Check out the photo of this bearded iris in my side yard. Poet John Keats reminded us that “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” I have a friend who grew up in the U.K. His two favorite superlatives are “beautiful” and “brilliant.” And, his labels have little to do with prettiness or with smarts, but everything to do with awesome.
So, how would your customers characterize their experiences with your unit or organization? Would “beautiful” (aka awesome) be a superlative they would use? A beautiful experience is one that triggers a positive story your customers are eager to share. A beautiful experience is one that fulfils the fundamental need of the customer while captivating them with a pleasant feature—like easy, fun, instructive, inclusive, or uplifting.
Service with soul is beautiful because it brings out the best in us. Service with joy is beautiful because it makes us happy. Service with enlightenment is beautiful because it leaves us wiser and more confident. Service with inclusion is beautiful because it gives us the power to influence how it is delivered.
Keats could have ended his quote with the word “joy.” But he added another feature important to customer loyalty—forever. When customers experiences are beautiful it escalates the likelihood they will come back again…over and over, hopefully forever. Look for ways to make your customers’ experiences beautiful and watch how they blossom, right along with your reputation and bottom line.
Dr. Chip Bell is considered a world-renowned authority on customer loyalty and service innovation and has helped many Fortune 100 companies dramaitcally enhance their bottom lines and marketplace reputations through innovative customer-centric strategies.
