Let’s go on a little customer journey, and here’s how it starts: We recently moved. You know how you end up realizing you have a lot of junk that you don’t want or need – but it’s way too much to fit in one trash can? (Or two, or three, or four?) Yep, that’s what happened with us.
So with all this stuff and no easy way to get rid of it by ourselves, I turned to the smartest friend I have – my smartphone.
The Customer Journey? There’s an App for That!
I actually had a home services app on my phone already. A few years back, I’d downloaded it for the very same reason – trying to get rid of our junk – but never followed up on it.
But this time we were serious. So I posted my project, and got a bunch of automated estimates back in minutes. (Ten estimates, to be precise.)
Some were suspiciously low. And one guy’s estimate was more than twice the price of most of the cheaper companies.
Digging Deeper
Next step? Posting a follow-up note with a complete list of everything that had to go. Three of the companies responded with follow-up questions, automatically jumping to the top of the list of contenders.
Then I read the reviews. Only one company had more than 10 reviews, and in fact actually had 94 reviews… which were all 5-star.
Now usually, I’m a skeptical marketing guy – and that sounded REALLY fishy. But I scrolled through them, and they all seemed legit.
So off to their website for more info!
The All-Important Website
I made my way to the top contender’s website, and learned the following things:
- It was a nationwide franchise. And the overall experience on their site screamed trustworthy.
- They had a pretty cool tagline, and even a well-written mission statement. (Passing the “hypercritical writer” test.)
- That mission statement was all about how they do their best to donate and/or recycle anything that’s usable. We had several older appliances that I’m sure could have been repaired and put to use. (We didn’t want to deal with the hassle of selling them.)
Call Me, Maybe
And then the almost-unthinkable happened… the franchise owner called me on the phone.
An old-school phone call, in which he was friendly, asked the right questions, and basically gave me the I will do what it takes to earn your businessline. (Which in this case worked well.)
When I saw that his last response on the app had been sent after 8:00 p.m., I asked if he was a night owl like me. He said sure, and that if I had any questions at night, to feel free to text him.
My Final Decision and Our Experience
So while the Top Contender wasn’t the cheapest, they won my business. Yep, they earned the right to carry, pack, and dispose of my family’s junk. (So lucky!)
And he did a phenomenal job. Pete and his crew even came to our house TWICE – once on Thursday to take the bigger appliances, and then on Friday for the official job. With no extra charges.
And that’s How a Great Customer Journey is Handled
So when considering your customer journey:
- Be everywhere that prospects might find you. Make sure you’re available via relevant apps. And that your website is user-friendly, well-branded, and up-to-date – and that you’re well-reviewed on apps, websites, Yelp, Google, etc.
- Be responsive. Pete was on it via the app, and then later via phone. Any time you make a prospective customer feel important and attended to, that’s a great thing.
- Be proactive. A simple phone call can be that personal touch that convinces a prospect to choose you. If it’s not a phone call, maybe it’s a personal email or direct mail, or even a personalized estimate and note and refrigerator magnet, and whatever else you can think of. (Maybe even a personalized estimate sent as a PDF?)
- Go the proverbial extra mile. Whether it’s online or offline, going above and beyond can make a world of difference in earning new business.
Also… happy to share the company’s name and info if you have a need for junk removal! (See? Positive word-of-mouth, created by a great online and offline experience!)
Have you experienced a great customer journey recently? Was it online, offline or both? Feel free to post in the comments. And please share this blog with your social networks if you found it interesting!
