I stayed at a very nice resort recently. My check-in experience was inspirational. The service in their lounge was impeccable. As I sat in the lobby, they would always rush over to get me a drink or ask if I needed something. My plate in the restaurant would barely be empty when they would run up and offer me more.
Of course, I was always searched like everyone else (security reasons) as I entered the property, sometimes a little too aggressively, most times with disdain or contempt. If I hung around the lobby, I was always asked what I was doing there. Once they knew who I was, it always changed the way they treated me.
It was the best of service, it was the worst of service. It was almost like being two different people. The key challenge was getting them to recognize me, once they did it was fine.
Online gives us a great opportunity to recognize and reward the customer. You know their preferences and can anticipate their transactions. But what if you don’t recognize them (they cleared their cache)? Shouldn’t you anticipate such situations? You should always come up with unique back-up offers or ways to guide the customer into your site, so you could recognize who they are. You can do this by making sure that messages are refreshed (not a few months old) and that they make sense – that they are relevant to the customers transactional path.
Three simple things to consider – first put forth a sign on your site that says – ‘tell us who you are so we can serve you better.’ Second, do offer something of value to the ‘identified consumer.’ Third – be genuine about treating them better – genuine service goes a long way.
