-off of Coke Zero I’m assuming they “reverse-engineered” (copied) it, determined what the ingredients were and then made their own version. You can do the same thing too!
You are in the customer service field. Whether you’re a front line sales associate, community manager, maintenance manager, technician, c-suite executive etc. you are in the business of keeping customers happy. Instead of trying to reinvent the customer service experience and trying to come up with a bunch of new ideas, why not observe what other people already do, make adjustments for this industry and implement the idea.
Let me give you some examples…
Starbucks: The first time someone ordered a drink that was fully customized I was blown away because I didn’t see what this person ordered on the menu; and yet the barista seemed to know exactly what the customer wanted.
The tip: Find ways to let your customers customize their experience. It can be as simple as having a lot of options at your coffee bar or giving them multiple ways to create a service request.
Amazon Prime: I love the convenience of Amazon prime. Products arrive quickly and are brought to my front door. The convenience of it has completely jaded me to the experience of having to go to the post office to pick up a package!
The tip: Your residents want things done quickly and conveniently. While there are many applications to this, I’ll focus on the most direct; with the Holidays approaching why not be Amazon Prime for your residents and offer to deliver packages being held at your office to their apartments?
I know some of you are cringing at the extra work so maybe you just offer this during the last few days of the Christmas season; or with packages that are perishable that the customer can’t pick up before your office closes.
Your turn!
Why companies have provided you with amazing service…what can you learn from them and apply to your community today?
