Target’s Marketing Strategy Uses Customer Experience as a Difference Maker

Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer. Have you noticed how Target’s customer experience design has grown in the importance of brand marketing? More and more trying to astonish the customer. Certainly, a real discriminator, isn’t it? The customer focus at Target has led to the retail giant having a reputation for an absurdly great customer experience design. In fact, the marketing strategy uses customer experience design as a key difference maker. The company is perhaps as known as much for its experience design as it is for the merchandise it sells.

Target has managed to make customer service its strongest selling point, and it certainly seems to have been the smart choice.

Today we will examine 10 different ways the brand has chosen to use its customer experience to stand out above the noise and become a significant contributor to their marketing strategy.

The end-state quality of the product or service the customer receives is what counts. However, this includes the experience the customer remembered while he purchased the item. Often that is what is remembered the most.

So what constitutes a great customer experience?

The quality of your company’s customer experience is ultimately determined by the way customers feel after their last interaction. If the customer is unhappy, your company’s customer experience is bad. If the customer doesn’t have a feeling one way or the other, your company’s customer experience is mediocre (and some would argue badly). If the customer feels good, your company’s customer experience is satisfactory, but it does not stand out.

But if the customer feels delighted, your company’s customer experience is a substantial competitive advantage. That is the only one that really matters to success. It is the one everyone is attempting to find the magic for.

Consider the invention cycle:

Imagination is envisioning things that do not exist.

Creativity is applying imagination to address a challenge.

Innovation is applying creativity to generate unique solutions.

Entrepreneurship is applying innovation, to bring unique ideas to fruition, and inspiring others’ imagination.

This framework is relevant to start-ups and established firms, as well as innovators of all types where the realization of a new idea — whether a product, service, or work of art — results in a collective increase in imagination. An entrepreneurial spirit infects others, leading to wave upon wave of imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Let’s examine 10 smashing examples that Target uses to delight customers:

Customer care

Feelings and emotions certainly have a significant role in the way customers are influenced in the marketing process. Some are saying that all customers are concerned about right now is price. I challenge that. It takes no special skill to follow the leader or be the (momentary) leader with the lowest price.

Companies that are thriving (yes, thriving) do more. They have made deliberate decisions about how they would run their business, and they live out those decisions every day. The most important of those decisions is the one that determines that taking great care of their customers is the highest priority.

Hire nurturers

Hiring nurturers to take care of customers is the best place to start the process. You can identify this natural ability in employees during the interview process.

As much as there is a tendency to move customers quickly in and out your doors in the name of efficiency, resist this approach. Today’s customer wants and expects to be cared for as an individual. For example; on “Black Friday,” as customers were standing in cold lines to get into stores in the middle of the night, one intern at a local store decided to pass out coffee, hot chocolate, and doughnuts to keep the crowds calm. A great small touch that had remarkable long-term results via word-of-mouth marketing because of that “nurturing” gesture.

At Target salespeople can offer to ring up your purchase without you ever having to stand in line. A great small touch that had remarkable long-term results via word-of-mouth marketing because of that “nurturing” gesture.

Product presentation

Have you ever been to a Target store? If you have you will remember the emphasis on the visual presentation of their products. Draws your eyes to many, even if you are not looking for them. Helping customers visualize and sometimes try on the products.

Personalization

Customers don’t want to be treated like a number. They want to feel valued and understood. Their belief? That the money they spend with your company entitles them to such treatment.

The differentiation of the experience your company delivers will therefore be at least in part contingent on your ability to personalize your interactions with customers across all channels. That means knowing their name, their previously expressed preferences, or the particulars of their current situation. Lots of small ways to create customer personalization. A Nordstrom salesperson rarely points. If you have a question about where something is located, they walk you there. The personal touch is remembered.

Care

Customers like knowing that you care. Great service is the top reason customers keep giving their business to companies and the top reason they recommend those companies to others. On the flip side, 80 percent of customers say that they have stopped doing business with a company because of a bad service experience.

