Crafting the Customer Experience For People Not Like You: How to Delight and Engage the Customers Your Competitors Don't Understand

5. STAFF INTERACTIONS

Train. Monitor. Coach. Reinforce. That’s the mantra. First you have to train your great employees to actively engage with diverse customers in a meaningful way. But you also need to monitor them to ensure that they are on the right track. Listen in on their conversations with customers, observe how they work with diverse people, and pay attention to customers’ reactions. If you’ve got someone who is performing well in this regard, then praise him or her. Let that person know that you have noticed how well he or she is doing and that you appreciate the efforts. If someone is not performing up to your standards, provide coaching on what can be done better. Tell this employee, as specifically as you can, how he or she could improve or how to work with a customer more effectively. Then give that person a chance to demonstrate that he or she can adapt and do better. Continue monitoring, observing, and coaching until the customer approach becomes a habit or second nature. And continually reinforce the importance of crafting unique customer experiences for diverse customers. Keep your team abreast of how their efforts are paying off. Perhaps even share sales results with them as appropriate, for example, “Since we’ve begun our training efforts and new customer approach, our sales are up 15 percent over last quarter.” Or praise the exceptional way that a particular employee handled a specific customer situation. For example, “Kudos to Bob for the way he helped our ...