Leveraging ‘Wow Moments’ for Enhanced Customer Loyalty

Leveraging ‘Wow Moments’ for Enhanced Customer Loyalty

by | Jun 14, 2023 | Marketing & Branding

When you think of a conference wrap-up, what comes to mind? A summary of the event topics, some final networking, and maybe a modest reception? That’s what I anticipated as CXOutsourcers’ event ended, yet it was far from that. A Wow Moment made the entire event experience extra unforgettable, and it serves as a reminder of the profound impact of ‘Wow Moments’ as a brand differentiator.

A Memorable ‘Wow Moment’: A Personal Anecdote

CXOutsoursers 2023 event took place in Glasgow and ended with a scheduled bus tour of the city. I imagined a typical school bus ride—nothing particularly exciting—however, the organizers, Mark Angus, Traci Freeman, Peter Ryan, had a delightful surprise in store. Instead of a regular bus, we were greeted by a decorated vehicle offering champagne and a variety of delicious food throughout our journey.

This unexpected twist didn’t just make that day memorable; it permanently associated the event with a sense of delight and exceeded expectations in my mind with a long-lasting impact.

Why ‘Wow Moments’ Matter

In today’s business landscape, the power of ‘Wow moments’ as a brand differentiator cannot be underestimated.

Enhancing Brand Perception Through Delight

Creating a ‘Wow moment’ does not always mean extravagant spending. Doing CX Right is about surpassing customer expectations and crafting a delightful surprise that stays in peoples’ minds for a long time. Remember that customers enjoy sharing their experiences, and the narratives they disseminate shape public perception of your brand. These shared stories are intrinsic to your brand image, with positive tales enhancing your reputation and potentially attracting more customers.

Fostering Loyalty and Promoting Repeat Business

‘Wow moments’ elicit strong emotions, making customers feel special and valued. This emotional bond nurtures customer loyalty—a priceless asset in the modern business world. Such moments encourage repeat business and transform customers into brand advocates, amplifying your brand’s reach via word-of-mouth marketing.

Conclusion: Harnessing the Power of ‘Wow Moments’

Wow moments’ are crucial for shaping brand perception, cultivating customer loyalty, and driving repeat business. They don’t require hefty investments but instead demand creativity, consideration, and a deep understanding of your customers’ needs.

Your brand isn’t solely about your product or service; it’s about what you stand for and the experiences you deliver. Look for opportunities to create ‘Wow moments’ in every customer interaction. In doing so, you will craft a memorable brand and nurture a community of loyal customers eager to share their delightful experiences with others. It’s a win-win scenario.

the power of wow moments and customer experience
Marketing & Customer Experience Trends From A CMO Executive Lens

Marketing & Customer Experience Trends From A CMO Executive Lens

by | Feb 5, 2023 | DoingCXRight®‬ Podcast

Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman

What is the role of Marketing in the digital world? How does it relate to customer experience (CX) and creating real brand loyalty? Stacy Sherman interviews Jackie Yeaney, 6x CMO, to bring you answers to these questions and more as Marketing is no longer just about campaigns. It’s about telling stories, building brands, and creating intentional journeys for customers.

Additional topics include the connection between Marketing and CX and whether one can be considered the new version of the other. Also, the ideal organizational design and future trends that brand leaders must plan for to succeed in a high-tech competitive landscape.

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Press Play To WATCH the Interview

About Jackie Yeaney- Marketing and Customer Experience Leader

Recently EVP of Marketing at Tableau, Jackie Yeaney was responsible for empowering and educating more people about the power of seeing and understanding data. She has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing thought leader navigating the intersection of brand, customer experience, and data analytics.

Jackie started her career as an officer in the US Air Force, and then spent several years as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. She has made a big impact at reputable brands like Delta Air Lines and Red Hat. Jackie holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Learn more and follow Jackie at: Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Stacy Sherman: Founder of Doing CX Right®‬

An award-winning certified marketing and customer experience (CX) corporate executive, speaker, author, and podcaster, known for DoingCXRight®. She created a Heart & Science™ framework that accelerates customer loyalty, referrals, and revenue, fueled by engaged employees and customer service representatives. Stacy’s been in the trenches improving experiences as a brand differentiator for 20+ years, working at companies of all sizes and industries, like Liveops, Schindler elevator, Verizon, Martha Steward Craft, AT&T++.   Stacy is on a mission to help people DOING, not just TALKING about CX, so real human connections & happiness exist. Continue reading bio >here.