More often than not, they will never do business with such a company ever again. For these reasons and others, it is critical to ensure that your company delivers great service care. Care that results in great experiences that are remembered and talked about.

Separate checkout bays by department, unlike many other retail department stores that have central checkout bays that can feel like a cattle call. You can’t over-prepare your customer experience if you want customers to select or stay with your company.

Empower employees

Be relentless about cutting out those rules that make your frontline folks have to bounce back and forth between themselves and a manager to take care of a customer or extend a special gesture they feel is warranted.

Take another page from Target that gets rid of the rule book for customers, or minimizes the rule book for employees, telling employees that the major rule they all live by is “No Customer Can Leave Unhappy.”

Differentiated value

This example, while being traditional, will surprise you with the best brand in this discrimination category. Ever shopped at Target? Our favorite retail store because of its great, unique discriminators. Consider its high-touch service, spacious look and feel, and top-quality products. One-to-one service. In most departments, if you indicate the desire to shop, there is a salesperson designated to help you find sizes, etc. They are number 1 in our minds.

Get away from the desk

Be where your customers and the folks who serve your customers are.

Be agile, be on the lookout for what people are asking for, and then be responsive. If you do something for one customer in need, spread the idea to your employees to extend the gesture, too. Being responsive and empathetic and adjusting how you do business for your customers now will pay off as the memory of your kindness stays with them.

Let your customers know

Let the marketplace know about who you are and what you value in your decisions and actions. Be authentic at all costs.

When you make a decision, it results in action. And the accumulation of those decisions and actions becomes how people describe you and think of you. It becomes your story. So decide what story you want to be told about your company and your people. Your “storefront” is the accumulation of your decisions and actions.

So what story is emerging about who you are and what you value? Having customers who love you tell your story will make your business grow. Make decisions that will earn you the kind of story you want to be told. No wonder the only rule at Nordstrom to this day is “Use good judgment in all situations.”

The bottom line

Here’s the thing, social and customer experience isn’t just a new way of marketing, it’s really a new way of running a business. Many businesses certainly have figured this out and are using social marketing and improved customer experience to rapidly grow their business.

Remember, don’t talk about how great you are. Tell your customers a story about what you do well will make them feel awesome. Make customer experience the centerpiece of your marketing success strategy. Learn from these guys, one of the best.

Customer Service Tips: How to Take Charge with 11 Service Basics

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. Sam Walton understood customers, didn’t he? Using these customer service tips is not rocket science.

How often, as a customer, do you experience WOW customer service … the type that you normally can’t imagine? Average or less customer service seems like the norm in many industries.

In some, it’s so common that when we provide great service, we yield customers who feel like they’ve won the lottery, if only for a moment. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Many organizations have big challenges that can be obstacles to providing great customer service. But so do many other companies that find ways to provide the wow attention getter.

They choose to overcome their challenges and they take care of their customers very well.

And they make a point to do it consistently.

We often get questions and comments on improving customer service from clients and people commenting on our blog. Many relate to customer service actions that are reminders of what we already know (but we occasionally forget).

These are bid enablers of customer service. They usually won’t create a WOW service on their own, but their absence is noted by customers and makes excellent customer service just good or less.

As we work with companies to help them in improving customer service, some things stand out. These are things a lot of small businesses don’t do consistently. Yet if they did they’d find the quality of their customer service would improve and their customer loyalty would increase.

Here are ten things any company can do for improving customer service they’re providing. I know many companies already do some or all of these things. And for those that do, it shows. They are the organizations people rave about. They are the service superstars.

We all know not every customer request is easy or possible to fulfill. But rather than tell them “no”, try to find other ways to help them get what they want.

Always focus on finding a solution. And, when you do this, customers will come back more often because they know you you’ll do everything you can to help them.

Customer service tips … empower employees

Let employees make decisions in crucial customer moments.

No one turns an unhappy customer into a fan faster or better than a team member empowered to instantly fix the situation.

