Some brands are known for their attention to customer service and the overall customer experience. Everyone has heard the story of Nordstrom agreeing to the return of certain tires, and many people have stories of amazing personalized experiences at Walt Disney World and the Ritz-Carlton. So how do management teams make the decision to walk a mile for their clients and, more importantly, how many are actually implementing this initiative?
What is a customer experience? “The customer experience takes into account all the touch points a customer experiences when interacting with a brand, including before a purchase, the transaction itself, the use of the product, and any service or post interaction. -purchase. – @ KevinLeifer on Twitter
Recently, I needed to buy cat food to replenish the supply of my two cats. While they aren’t particularly picky eaters, they eat canned foods recommended by their vet. The brand is Hills Science Diet, and the two varieties are Chicken for Hairball Control and Savory Salmon (yes, not just salmon, but SAVORY salmon).
Like many people these days during the Covid-19 pandemic, I tend to order more items online than by visiting retail stores. So I checked out Amazon, Chewy, Petco, and PetSmart. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find cat food online. Also, due to an online search for nearby retail stores, I learned that there are no nearby retail stores that sell cat food.
My first thought was why the food was not available, and after deciding the reason was related to Covid, I wondered why one of the websites hadn’t provided a message like the following:
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some of our suppliers are impacted. We hope to have our products back in stock by (date), or we do not know when the products will be available. We thank you for your trust and hope that we will soon be able to be your favorite pet store again. ”
But I haven’t seen anything like this message.
Then I thought of Twitter and its immediate response feature. Some brands like Twitter for its immediacy – and use it. Here’s an example: Consider sitting on an airplane and asking yourself the reason for the delay. Simply tweet the airline with the flight number and ask for the reason for the delay.
So with that thought in mind, I tweeted through Twitter to the four brands referenced above as well as Hills. I heard from Hills and Chewy. While I couldn’t find any cat food, at least I had the satisfaction that some brands valued my brand experience – and walked a mile in my shoes.
What would your brand have done in this situation?
Image credit: Debbie Laskey and Twitter.
Three links that tell the stories referenced in the introductory paragraph:
Is your business customer-centric?
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/business-customer-centric-0634144
Why should you care about your brand’s customer experience?
https://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2016/03/why-should-you-care-about-your-brands.html
The plush giraffe shows what customer service is all about
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stuffed-giraffe-shows-wha_b_1524038