Fireproof Strategies To Lead Teams And Thrive Through Disruption

Fireproof Strategies To Lead Teams And Thrive Through Disruption

by | Dec 4, 2022 | DoingCXRight®‬ Podcast

Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman

Fireproof Strategies For Business and Personal Success

We all face stressful situations. Some put out fires literally, like David Hollenbach, who spent 23 years in public safety, while others do so figuratively in the workplace. David shares fireproof strategies to thrive through disruption, overcome limiting beliefs, create a plan for the future, and leave an intentional legacy. You’ll hear personal stories and captivating case studies to help you be an effective leader and communicator to improve experiences for employees, customers, citizens ~ all humans. 

Listen, learn and pay it forward.

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About Battalion Chief David Hollenbach

Battalion Chief David Hollenbach (retired) is the author of “Fireproof: Your Grand Strategy for Transforming Failure into Fuel for Your Future.” He is a motivational speaker, coach, and mentor. He owns and operates David Hollenbach Consulting, LLC, and hosts the popular podcast “From Embers to Excellence.”

During his 23-year career in the fire service, he served as a

  • Firefighter
  • Apparatus Driver/Pump-Operator/Engineer
  • Company Officer/Lieutenant
  • Battalion Chief in Operations
  • Chief of Special Operations
  • Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) peer counselor
  • Public Safety Rescue Diver
  • Coordinator and developer of his department’s first leadership development program

David Hollenbach is a veteran of the United States Navy with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Barry University. A major focus of research for his capstone was how strong, positive leadership can influence the culture of a large organization.

While studying at Barry University, he published “The Firefighter’s Creed” and “Women in the Fire Service: A Diverse Culture Leads to a Successful Culture,” an article highlighting the importance of gender diversity within the fire service in Fire Engineering Magazine.

He has spent years as an instructor, coach, and mentor, helping others define and realize success. Although he no longer works as a servant to the community, his passion for service to others remains stronger than ever.

Learn more: LinkedIn. Website.

About Stacy Sherman: Founder of Doing CX Right®‬

An award-winning certified marketing and customer experience (CX) corporate executive, speaker, author, and podcaster, known for DoingCXRight®. She created a Heart & Science™ framework that accelerates customer loyalty, referrals, and revenue, fueled by engaged employees and customer service representatives. Stacy’s been in the trenches improving experiences as a brand differentiator for 20+ years, working at companies of all sizes and industries, like Liveops, Schindler elevator, Verizon, Martha Steward Craft, AT&T++.   Stacy is on a mission to help people DOING, not just TALKING about CX, so real human connections & happiness exist. Continue reading bio >here.

5 Tactics To Align Sales & Marketing For Better Customer Experiences

5 Tactics To Align Sales & Marketing For Better Customer Experiences

by | Oct 30, 2022 | Marketing & Branding

Have you noticed that work teams, including sales and marketing, who both speak to potential and current customers, often work in silos? It does not make sense or cents. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, sales-marketing misalignment is estimated to cost businesses more than $1 trillion each year.

Having worked in Sales and Marketing leadership roles throughout my career, I have learned firsthand that when the two partner together, everyone wins.  The customer experience improves, and the organization achieves better business results. Employee satisfaction and job fulfillment rise, too, resulting in less quiet quitting.

So how best to get sales and marketing on the same page? The following are proven tactics regardless of company size or industry:

5 Ways To Increase Marketing and Sales Alignment  

1. Communicate A Lot and Often. Establish reoccurring cross-team meetings to share what everyone is working on each week. By talking about key priorities, people will have a chance to see the overlap and ways to support each other. Furthermore, as the new year approaches, proactively discussing strategies and aligning roadmaps early on results in more productive working sessions. 

2. Walk In Each Other’s Shoes. The best way to increase employee empathy and support is by experiencing responsibilities and challenges beyond one’s role. If you are in Marketing, join the sales team at meetings and listen to the questions prospects ask. The information is gold for optimizing website content and marketing collateral. Sales leaders also can benefit by joining marketing meetings to align on segmentation, paid search keywords and content testing, PR stories, and more that help in storytelling with prospects and clients. 