Provide training and guidelines — then trust them to make the right decisions. This is the single most important thing a company can do to create great customer service over the long haul, in our humble opinion.

Seek first to understand for best customer service tips

When a customer is telling you his issue, give them your complete attention. Customers consistently tell us they hate dealing with employees who don’t listen or pay attention.

When you begin talking with a customer, stop whatever else you are doing and focus on them. Don’t multi-task. Don’t half-listen. Write down what they are telling you and get specifics from them.

Make appropriate eye contact, listen, nod and show them you are paying attention. Then confirm that you understand.

Always greet customers promptly and with a smile

You may not be the owner, but you should care like you’re the owner. Not all owners or executives make great leaders, but the ones that are should be emulated. Watch how they take pride in how they deal with customers and employees. Then copy them. Act and care like you are the owner.

When talking with a new customer, give them your full name and get theirs right away. This makes your conversation more personal and enables you to better connect with your customer.

It also tells your customer you’re willing to be accountable for helping them because if you don’t, they know who you are!

Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!” It would be remiss of me not to remind you to show appreciation.

Remember 1 thing

Remember 1 thing about each customer you meet. People do business with people. Make your actions personal. Customers should want to do business with you because of you and your employees.

Make your customers “feel at home.” You may have a great location, cool displays, great signage, etc. That’s all great, but if your people can’t make your customers feel welcome and appreciated, all of the other doesn’t matter.

Focus on details

Remember this, little details can often create big experiences. Pay attention to details. Figure out the details that your customers enjoy and make them a routine part of doing business with you.

Think creatively

Think creatively when solving customer issues. See your customer as someone who needs your help. But to deliver WOW service, remember your customers are there because they want and need YOUR help.

And remember how good it feels to help someone in need! Go the extra mile.

Involve Your Customers

No one knows what your customers want better than your customers. If you ask them with genuine interest, they will tell you. So ask them and heed their advice.

Customer-centric language

Use language that demonstrates you think in terms of customer-centric. Put customer needs ahead of your own. Design your processes and policies with your customer in mind. An example often overlooked … update phone messages to be customer-centric.

Customer service tips and tricks … secret competitive analysis

Personally, mystery shop your own company and your competitors. Find out how easy everyone is to do business with through your own experience.

Sure, you can hire a company to do surveys and mystery shopping, but learning through your own experience can be an eye-opening experience.

Don’t forget to analyze when things go right. When a company receives a complaint people usually have discussions to find out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

Next time you receive a letter of praise, meet to find out what went right and how it can be repeated. Don’t, as the cliché goes, just learn from mistakes.

Focus on the can do’s

Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Always follow up and follow through.

One of the biggest complaints people have is they never hear back from sales or service employees. Someone promises to do something and it never happens.

An easy way to thrill your customers is to simply do what you say you will. Whatever you promise, do it promptly, thoroughly and accurately. Then do a little more. It thrills them every time!

Set aside time

Be sure and set aside time to look at the big picture. Things are never constant or ever as they seem. Your big picture analysis is essential in helping you adapt to change.

To illustrate how simple things in customer service can happen without much notice, we like to use the following example.

We occasionally visited Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch until a disappointment with a KFC takeout order of soggy, unappetizing chicken and fries. We called the restaurant chain’s toll-free number to complain but was told that complaints should be directed to the specific location’s manager.

One call is worth the effort for us, but not two … especially if the company shows a lack of interest in the first call. We find it easier, given these two incidents, to find a new place for lunch.

KFC lost a customer without even knowing it had happened. You can bet your customers make “silent” decisions like this on a regular basis …so make it easy for them to complain. Don’t rely on feedback forms. Ask customers for direct, face-to-face opinions. Do it regularly and have them know whom they can complain to, if anything goes wrong. The image above is real and a great way to let customers know you are paying attention and care.

