creative briefing

If you ask a marketer to figure out the best ways for a business to serve its customers, their first intuition would likely lead them to turn to surveys and other forms of market research. While this is an efficient method with a proven record of success, I’d like to point out an even easier and more cost-effective method for those of you (like me) who don’t have the convenience of a market research department to depend on.

Live life. And pay attention.

Yes, it’s that simple (sometimes). Remember that long before we become marketers or business people, we are customers. As customers we engage and interpret a number of different experiences every time we interact with the outside world. With each interaction we pick out the good and the bad - maybe not consciously, but we definitely form preferences over time. These day-to-day preferences form a goldmine of customer insights for you to leverage. All you have to do is pay more attention to what you like and don’t like and right away you’ll start to figure out things that you and your business can do to help serve others better.

Not convinced? Let me give you a few examples.

Godiva

My girlfriend and I dropped in to a Godiva not too long ago to pick up some chocolates for my grandpa’s birthday. If you’ve ever had the pleasure to visit a Godiva store, you’ll know that they have a large assortment of truffles, biscuits, and sweets otherwise known to most people as simply ‘chocolates’. And to uphold their fancy-shmancy brand as a high-class chocolatier, their products often get blessed with fancy-shmancy names that are usually hard to pronounce and sound a little funny when you finally get it off your tongue (or maybe I’m just immature).

On this one occasion, I decided to ask the young lady behind the counter how to pronounce the name of a chocolate, after having struggled with it a bit (the exact name of the chocolate has escaped me now). The young lady smiled at me and happily told me “it’s whatever you want to call it”. Really? Apparently, she explained, employees of Godiva are not allowed to correct customers when they mispronounce the name of their products. Wow, I thought. Even in an age where branding is so crucial, this company has put it aside in an effort to make the customer not feel like an ass. Sweet (pun intended).

Customer Insight: Speak the language of your customers. Your customers weren’t trained by your company and likely have very little experience in your industry. As a result, they form their own vernacular to describe your products and services, using terms that make sense and that become familiar to them. So rather than try to force your customers to adapt to your language, learn to speak theirs. Whether you offer web development services, haircuts, or chocolates, chances are, your customers will feel a lot more comfortable using their own words.

Dollarama

I made a quick visit to the dollar store in search of a combination lock for my gym locker. This one particular dollar store was the mother of all dollar stores with nearly 30 aisles of pure cheap crap. You can imagine the challenge I faced in trying to find what I was looking for. Was it in school supplies or hardware? In any case, I was on the search for a store clerk to help guide my way. Passing every single aisle, I finally found one near the back. “Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find combination locks?” I asked. She looked at me puzzled and nervous. “I don’t know. Can you ask somebody else?” I looked around, “There is nobody else.” “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

I stared at her for a good 5 seconds, confused by her response. I ended up leaving the store and going to Wal-Mart.

Customer Insight: The words “I don’t know” should not be in your vocabulary when serving customers. At least not without the words “but let me find out” coming after it. Your customers rely on you to help them find what they’re looking for. It’s your job to know how to help, and it’s equally your job to find out when you don’t know how to help. The kind of service that sounds like “I don’t know” leaves me with a horribly unhelpful experience and the thought that the products aren’t the only things discounted in the store.

I initially had another 4 stories to share but this post is getting a bit lengthy. The point I’m trying to get across is that every one of our days are filled with handfuls of good and bad service experiences. Use these experiences to guide your business and the way you serve your customers and you’ll be bound for success and positive reviews.

What insights have you picked up?