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Deliver Remarkable Experiences. Win more customers. Consistently.

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How to deliver a customer experience that keeps ​your customers coming back

Sonia Thompson

As a business leader, you are in the transformation business.

You help transform your customers from where they are to where they aspire to be. You help transform your team into a high-performing team. And you transform ideas into products, services, and experiences that solve your customers’ problems like none other.

But to allow that transformation to happen, you first need to have a vision of what change you want to create with your customer experience.

How Disney’s customer experience transformed a skeptical guest

For example, late last year I went to Disney World for a few days for workshop. I’ve never considered myself a “Disney” person. But when my group got to The Magic Kingdom and I saw the train come through sounding its horn, the Christmas tree lit up with all the decorations, and got a glimpse of the Cinderella Castle, I was transported to childhood.

A smile remained plastered on my face for what seemed like ages, and my senses were overloaded with the wonder and “magic” my environment produced.

After posting photos on Instagram showing where I was, I received a slew of messages from others who’d been transformed by a Disney experience as well, many of them exclaiming: “it’s the happiest place on Earth.”

Disney transforms every customer. They plan to do so. Meticulously. And that planning begins and ends with making sure that the work they do lives into their purpose statement:

“We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.”

Disney’s transformation goal is to “create happiness.” For me, they succeeded. For the people who sent me notes on Instagram, they succeeded. And for the millions of people who partake in their products and experiences on a regular basis, it’s the same story.

You can do the same. You can succeed in transforming masses of your own customers on a consistent basis. Follow these three simple steps to get started.

1. Declare how you want to transform your customers

Set your intention.

Write out the impact you want to have on your customers. You can put it in your company’s purpose statement like Disney did. Or you can create a separate customer experience mission.

Earlier this year, I worked with a team that was part of a larger company that already had a well-established mission statement.

The division leaders weren’t in a position to alter the company’s mission, vision, or purpose statements. So we worked together to develop a customer experience mission specifically for their area of focus.

2. Communicate that purpose to your team

Declaring the transformation you want to create in your customers is just the first step. Your team will be the ones who bring that vision to life as they come to work everyday.

That includes both your team who work on the front lines with customers, as well as anyone who has an impact on the experience you deliver to your customers.

That’s to say, everyone in your company has a role to play.

Make ongoing training a priority. Let your team know what you are collectively working towards regarding your customer experience. Then provide consistent examples of what good and bad looks like, and reinforce the behaviors you want to see regularly by rewarding those who practice it in their work.

3. Map out your customer touch points

Your customer’s journey has various elements. And each one of those elements have their own subset of touch points that influence your customers’ overall experience with your company.

The goal is to design all. the places your business “touches” your customer to be in line with your customer experience vision. To achieve. this, you’ll need to map out every opportunity for an interaction.

You don’t have to address everything at one time. When you’re able to see the full view of all the areas that impact how you make your customers feel, it is easier to identify areas that you could improve to achieve quick wins.

It also gives you an idea of how to prioritize which areas you’ll work to align to your vision until every aspect of your customer journey delivers your desired experience.

You don’t have to be Disney to consistently transform and delight your customers. Follow the steps above to get started on your own journey to make a big. impact on every customer you connect with.

This article first appeared on Inc.com

Sonia Thompson

Sonia Thompson spent more than 10 years living the corporate life,
helping grow million dollar brands around the world. Now she's a marketing strategist, consultant, Inc. columnist, and author on a mission to help you consistently deliver remarkable customer experiences. She's also a big fan of roaming the streets of Buenos Aires.

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