What your customer perceives about your company is what determines whether they will stay with you. And their perception is built one contact at a time. Even one bad experience can taint their perception of you. So make sure every contact they have is a great one. Create customer evangelists by caring about your customers and showing it with everything you do.

So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you.

It’s up to you to keep improving your customer attention and focus. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, your competitor may be providing the ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.

When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.

Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your continuous learning for yourself and your team?

Do you have a lesson about making your customer focus better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

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HP Customer Advocates: The Ultimate Case for Their 14 Commandments

Customer evangelism is something big companies and marketing consultants have talked about for years. It is about the job to build customer advocates. Often though, HP customer advocates get most of the attention in this area.

How often, as a customer, do you experience WOW customer service? That is the type that you normally can’t imagine? Average or less customer service seems like the norm in many industries.

In some, it’s so common that when we provide great service, we yield customers who feel like they’ve won the lottery.

Even if only for a moment. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Customer service tips are not rocket science.

We often get questions and comments on customer service tips from clients and people commenting on our blog.

Many relate to customer service actions that are reminders of what we already know. But we occasionally forget them, don’t we?

These are the bid enablers of customer service. They usually won’t create WOW service on their own. However, their absence is noted by customers. This makes excellent customer service just good or less.

Customer Experience Thinking: 11 Ideas That Create Massive Growth

As we work with companies to help them in improving customer service, some things stand out. These are things a lot of small businesses don’t do consistently. If they did, they’d find the quality of their customer service would improve. And their customer loyalty would increase.

People assume small and mid-sized companies can’t create customer evangelists. But they’re wrong. Here are things any company can do for improving customer service they’re providing.

I know many companies already do some or all of these things. And for those that do, it shows. They are the organization’s people rave about. They are the service superstars, and they create customer advocates despite their size.

Here are fourteen actions you can take to create customer evangelists no matter what size your company is.

HP customer advocates … HP talks to their customers

Have real person-to-person conversations with as many customers as you can. If you have a lot of customers relative to your employees, then you’ll need to prioritize. Find ways to have real, meaningful and ongoing conversations with them.

This might mean inviting some to lunch. It might mean hosting get-togethers at your business. It might start with a survey and end with a phone call or a meeting. For others, it might be virtual conversations using email or Web 2.0 tools.

*HP customer advocates … empower employees***

HP lets employees make decisions in crucial customer moments.

No one turns an unhappy customer into a fan faster than a team member empowered to fix the situation instantly.

Provide training and guidelines. Trust them to make the right decisions. This is the single most important thing a company can do to create great customer service.

Great customer service that will exist over the long haul, in our humble opinion.

*HP customer advocates … seek first to understand***

When a customer is telling you their issue, HP gives them your complete attention. Customers consistently tell us they hate dealing with employees who don’t listen or pay attention.

When you begin talking with a customer, stop whatever else you are doing and focus on them. Don’t multi-task. Don’t half-listen.

Write down what they are telling you and get specifics from them. Make appropriate eye contact, listen, nod. Show them you are paying attention. Then confirm that you understand.

HP customer advocates … serve their needs

Of course, they’re doing this to make HP better. But everything you do in your customer evangelism effort needs to be useful from your customer’s perspective.

Educate them while you engage them. Always do things in ways that are useful to and respectful of your customers. Keep that as your primary focus.

Always greet customers promptly and with a smile

You may not be the owner, but you should care like you’re the owner. Not all owners or executives make great leaders, but the ones that are should be emulated.

Watch how they take pride in how they deal with customers and employees. Then copy them. Act and care like you are the owner.

When talking with a new customer, give them your full name and get theirs right away. This makes your conversation more personal and enables you to better connect with your customer.

It also tells your customer you’re willing to be accountable for helping them. This is because if you don’t, they know who you are!

Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!” It would be remiss of me not to remind you to show appreciation.

*HP customer advocates … remember one thing***

HP employees remember one thing about each customer you meet. People do business with people. Make your actions personal. Customers should want to do business with you because of you and your employees.