3. Establish Common Metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators). When people share goals, they naturally work better together. They innately care to communicate more and consistently collaborate for the greater good. However, this can’t happen without #4.

4. Hire and Retain The Right Leaders. Knowing that culture starts at the top, it’s essential to recruit Sales and Marketing people with a collaborative mindset who share a customer experience (CX) passion. Managers must ask the right questions during interviews to avoid costly mistakes that occur when there are organizational silos. More details about the right questions in my upcoming newsletter.)

5. Do the basics right. There’s no scientific equation to create bonds between people. Relationships happen when there is an intentional desire to be helpful and supportive without egos in the way.  I highly recommend you pick up the phone, especially during times of conflict, and have a discussion versus sending a text or email that often gets misinterpreted. While we live in a high-tech world, nothing is more effective than a personalized and authentic conversation.

Ultimately, breaking Sales and Marketing silos is not just a nice thing to do but a brand differentiator that your competitors fear. If you have not been showing up as a unified aligned team internally and externally, start now. It is not too late.

If you like this article, you may also enjoy:

Is customer experience replacing advertising at biggest brands?

Is customer experience replacing advertising at biggest brands?

by | Sep 17, 2021 | Guest CX Articles, Marketing & Branding

Is product experience becoming more important than advertising? Many business leaders are saying yes, as we’re now living in an experience or expectation-based economy where the quality of experiences delivered to customers determines company performance. 

My featured article guest, Jack Ashdown, shares throught-provoking views about the role of advertising and shifts in approach to acquire new customers and drive loyalty. I encourage you to read and share your perspective.

Is CX Replacing Advertising?

When was the last time you saw an ad for Tesla? That’s right, you haven’t, because Elon Musk believes the brand’s cash should be continually invested in innovation, not creative marketing.

Apart from Musk’s idiosyncratic and highly personal approach to marketing, Tesla has thrived in large part due to the UX experience of its cars. In some models, dials and levers have been reduced down to a steering wheel and iPad-style screen integrating displayed driving, navigation, and external internet access.

Digital disruptors like Uber, Airbnb, and Deliveroo have also chosen this route, making the decision to invest relatively little in advertising – particularly in the early growth stages of the business. Instead, ground-breaking concepts and elegant service design enabled them to transform entire markets.

This approach concentrates on the power of word-of-mouth backed by repeated positive customer interactions at all touchpoints. Brands such as Trainline harnessed this model, relying on organic growth through an excellent CX strategy.

It can be seen everywhere, even in the previously niche world of the stock market investment. Robinhood provides a cheap, easy-to-use trading alternative and reached 18 million accounts in March 2021, a year-on-year increase of 151%. It achieved such stellar growth by creating an app that took many design cues from social platforms and essentially gamified stock trading – enabling activist private traders to take direct action to support companies such as GameStop and AMC in the process.

By 2023 businesses worldwide are predicted to be investing almost two trillion dollars in digital transformation projects. In comparison, they’ll be spending a relatively humble $600 billion on advertising.

A big slice of the money spent on digital transformation will be focussed on digital services and consumer engagement or interaction. The global customer experience management (CXM) market’s CAGR is estimated to be around 12%, which should result in the market being worth around 14.5 billion by 2025.

This begs the question; if the brands that succeed in shaping or outperforming markets are those that step ahead of the pack with unique experiences and products rather than those investing heavily in advertising, will the center of the creative universe shift from advertising towards CX-orientated creativity leveraging data, UX and service innovation over the coming decade?

The CX medium is the advertising message

This huge predicted investment in digital transformation speaks to the emergence of fundamental changes in the way that organizations and businesses, new and old, are thinking about how to either generate sales or achieve long-term brand loyalty.

The digital economy is creating an ever more powerful cycle of digitization with, on one hand, ever better and faster digital products, services, and devices, and on the other the huge pressure on organizations to use technology to transform their operations.

 

Stacy’s advice for advertising & branding leaders: 

*Infuse the customer voice in EVERY business decision. No exceptions.
*Focus on creating better experiences. You don’t have to be  Tesla to gain a competitive edge.
*Hire and collaborate with customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX)  experts. It must be intentional.  

Read more about CX trends and expert views on debatable topics. 

*Should the Chief Experience Officer Oversee Marketing?

*What’s The Fate Of A Customer Experience Officer (CXO)

*Is Customer Experience The New Marketing? Is Marketing the New CX?