Our regular readers know that more than half the typical Customer Experience is emotional. Unfortunately, many companies don’t get this – they still believe that interacting with consumers is a wholly rational process. Therein lies your competitive advantage.
Something as simple as a smile proves this point. Smiling goes a long way toward creating a positive, welcoming and empathetic environment, which in turn makes customers comfortable, leading to higher levels customer satisfaction.
I recently read an article entitled “10 Hidden Benefits of Smiling,” that confirms this point. According to the article, a study was done in the 1970s to see if smiling waitresses made more tips than non-smiling waitresses. You already intuitively know the results: of course smiling waitresses received more tips. A friendly smile makes a big difference in how the customer feels and thinks about the company.
Before you tell your employees to etch permanent smiles on their faces, however, keep in mind that the smile needs to be natural. Customers can easily discern false smiles, and they will resent them. In some cultures, faking a smile will come across as being manipulative and deceptive. Furthermore, you risk emotionally exhausting your employees with this kind of directive.
To avoid these problems, you need to ensure that you employ people who are naturally positive. Therefore, recruitment is a key issue in improving your Customer Experience. The goal is to create the type of working environment where people WANT to smile! Have a nice day!