10 Ways to Make Customers Feel More Valued

When customers feel valued, they are more likely to stay loyal to your brand. It’s as simple as that! But getting this right can be tricky – especially when gimmicks can come across as too tacky, and personalization can be overused to the point of being overfamiliar (and even creepy!).

So, what can you do to make sure customers feel that they are truly valued by your organization? To find out, our Editor, Megan Jones, spoke to Michelle Shaw, Nate Brown, Paul Weald, and Shep Hyken.

Here’s what they said…

How to Make Customers Feel More Valued

1. Invite Your Customers to Co-Create With You

Instead of having just a transactional relationship with your customers, why not invite them into more of a community-style relationship, where you co-create together.

“Look for opportunities for your customers to co-create with you! This could be campaigns to have them name new products, vote on designs, or even just inviting them in to share their stories.

This makes customers feel that you truly value their opinion and want to include them in the future of your products and services.” – Nate Brown, Head of CX Advisory for Metric Sherpa and Co-Founder of CX Accelerator

2. Create a Goodwill Matrix So Agents Know What to Offer Customers and When

Here’s a great idea we heard on a recent site visit to the Ocado Customer Hub in Sunderland, UK:

For expert advice on the best goodwill gestures that can be used to build better customer relationships, read our article: Goodwill Gestures for Better Customer Relationships

3. Celebrate Usage of Your Products and Services…

It’s important to remember that any personalization efforts need to be in context.

A good way to do this consistently – without overstepping the mark – is to celebrate the usage levels of your products and services, as Paul Weald, The Contact Centre Innovator, shares:

“Before the pandemic, I was always on the road, and over the years, I reached the very top of the Marriott Hotel loyalty scheme. Then Covid hit and the travel stopped.

Imagine my surprise when I went back to a Marriott hotel for the first time in over two years to find a handwritten postcard saying, “Welcome back! This is your 592nd stay. It is lovely to have you with us again.” Their loyalty system had stayed active throughout and it really made me feel valued as a customer.”

4. …Instead of Birthdays

By contrast, celebrating birthdays can be a bit hit and miss depending on the sector you’re working in. For example, if your contact centre is supporting a gifts or experiences brand, then it’s more appropriate that your marketing and customer messaging could be oriented around their birthday plans.

But if it’s just a utility or phone company, then you have to stop and ask yourself “why is it relevant that it’s the customer’s birthday?”. It could come across as a bit creepy and overfamiliar, so really think about how relevant your customer’s birthday is when looking for ways to make them feel more valued.

5. Gather More Information About Your Customers So You Can Hyper-Personalize Their Experience

Personalization has moved beyond basic segmentation into a new era of hyper-personalization, as Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer (CAO) at Shepard Presentations, LLC shares:

“Adding the word ‘hyper’ means personalization becomes far deeper than it was in the past. Quite simply, the more customers share, the better their experience gets, and you can then hyper-personalize their experience.

For example, if someone goes into a hotel, it empowers the person behind the service desk to not only say “Welcome back!” but also “Would you like the same room you had before?” and “Would you like us to find you some more non-feathered pillows?” That’s hyper-personalization in action!”

If you want to discover how to deliver not only a great customer experience, but a personalized one, read our article: 21 Steps to a More Personalized Customer Experience

6. Lean Into AI to Make It Even Easier for Agents to Hyper-Personalize Interactions

To truly deliver hyper-personalization, agents need to be trained to listen out for those extra nuggets of information, make note of them, and remember to bring them up again in later conversations.

It’s quite a task! And this is where AI can really help, supporting agents in collecting this information more quickly. For example, filling out a profile during the call to help support the creation of a hyper-personalized email promotion.

7. Don’t Restrict Your Agents With Bad Processes

To make your customers feel valued, your agents need to feel valued too! This comes down to empowerment and giving them the ability to deviate from standard processes if needed, as Michelle Shaw, CX Consultant at Avoira,
explains:

“Quite often, agents are forced to adhere to antiquated processes that don’t always result in the best outcome for the customer, so empower your agents to be able to deviate from them where necessary, so they can make the right judgement call in the moment to ensure the customer feels truly valued by the organization – not compromised by red tape and rigid processes.”

8. Give Agents Leeway to Personalize the Way They Close Each Conversation

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can have the biggest impact.

So, empower your agents to adapt their closing questions to suit the unique nature of the customer conversation they’ve just had – instead of just closing calls with a generic “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”

For example, if it’s a complaint, the agent might ask, “Are you happy that I’ve resolved your problem today?” or “Are you comfortable you understand what the next steps are?”

This tailored end to the conversation can go a long way in leaving the customer feeling that the agent was really listening to them.

This isn’t just about how you close conversations either. Think about how accessible your customer service teams are and offer multiple ways for customers to contact you (e.g. phone, email, social media…) to help them feel that you value their unique preferences for how to contact you.

9. Avoid Putting Time Stamps on Loyalty Programmes – Wherever Possible

Customer loyalty programmes can be a great way to make customers feel special – but the shine can quickly rub off if there’s a time stamp on using the rewards.

Turning up expecting a silver reward and finding you’ve been knocked backed to bronze is a sure-fire way make customers feel less special – and definitely feels like a big backwards step in the goodwill and personalized rewards gained. So, make sure any programmes focus on long-term rewards – not punishments.

10. Don’t Put Shiny Extras on Top of a Bad Customer Experience

And finally, don’t go the extra mile without getting the basics right first!

Imagine a train journey, everything has gone smoothly, the train has left on time, and a member of staff gives your child a surprise colouring pack. Great! In that moment, everyone is winning. Now picture this, a delayed train, unhelpful service, and the same surprise colouring pack is handed to you. In that moment, the impact is completely lost!

This idea of customer experience is a lot like baking a cake, as Nate Brown explains:

For more advice on what you should not be doing to customers, read our article: Stop Doing These Stupid Things to Your Customers

What Have You Tried to Make Your Customers Feel Valued?

Join our LinkedIn community and let us know.

With thanks to the following people for sharing their ideas and experiences for this article:

• Michelle Shaw, CX Consultant at Avoira
• Nate Brown, Head of CX Advisory for Metric Sherpa and Co-Founder of CX Accelerator
• Paul Weald, The Contact Centre Innovator
• Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer (CAO) at Shepard Presentations LLC

If you want more information on how to improve CX and make your customers feel valued, read these articles next:

• 21 Tips to Make Your Customers Feel Truly Valued
• 18 Bad Habits That Kill CX
• 3 Steps to Better Understanding Your Customers

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman