When was the last time you felt like a VIP when visiting an establishment, working with a home service company, or making any business transaction? 

You know the companies I'm talking about. It’s how American Express always begins their support calls by saying, “Thank you for being a member since (fill in the date you opened your account).” Or maybe it’s Chick-fil-A where you go to get great chicken, and you also get a  delightful and positive experience where serving you is always “their pleasure.” Perhaps it's Target, where they refer to their customers as guests. 

For me, it’s my family’s orthodontist. My children love going to the orthodontist because of the fun, friendly atmosphere. They have iPads in the waiting room, reward points and prizes, candy and balloons when you get your braces off, and don’t forget the ice cream shop inside their office. Yes, you read that right. Our orthodontist serves the yummiest BYU Creamery ice cream to the entire family after every visit. In addition to that, he’s a great orthodontist with a good sense of humor,  a clean facility, and an amazing staff. 

It’s those little interactions, extra touches, and subtle acts of service that make doing business with these companies memorable and delightful. In fact, I like to refer to them as companies that provide a 7-star customer experience. We live in a world where reviews and customer opinions matter. When I am getting ready to review a company, a service or a product that has exceeded my expectations, I would love to give them more than just a mediocre five-star review. I'd give a  6, 7, 8 or even 10-star review if I could.

When I’ve had a 7-star experience, I feel like a VIP or a significant person. I give huge kudos to these businesses for being very intentional about the way they make their customers (guests/clients/members) feel special, respected, and as though they are important and matter very much. These types of businesses are the models that we should be following as home service companies.

A 7-Star Call Center

You can replicate this 7-star customer experience in your call center. Your agents can create a VIP experience with every interaction, whether it’s by phone, text, chat or email. The goal is to make every customer feel like a VIP because we hear, respect and value them. Their experience should feel personal and go beyond their expectations. Fostering these types of relationships and experiences will turn your customers into loyal clients who keep coming back to your business over and over again. They will become loyal advocates who are happy to write rave reviews and refer your company to their friends, neighbors, and family members.

So, where do we start? 

Let’s start with a phone call. From the moment your Customer Service Agent answers the phone, their goal should be to treat each customer like a VIP. It’s a matter of treating each customer on the other end of the phone as a special individual. They feel respected and appreciated. 

The conversation begins with a positive and friendly tone and greeting, where the agent thanks them for calling the name of the company, introduces themself, and then finds out who they have the pleasure of speaking with. 

Once the agent knows the customer’s name, it’s critical to remember it and use it throughout the call. A person’s name is the most beautiful word in the world to that person. When the agent remembers their name and uses it often, the customer will feel acknowledged, respected, and important.

After addressing the customer by name, the agent should offer assistance and find out how they can help. As the customer shares their issue, need or problem, the agent should be actively listening and respond with empathy as well as probing questions to gain additional information. By asking additional questions about their situation, the customer will feel heard, understood, and valued.  

When scheduling the job, the agent should find out if the customer needs a specific time frame or acknowledge them if they request a specific technician. Customers usually have additional needs, requests or wants that will best accommodate their family, home or business. As the agent starts to think about each customer as an individual, they will realize that they like certain things. We can’t assume that each customer who calls in thinks like us, has the same preferences, or would even spend money the same way we do. When the agent listens closely, they’ll be able to understand what that customer values - whether it's time, money or the safety of their family.

Understanding what the customer values will help the agent appropriately use value statements about their company, their team and their products and services. These value statements will support the things that the customer values. The best way to do that is to first understand what they value. Sometimes, you can do that quickly by observing and listening, and other times, you will have to ask them questions. Often, they’ll just tell you. 

For example, when a customer asks for a notification when the technician is dispatched and on the way, the agent could accommodate that request and even ask if they’d like a phone call or text. This simple gesture shows the customer that they are important and we value their time. The agent could go even further by asking the customer who will be greeting us when we get there, as well as taking any other pertinent information and adding it to the notes. 

At our HVAC company, we record personal notes on each customer’s accounts regarding pets, gate codes, communication preferences, and allergies. We also track any unique personalized information that can help us “wow” the customer with a 7-star experience. For example, we have a customer who absolutely loves maraschino cherries. When we go to service their equipment annually, we encourage our tech to bring a bottle of cherries with them to the customer’s home. They love it and will be a customer for life because of this simple gesture. In addition to personalized acts of service, the technicians seek additional opportunities to serve the customer by changing batteries in remotes, changing light bulbs, bringing in trash cans, or whatever else they may need assistance with. 

From an agent’s point of view, when a customer tells you something specific that they’d like you to do, then take all measures to go out of your way to try to do it. As you do that, you’ll find that you have more and more solutions because you’ve listened to the customer. When we listen to each customer’s particular needs, then we can go about finding ways to accomplish those needs. 

Emotionally, we all want people to treat us differently, and we love it when people pay attention to our individual needs. Birthdays, anniversaries, injuries, deaths … things happen. It’s important to be alert, pay attention, express empathy (in exciting as well as sad moments), and be “in” that emotion with your customer.

We are in the service business. As a “Customer Service” agent, service is in your title. As a servant, you are always the giving one. You figure out a solution and go out of your way to do as much as you can to get it done. Do you always get it done perfectly? No, but you try, and you get rewarded for that as well. Customers can feel when you are trying and when you’re not. Maybe you were only able to meet half or part of their requests, but something is always better than nothing. 

The better you get to know people, the better you understand how they will react and how an individual interaction could be with them. Everyone is not the same and doesn’t want to be treated the same. Even with compliments and recognition, customers have different preferences. If you can learn to personalize and individualize the way you take care of and serve people, the more successful you’ll be in business and your personal life. 

Looking for patterns can help. We train our customer service agents in the DISC method of communication. When agents are able to see patterns of directness and decisive people (D), influential and interactive people (I), steady and supportive people (S), and compliant, conscientious people (C), they can communicate with customers and individuals in the way they desire to communicate. It feels so nice to be communicating with someone that you can relate to and will connect in your style. 

With so many different individual customers calling in every day, what is the best approach to meeting every person’s individual needs? Remember this simple approach:

“The most important interaction is the one you’re in front of.”

The person that you’re on the phone with at any given moment - that’s the one you focus on. As a 7-star agent, the key is to be present, be responsive, and pay attention. Do not allow yourself to be preoccupied or give way to distractions. Focus on the individual and their issue, and be sure to follow up on it. Customers want you to provide a solution for their issues. Exceed their expectations by personalizing your interaction and make them feel like the most important customer you’ve got.

Angie Snow is a Principal Industry advisor at ServiceTitan and a Success Coach with Snow Business Coaching. Contact her at angie@snowbusinesscoaching.com or call/text (801) 477-0064.