Make your customers “feel at home.” You may have a great location, cool displays, great signage, etc. That’s all great, but your people must make your customers feel welcome and appreciated.

If not, all of the other doesn’t matter.

HP customer advocates … get them involved

Find multiple ways to get your customers involved. For some people, just a regular phone call or lunch will be enough.

For others, you might get their help finding solutions to challenges you’re facing.

Give using brainstorming or other facilitated meetings a try.

Focus on details

Remember this; little details can often create big experiences. Pay attention to details.

Figure out the details that your customers enjoy. Make them a routine part of doing business with you.

*HP customer advocates … think creatively***

HP does their best to think creatively when solving customer issues. They see a customer as someone who needs help.

To deliver WOW service, remember your customers are there because they want and need YOUR help. And remember how good it feels to help someone in need! Go the extra mile.

Create communities for your customers to participate in. Forums and blogs are great for this. Software and online companies have done this for years but so can small businesses.

For example, VillageHatShop.com, (a small online and offline store) invited customers to submit pictures of themselves wearing their hats. They posted the pictures on their website. Judging by the number of pictures, it was a big success for them.

HP involves their customers

HP realizes no one knows what your customers want better than your customers.

If you ask them with genuine interest, they will tell you. So ask them and heed their advice.

HP customer advocates … customer-centric *language***

Use language and actions that demonstrate you think regarding customer-centric. Put customer needs ahead of your own.

Design your processes and policies with your customer in mind.

Here is an example often overlooked. Always remember to update phone messages to be customer-centric.

HP is open with customers

However you engage customers, make sure you do it genuinely and honestly. Be open to what you’re doing and why.

Make the process as transparent as possible. The more open you are with your customers, the more open they will be with you.

Let all of your employees participate. Don’t script them or micro-manage their involvement. Never, ever.

Let them get to know your customers and vice- versa. The more your customers know and like your employees, the more likely they will be evangelists for you.

That is the bottom line in creating loyal customers who promote your business.

Care about customers

Every action your company takes needs to show your customers you are there to serve their needs.

When you do this, you will deliver an experience that your customers can’t get anywhere else. So they’ll come back.

And, more importantly, they’ll bring others with them.

Secret competitive analysis

Personally, mystery shop your own company and your competitors. That is how HP does it.

Find out how easy everyone is to do business with through your own experience.

Sure, you can hire a company to do surveys and mystery shopping, but learning through your own experience can be an eye-opening.

Don’t forget to analyze when things go right.

When a company receives a complaint people usually have discussions to find out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.

Next time you receive a letter of praise, meet to find out what went right and how it can be repeated. Don’t, as the cliché goes, just learn from mistakes.

Focus on the can do’s

Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Always follow up and follow through.

One of the biggest complaints people have is they never hear back from sales or service employees. Someone promises to do something, and it never happens.

An easy way to thrill your customers is to simply do what you say you will. Whatever you promise, do it promptly, thoroughly and accurately.

Then do a little more. It thrills customers every time!

The bottom line

Be sure and set aside time to look at the big picture, through the HP lens. Things are never constant or ever as they seem. Your big picture analysis is essential in helping you adapt to change.

Always focus on finding a solution.

And, when you do this, customers will come back more often because they know you you’ll do everything you can to help them.

build value proposition — Does your business have a winning value proposition?

Need some help in building better customer service for your customers? Have you noticed the growing importance of the service you provide? Creative ideas to help enhance your word of mouth marketing?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your customer service improvement and pay for results.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas for your service to customers.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your continuous learning for yourself and your team?

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

More reading on customer experience from our Library:

Client Satisfaction …10 Secrets to Improve Customer Experience

Customer Orientation … the Worst Customer Experience Mistakes

Customer Experience Optimization … 10 Employee Actions that Lower It

Building a Customer Experience Strategy for Business Success

Random Acts of Kindness for Customer Experience Improvements

10 Ways to Employ Customer Experience for Influence

Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.