As a business consultant and keynote speaker, I travel frequently throughout the country and get to experience different levels of customer service. I started to notice that some moments create more of an impact than others. So, what makes them memorable and how can they be applied to your business and your personal life?
One of the moments that were most memorable to me was a stay at the Fancourt Hotel in George the night before my keynote for Nedbank’s annual Franchise and Retail Seminar. This is how they created a memorable moment:
- Imagine when you arrive at reception, a staff member greeted you by name and told you they were expecting you.
- The porter asks if he could take you to your room and give you a tour and a short history of the hotel.
- When you arrive in your room the aircon has already been switched on and the lights were lit.
- There was a complimentary bubbly being chilled on ice.
All these touchpoints made me feel extremely cared for and important, they made me feel welcome and they are there to serve me. Memorable moments have nothing to do with the beautiful buildings, gorgeous views nor the delicious food. Psychologists will tell you that the human brain disproportionally retains experiences that are new and emotional and in the above example, I believe I experienced both.
You may expect that this type of service in a well known resort should be a given, but how many times have you visited a premium place but not experienced premium service?
Here is another great service industry example: The Magic Castle is a 3-star hotel that continuously outranks 5-star hotels in LA, on Trip Advisor. How do they do it?
- Next to the swimming pool, they have installed a “popsicle hotline” for you to call.
- In a matter of moments, after receiving a call on the hotline, a formally dressed employee, wearing white gloves, will deliver a bucket of popsicles to you.
- The children are happy and so are the parents!
How to create your own memorable moment :
- Memorable moments stand out from every day “business-as-usual” and help customers experience your service in a different way.
- Creating memorable moments doesn’t always need to cost a lot of money. Instead, you will need to invest time and engagement.
- When you know what your purpose is you create more moments of engagement with what you do.
- When your employees are exposed to real customers who benefit from your service it creates a meaningful moment of connection for them.
In the book The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact the authors discussed four elements that create defining moments. A defining moment must include at least one of these elements, it does not have to include all four.
These four elements are:
- Elevation: They rise above the everyday.
- Insight: They rewire the way we understand the world or ourselves.
- Pride: They are moments that find us at our best—in terms of achievement or courage.
- Connection: They are social and we will share them with others.
Now think about your business: How do you currently create memorable moments of elevation, insight, pride or connection with employees and customers? Where do you see opportunities to create more moments?