Customer expectations continue to rise. The level of support required and expectations of those providing customer service need to increase equally. Look, sometimes things go wrong. Some products are defective. Sometimes there are service failures. Sometimes websites go down, or shipping is later than expected. Stuff happens. When there is a breakdown or failure, resolving the customer issue needs to be prioritized, but that’s not all that’s required. To take your customer satisfaction to the next level by focusing on the “+1 Approach to Customer Service.”
What Is The +1 Approach To Customer Service?
It is about going one step beyond resolving the problem or issue at hand with making it right, adding something extra to say we appreciate your patience, loyalty, or insight into how we can better serve you next time around if given a chance. Solve the problem and add something afterward to improve the experience, the +1.
Lifetime Value Of A Customer
Many customer service agents providing support think case to case, or customer to customer, never stepping back and looking at the big picture. If one were to look at customers from a higher level, they would see that each customer has a potential lifetime value to the business beyond just a straightforward interaction. If customers are a fan of your brand or products, there is more at stake than just the potential $40 product they are concerned about. The lifetime value of a customer needs to be considered. Perhaps that customer spends or is capable of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars more.
When things don’t go as planned, how are you, ensuring that you solve the issue for the customer well and making sure they are willing to return?
+1 Customer Service Example
I used to work in the car rental business. It was challenging for my team members sometimes, as cars would return late, needing to be quickly turned around for other customers, or variables beyond their control would come into play. The experience wouldn’t always go as planned. I vividly remember a corporate customer in a long-term rental with us returned their vehicle frustrated with us that there was no snow brush in their car. They experienced rough, unplanned Canadian winter weather at the tail end of their trip. It was late early October. They had initially rented our car out for over a month, during a period of unseasonably warmer temperatures, so we didn’t do our annual snow brush initiative yet. Returning the vehicle, this customer was frustrated; they had to purchase their snow brush.
Here Comes The +1 Approach
My customer service agent was incredibly empathetic, apologizing for the inconvenience. In many customer support situations, that’s where the interaction would have ended. Apologize and collect a payment, moving on. Recognizing the customer’s lifetime value, we refunded the cost of the snow brush against this customer’s rental bill. Using the +1 approach, we also provided a free upgrade to an SUV from a car for their next rental, offering to book their next trip with us immediately, providing them with more comfort. We aimed to make it right. Not only did this action help us keep the customer happy, but it resulted in this once-frustrated customer bringing us many of his peers in the coming weeks, fellow business travelers, to rent long-term.
What Are Some Ways To Offer The +1 Approach?
Depending on the industry you are in, there are many ways to offer the +1 approach to help make the customer experience better. The cost of doing some extra will usually outweigh the lifetime value of losing a customer. Empower your team, providing support to customers with some of the following ways to make the +1 approach, including:
- Waiving shipping or delivery charges
- Personalized thank you note
- Free products or accessories
- Timely follow-ups
- Finding ways to make it easier for your customer
- Company swag
Final Thoughts
You need to go one step further than just solving customer issues. Make it right, and then some by following the +1 approach to customer service. Celebrate and recognize those on your team who embody this approach too. Doing so will not only improve your employee satisfaction, but it will also further strengthen customer satisfaction.
