10 Things Your Customers WISH You Knew About Them

10 THINGS YOUR CUSTOMERS WISH YOU KNEW ABOUT THEM by Help Scout HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS? It's a tough question. One way your business can find answers is to examine research in social psychology. Below are 10 such studies that reveal things your customers WISH you knew about them. CUSTOMERS VALUE "GOOD" SERVICE MORE 1 THAN “FAST" SERVICE Recent studies show that customers who receive 15 minutes in competent, knowledgeable, and all encompasing services paradise is better than 5 are more likely to remember their experience and tell their friends. Additionally, customers cited "rude, incompetent and minutes in hell rushed" service as their #1 reason to abandon a brand, 18% more often than "slow" service. • http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/727/when-speed-kills.aspx#1 • http://www.rightnow.com/files/analyst-reports/RightNow-Customer-Experience-Impact-Report-2011.pdf CUSTOMERS LOVE PERSONALIZATION, THEY WILL GLADLY PAY MORE FOR IT In a study from the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, researchers were able to increase the average tips that waiters received by over 23% (without changing service quality). They accomplished this by having waiters follow up with a second set of mints after they brought customers their check (waiters that brought mints but didn't follow up received an average of 7% less for their tips). •http://ontinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/.1559-1816.2002.tb00216.x/abstract 3 CUSTOMERS WILL REMEMBER YOU IF YOU CAN REMEMBER THEIR NAME Speaking of personalization, according to recent research examining brain activation, few sounds are as Nothing makes me feel loved quite like pleasant as hearing our own names. a post-purchase Fact is, people are more attentive (and interested) when they hear their names; be sure your small business takes advantage of getting to know your email from customers by using their names when appropriate. "DO-NOT-REPLY" • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/ THERE ARE FEW THINGS CUSTOMERS TALK 4 ABOUT MORE THAN A PLEASANT SURPRISE One of the most lasting (and talked about) customer experiences is a pleasant surprise: reciprocity, especially when it's unexpected, is a very powerful force. Zappos recognizes this: without so much as a single mention on their sales page, Zappos regularly upgrades customers to overnight shipping free of charge, just to brighten their day. • http://econweb.umd.edu/"ozbay/reciprocity.pdf • http://hbr.org/2010/07/how-i-did-it-zapposs-ceo-on-going-to-extremes-for-customers/ar/1 GOODWILL WITH CUSTOMERS DOESNT NEED TO EXPENSIVE The concept of "Frugal WOWS" is important to small businesses: creating goodwill with customers has Business has grown proven to be more about the act, rather than the cost. 300% year-over-year Nate Ru, founder of Sweetgreen restaurants, regularly has his employees leave small gift cards next to cars since the inception of Sweetgreen's “Random Acts of Sweetness" with parking tickets to create a memorable brand based on random acts of kindness. • http://www.ana-valenzuela.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/paper-1.pdf • http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/getting-people-to-care-about-your-business/ CUSTOMERS WILL STICK WITH YOUR LOYALTY PROGRAMS IF YOU GET THEM STARTED Consumer psychologists Dreze & Nunes were able to reveal just what makes a loyalty program "stick" across all industries in their now infamous car-wash study. LOYALTY PROGRAM The researchers were able to show that customers are TWICE as likely to stay with loyalty programs if the programs appear to already be started; tasks that seem to be under way are much more likely to be completed. FREE! • https://msbfile03.usc.edu/digitalmeasures/jnunes/intellcont/Endowed%20Progress%20Effect-1.pdf CUSTOMERS LOVE BRAND STORIES AND SELLING THROUGH STORIES IS EFFECTIVE Research lead by Melanie Green & Timothy Brock reveals that a well told story is one of the most When it comes persuasive forms of writing (or speaking) available. to storytelling, They concluded that this was because stories have transportation leads the the ability to “transport" us to another place, allowing brands to leave powerful (and lasting) to persuasion. messages to customers. • http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/0022-3514.79.5.701 8. IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO INNOVATE, YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE A GREAT RESOURCE MIT's Eric von Hippel conducted a study with the Institute of Management Sciences on the relationship of "lead users" (superstar customers) and company innovation. Through a study of 1,193 commercially successful innovations across 9 industries, Hippel discovered that 60% came from customers. • http://www2.sa.unibo.it/summer/testi/15_muffatto/von-Hippel-Lead-users.pdf • http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/papers/HBR%2099%20LU%20pub%20version%203M.pdf SELLING "TIME" OVER MONEY HELPS CUSTOMERS SEE THE VALUE OF YOUR BRAND There's a reason that inexpensive beer companies Most people see promote having a good time (ie, “It's Miller Time!") rather than their low prices. time spent as a better New research from Stanford reveals that customers have indicator of who they more favorable feelings towards brands they associate. are vs. money spent "time well spent" with; memories of good times were more powerful than memories of great savings. on what they own • http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/ręsearch/aaker_time.html 10 IF YOU BRING UP MONEY, IT MAKES CUSTOMERS MORE SELF-CENTERED Research by psychologist Kathleen Vohs has shown that when people are "primed" with images of money, they become more self-interested and less willing to help others. This reaction can be used by businesses that sell luxury items, but could backfire with promotions that are associated with doing things for others (ex: Mother's Day Gifts). • http://www.carlsonschoolumn.edu/assets/101518.pdf EMAIL SUPPORT SHOULD BE A PLEASURE, NOT A HEADACHE. If you love customers then you'll love Help Scout. Start your free 15-day trial at www.helpscout.net Help Scout Infographic by @HelpScout I Data gathered by @GregoryCiotti