When was the last time a company did something that made you think, “wow” that was great customer service! At Zappos it’s a core value and they’ve become pretty famous for it. Today we’re going to share some examples of unexpected ways you can wow customers with a little creativity and some can-do attitude.

1. Make It Easy. As business owners, we sometimes overcomplicate things. Zoom out and take a look at things from a customer service perspective. Are things that should be easy to do, like paying for a purchase hard? If so, make changes and make ’em fast. Go to your location and watch customers while they shop, stand in line to pay, find sizes, etc. Observe their behavior and listen to their comments. Does it take too long? Are there too many steps? How can you simply, streamline, or do things more efficiently?

Example: Some banks recently introduced the ability to deposit a check by taking a picture of it with your smart phone and using the bank mobile app to deposit it. Totally awesome and brilliant. No more trip to the bank and your money is deposited faster. Saves time and so simple. That’s a wow.

2. Be Thoughtful. Sometimes it’s little things that make big impressions. As in #1, how can you address pain points for your customers and do something thoughtful to boot? Think of all the ways you can go the extra mile. When you ship out orders, what is the presentation?

Examples: Sephora allows you to select a few free samples that they throw in the box for you to try.  While standing in line to order lunch at Super-Duper last week, we were offered a sample of french fries and dip. See where we’re going with this?

Another coworker received a hand-written thank you note after his recent purchase at Taylor Stitch. After a recent Black Friday purchase from CB2, we received an email just to say “thanks”. During a stay at Hotel Marlowe, a Skadeedle friend found a picture placed on their nightstand of their daughter so they wouldn’t miss them too much (the Hotel Marlowe does this by asking you to if you want to upload a photo during the reservation process – then they place it in a cool frame and voila!).

3. Never Be Satisfied. As a business owner it is your job to stay up at night thinking of all the ways to make your biz better. But no one can think of everything, so really listen to your customers. You can do this through surveys, real-live conversations, (like at a restaurant when the chef comes out and asks you how you are enjoying your meal) by engaging through social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and Foursquare. Monitor conversations and engage in them or you could miss a boatload of helpful feedback to wow people. Oh, and when you get negative feedback or comments? Handle it well, and you could not only win over a naysayer, but win a tons of new customers too.

Have you been wowed lately by a business, or does your company do something pretty wow-worthy with your customer service? Share away in the comments.

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