By Charlie Fewell. Profitable companies enjoy high levels of customer retention and are joined at the hip with the people with whom they do business. These companies measure the quality of their relationships at every point of interaction. I suggest customer comfort and connectedness is measured in momentos – momentos muy simpatico
The word simpatico does not translate perfectly into English. The closest we would come is with the word empathy. But simpatico has the added flavor of the interconnectedness or the importance of understanding and appreciating the other person’s perspective. The entire phrase means creating a very empathetic moment. The goal is to create muy simpatico momentos at every point of interaction where all the representatives of your organization are interfacing with every customer. If these moments can be maximized, the value of the interaction will deepen the relationship in a way that results in repeat business, referrals, and the development of customers for life.
Research indicates one powerful behavior that can create customer comfort and connectedness is a friendly greeting. Have you noticed how many companies use a “greeter” at the door? In customer feedback surveys, a friendly greeting is ranked high in importance. It is even better if the customer is greeted by name.
How you communicate, verbally and non-verbally, is very important in conveying a sense of importance and recognition to customers. They want to be understood, and be recognized as important to you and your business. How you listen and use feedback can increase customer comfort and connectedness. One thing that can set you apart from others is you ability to “listen to understand.” Most people only listen to prepare a response. Most of the time, others with whom you are communicating can recognize the difference. It can even be offensive.
Another way to create customer comfort is to perform consistently. Customers don’t like a different process every time they purchase. Think about going to the grocery store to buy food. Would you be frustrated if they moved products around continuously and every time you shopped you had to search for what you wanted to purchase? We are more comfortable when we know what to expect.
Employee turnover can contribute to uncomfortable feelings with customers. If there are new faces every time customers try to conduct business with you, they can feel detached and unable to connect with you. Many customers need to connect to feel comfortable and be willing to refer others. This makes it even more important to retain your best team members.
In a highly competitive environment you’ve got to be the best and you’ve got to be quick. In order to be truly successful you must become proficient with the skill of empathy, and create momentosmuy simpaticowith your customers.
