Surprise and Delight to Build Customer Loyalty

Posted in Customer Service | 15 comments

A simple, pleasant surprise can bring a delight to person’s day.

When it comes to business, even the smallest things matter. Catching customers off-guard for an unexpected surprise makes them feel special, important and delighted.

Surprise and delight work in a powerful way. It can be giving your customer a free drink upgrade or a complimentary dessert. A sports team can invite a lucky fan to meet the players. An airplane can upgrade someone’s seat. A hotel can offer complimentary drinks or fruit basket for their guests. These unexpected treats and surprises can create a powerful bond with customers and even turn them into lifelong fans.

Most businesses strive to satisfy their customers, but often it is still not enough. Amazing customer service boils down to providing customers with an experience that creates a lasting impression. It is about giving customers an experience with a “wow factor.”

Surprising customers is a way to exceed their expectations. This concept is simply about getting a little creative and delivering what is not expected.

Just like MasterCard’s “Priceless Surprises” Campaign.

MasterCard has been running its “Priceless Surprises” advertising campaign successfully. Their goal is to bring surprises to cardholders when they least expect it. They connect with their cardholders and social media fans, giving them spontaneous surprises such as meeting Justin Timberlake, VIP packages to 2015 MLB Opening Day or VIP tickets to the Grammy Awards, and much more. Recently, they launched a mobile app to allow their brand partners (Staples and Citibank) to offer gifts and experiences to customers as well.

According to Raja Rajamannar, MasterCard’s Chief Marketing Officer, the company has taken the concept of surprise and delight, and made it the essence of their year-round campaign. He said, “The success of Priceless is driven by the campaign’s ability to create emotion, influence behavior, unite people and touch upon consumer passions.”

Isn’t that great?

Of course, as small business owners, there are a number of different ways you can surprise and delight your customers.

Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Customers

1.The Classic Freebie

Well, everyone loves freebies! Offer something free or small treats to customers and they will surely appreciate it. It can be free shipping for every purchase, a bottle of water upon arrival, a free comb after a haircut, etc.

2.Give them appreciation.

Customers love it when someone remembers special occasions in their lives. Be part of their special days by giving them a simple yet memorable experience. Here are some ideas to do this:

• Call them on their birthday
• Surprise moms with flowers on Mother’s Day
• Send a holiday greeting card with discount vouchers
• Surprise them with exclusive loyalty offers
• Send a handwritten letter with a simple token
• Throw in a free item when they purchase online
• Thank them with a personal note

3.Deliver human responses

Customers want genuine human interactions. For instance: a customer email subscriber sets an autoresponder because she was on maternity leave or he was on medical leave. Don’t neglect this or send-off a pre-crafted response. Instead, respond with “congratulations on your new baby!” or “hope you’ll get well soon.”

Real interactions from a brand make them respond well and they feel surprised in a good way. You can engage beyond customer service by having fun conversations with them on their social media pages.

In this digitally connected world, businesses that are in-tune with the real world drive meaningful connections with customers. Add that special treat to establish unshakeable loyalty. Adding an element of surprise and delight into your customer service and marketing strategy drives emotional connections and establishes long-term brand advocates.

Want to surprise, delight and keep your customers?

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