You see it written everywhere - relevance, timeliness, and relationships.  But are marketers really stepping back and looking at the overall experience their customers are having?

I think that, in the drive to keep ROI up, we forget to check in with our process to see how we're really doing with developing that relationship and establishing realistic expectations.  This doesn't just apply to email and it doesn’t stop with marketing.  Any place there is a customer touch you're building on that relationship.  From customer support to sales and marketing, every experience leaves a mark on your customer, and a bad experience tends to outweigh the 10 good experiences they may have had.

A recent trip to Vegas for one of our Product Managers produced rave reviews for the California-based airline, Virgin America. In an industry where service has been compromised for the bottom line, Virgin America rises above and produces a superior customer experience.  They really understand their customers and cater to that. They have check in personnel who actually are helpful and smile at you; gate attendants who work hard to engage the customers (playing dice games while waiting to board - perfect for those going to Vegas); new updated aircraft; good food; and great in-flight entertainment (hellooo! you can chat with the cute guy in 4D right from your seat console!).

The experience starts with the ticket reservation process online and doesn’t even stop after you've arrived home from your trip. I'll let J.D. fill you in on all the cushy details later, but it is safe to say that the Virgin customer experience was pretty sweet! Now, only time will tell how all these great perks will affect their bottom line.  But if you could have heard the wonderful things our product manager had to say about them, coupled with the fact that he told his story to just about everyone he knows, I'm sure referral business will be good!

So, how about your company? Would you want to do business with you?? Are you really cultivating that relationship and providing a superior experience?  If you don't know the answers to those questions then I suggest you get dirty and be one of your own customers for a while.  See how it feels to sit in their seats day after day.  This means trying out your own processes - call support, call sales, use your own product to do what it's intended to do, sign up for your email newsletters and follow the process.  Is it friendly? Do you know what to expect after you complete something?  Would you be a happy customer ready to give a referral? If the answer is no, then you've got some work to do.  Hopefully, after going through that experience you'll know what to fix.  And if you don't - well, then send me your comments! I'm always looking for interesting experiences to write about!

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