Last Friday we decided to try something new: a virtual pizza party with a few customers. “Virtual” because most our customers are in different cities from us. “Pizza party” because we sent pizzas to their offices at lunch time. And this little experiment lead to today’s 3 Things post:
Surprising and Delighting Your Customers
1. Random Acts of Kindness. So to finish the pizza story, once a month we do a demo day, where staff show each other what they’ve been working on. It's exciting...but it was missing something: our customers!
So on Friday at 11 am, we decided to surprise a few customers by getting pizza delivered to their offices, and then chatting with them on Twitter, while we ate pizza “together”. The feedback we got was they loved the surprise. It gave that little morale boost they needed on a Friday. (P.S. If you want an invite to our next Virtual Pizza Party tweet us @MethodCRM with #ShowMeTheDough.)
2. Ask the “Magic Wand” Question. This is a fun and whimsical way to ask your customers for feedback. Here’s how we’ve done that with Method customers: “If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about Method right now, what would it be?” The answer you get will be your customer’s #1 pain point with your product or service. Maybe offer them an hour of free consulting or a small discount on their next invoice in exchange. Either way, I bet you a nickel at least some of them will say, “I’m really impressed you’re taking the time to do this”.
3. Gift of Time. Instead of a card, bottle of wine or box of chocolates in December, give a few of your most loyal customers the Gift of Time. Start by asking them for their top 3 charities. Then follow up by offering to volunteer or attend the next fundraiser (ask for 3 charities so you get at least 1 that aligns with your values). You could just cut a check, but I bet you another nickel your customers will be more surprised and more delighted if you offer a little piece of your time.
Surprising and delighting doesn’t have to cost a lot or take more than a few hours… and it’ll be remembered for much longer than that.
So if you had a magic wand and could change one thing about this blog post, what would it be?
We’d love to hear your thoughts. And as the 3 Things series grows we’ll be adding guest bloggers and looking for your stories on what’s worked and what hasn’t, and how you adapted or improved on an idea we shared. And please let us know if you have any pain points or challenges you’d like us to cover.
Email: 3things@methodintegration.com
Twitter: @methodCRM
Till next time.
Jamil