“We think we know what the customer wants (because we’re the experts in our business) …but we don’t: they do!” – Guy Arnold

What emotions will your customers display if you get it very right?

Customers make logical decisions based on emotional stimuli. In a word, they’re ‘unpredictable’! So it’s very hard to anticipate their needs, yes, but we can predict their emotions.

For example: If I go out to eat in a restaurant, I don’t want a meal, as I can get that far quicker and cheaper in a supermarket.  I want: relaxation, or to be looked after, or some time out, a quiet meeting, or romance, etc., etc.  So in order to deliver excellent service to me – and therefore fulfil it’s CFM - the restaurant needs to work out what emotions I’ll have if the above things happen.

…Probably ‘happy and relaxed’!

So they need to align ALL strategy, processes, and systems around making the experience ‘happy and relaxed’ for the customer. Yes, the quality of the food, service and environment are important in themselves, but ONLY in as far as they produce ‘happy and relaxed’ feelings in the customer.

What, specifically, is important?

So often organisations spend a huge amount of time, effort and money in things that have no bearing on the customer’s emotions, and precious little on the things that do (perhaps like answering the phone quickly and efficiently, or essentially training and incentivising their people to ‘make people’s day’). This is because they haven’t thought this through, and haven’t got a system to keep listening to the customers (at the deeper level).

So, all you need to do, in order to delight your customers excellently and consistently, is to think through what emotions your customer will display if you get it very right (ie: deliver your CFM), then align all strategy, processes and behaviour around generating this, then keep listening.

Not always as easy as it sounds…

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