Every Day Should Be CX Day

Pixabay

An American song artist once wrote, “Every day I’m shufflin’ shufflin’ shufflin’”. Really, that sums up what customer experience (CX) should be—something you do every day. Having a pleasant CX experience isn’t a destination or goal you achieve, but rather, a mindset you have. My wife recently had two experience that drove home the importance of having a customer-obsessed culture every day.

I’m Now a Four Eyes

It took me a while to humble myself enough to admit I needed glasses. I thought things far away were blurry for everyone. Turns out I was wrong. The first experience I want to share is buying glasses from the company, Warby Parker.

The first time I ever heard about Warby Parker was while working on CXFusion 2017. The company believes that typical glasses are too expensive and they set out to make affordable, high-quality glasses that don’t break the bank. In addition, for every pair of glasses they sell, they donate a pair to someone in need. I decided that if I ever needed glasses, it would be from them. Who would have thought that opportunity to buy from them would come? Turns out, not only does Warby Parker have great glasses, the customer experience they provide is spot on.

Purchasing the Glasses

Once I decided which glasses I wanted after a few rounds of home try-ons, my wife sent in my prescription to Warby Parker so they could make the glasses. Unfortunately, the optometrist’s handwriting made it difficult to discern what a specific number on the prescription was. My wife and I knew what it was but wasn’t sure that Warby Parker would know. She got on their website chat (which had no wait time by the way) and asked if they had the correct prescription info. The customer service rep said they couldn’t send what they had over chat but would be happy to email what number they had to ensure accuracy. Turns out they got the number right. Their speedy, helpful attitude, not to mention their accuracy in reading handwriting, was impressive.

Since Warby Parker doesn’t deal directly with insurance companies, they provide a form to submit for reimbursement to insurance providers. My wife wasn’t sure if putting her name on the order and shipping info would affect the ability to get a reimbursement for the glasses. Again, she reached out on their website chat. Just like that, the name was switched to mine.

Once the glasses arrived (and they are awesome by the way), it was time to submit the insurance info. Typically, the reimbursement form is provided on Warby Parker’s site. However, for some reason, it wasn’t working. My wife hopped on their chat again. In a minute or so, the form had been emailed to her in another format.

Helping to Recognize Others

To top it all off, the next day my wife gets an email from Warby Parker that reads “Hey, we noticed you worked with [customer rep’s name]. How was your experience? If we were to reward [customer rep’s name], would you have us buy her a coffee, lunch, or a special prize?” My wife and I were already impressed with the customer experience we’d had and we definitely didn’t pass up the opportunity to play a part in recognizing someone in their company. We hope the customer rep enjoys her lunch. It is well-deserved.

An Automotive Care Company

Just a few days after the experience with Warby Parker, my wife took our car in for an oil change. We tried out a local automotive care company we’d never been to but had good reviews online. Turns out the reviews were right.

When my wife called to set up the appointment, the employee was nice and helpful. She showed up early to her appointment and they got her in ahead of schedule. Not long after waiting, the mechanic walked in with our air filter. He explained that it needed to be replaced, told her how it functioned, and how much it would cost. The mechanic also explained that another part would need replacing. Again, he explained its importance and how much it would cost. He said it wasn’t as urgent as the previous filter and didn’t pressure my wife into buying any of the replacements. He wasn’t condescending, but merely was up front with both the information and cost, and let her decide. She ended up replacing the air filter and committed (of her own free will) to coming back next week to replace the other part.

In the end, the total cost ended up being less than expected. They also surprised us by vacuuming out our car and cleaning the windows without telling us.

Quiet, Individualized CX Kindness

Both of these companies have a culture of CX. It wasn’t something they were trying to achieve or check off their list. These companies didn’t say, “Look at us, we were so helpful in getting you your glasses” or “look at us, we vacuumed out your car and cleaned your windows”. They simply were helpful and went out of their way to go the extra mile. There weren’t any hidden ulterior motives, it’s just who they are. This CX Day, amid the customer celebrations, webinars, and other hullabaloo, put aside for a moment the NPS scores, the annual bonuses for getting a 5-star rating, or awards you may want for CX. Focus on being helpful to the customers around you. Great CX doesn’t come from short spouts of large-scale CX initiatives, but rather, from quiet, individualized, acts of CX kindness that happen every day.

Source: B2C