In their book, Ford, McNair, and Perry decipher the best practices in providing exceptional customer service in the 21st century. The authors assert that offering cutting-edge customer service is a major source of competitive advantage particularly in the context of building strong brand loyalty and boosting profits in the service industry (Ford, McNair, and Perry 32).
The need to know the importance of first and last (lasting) impressions is perhaps the most inspiring point in this manuscript. This idea is consistent with the old expression that says, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” From this perspective, it is extremely important to give a lot of weight on the first impression because establishes the tone for whatever interactions employees will make with the customer. Positive first impressions are critically important to any customer holding an opinion, making a buying decision, or taking action (Ford, McNair, and Perry 32). They considerably influence the kind of opinion a potential client will hold against the company and determine if a potential customer will be convinced to decide to buy from the business again (Namkung and Jang 324).
Equally, last impressions are incredibly important to customers because they leave a lasting impression. Notably, positive last impressions influence future purchase decisions, bet promoter referrals, and customer feedback about service experiences – all of which are crucial in building greater customer or brand loyalty (Ford, McNair, and Perry 34). As depicted in the case of Chik-Fil-A restaurants and Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, employees who strive to deliver a positive experience throughout their interaction with customers influence the clients to self-reinforce that positive feeling on their behalf for a long time after the actual experience. Such positive reinforcement may ultimately translate to repeat purchase intentions and even customer referrals (Namkung and Jang 327). Therefore, businesses must learn how to provide positive impressions to succeed in today’s intensely competitive environment.
The second inspiring point in the book is the need to better understand not only what customers expect but most importantly what they actually want. This point is particularly important considering Ford, McNair, and Perry’s argument that many companies often ignore their customers' needs and wants despite the need to build the “greatest loyalty—by exceeding expectations” in order to survive especially “when the going's tough” (35). Furthermore, I found this point fascinating because customer behavior has increasingly become complex as evidenced by constantly changing tastes, preferences, and needs (Namkung and Jang 324). Consistently, Lemon, Katherine, and Verhoef point out that “customers now interact with firms through myriad touch points in multiple channels and media, and customer experiences are more social in nature” (69). The authors emphasize that these changes call for companies to integrate multiple business functions, including external partners, in order to create and deliver outstanding customer experiences.
A better understanding of target customers inside out is important to ensuring greater experience throughout the customer journey (Lemon and Verhoef 70). Before a business does anything with their clients, it is prudent to go on a journey of discovery about their target audience. Firms need to find out and better understand their target audience and zero in on the most potential clients. They need to explore everything they possibly can about them, including what are their tastes and preferences, how do they rate their brand relative to competitors, and how do they measure success, how does their product or service helps them to satisfy their needs, among insights into their behaviors. Moreover, companies need to leverage technology such as social media to solicit customer feedback which is important in determining what their target customers specifically want and how to customize their product or service to fill a gap in the target market and even exceed their clients’ needs.
Works Cited
Ford, Lisa, David McNair, and William Perry. Exceptional Customer Service: Exceed Customer Expectations to Build Loyalty " Boost Profits. Simon and Schuster, 2009.
Lemon, Katherine N., and Peter C. Verhoef. "Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey." Journal of Marketing 80.6 (2016): 69-96.
Namkung, Young, and Soocheong Jang. "Service failures in restaurants: Which stage of service failure is the most critical?." Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 51.3 (2010): 323-343.
