Difference Between Customer Satisfaction & Delight
Customer satisfaction and customer delight are not interchangeable terms, but both are important in creating a successful customer experience. They are essential in creating customer loyalty, which can eventually lead to brand ambassadors. This is why I want to define both terms for you, so you have a clear understanding of each and how they can benefit your brand.
Just because you have a great product and people buy it, doesn't mean you have a "satisfied customer." There are many reasons why people stick with brands, such as convenience, opportunity, or even laziness to switch to another brand. However, none of these are optimal for client retention or even loyalty.
BY DEFINITION
“Customer satisfaction is a measurement that determines how well a company’s products or services meet customer expectations.”
Product-based industries prioritize the quality and longevity of their products. Conversely, service providers often prioritize deliverables, simple processes, and straightforward communication.
Forgive me if I am about to burst your bubble, but meeting these expectations is merely the minimum that customers expect from any brand. No one buys a product with the expectation that it will fail, and no one invests in a service with the expectation of sketchy processes.
If your company has not yet met these basic expectations, please STOP reading this journal, and go fix that first.
Customer satisfaction is achieved through the experience you provide to your customers. This can include prompt customer service, friendly reception at the door of the business, and interactive product packaging, anything that is part of a brand-client interaction. All of these components form part of the customer experience and must be crafted to reflect your brand's values. ALL THE TIME. Let me say one more time. ALL THE TIME.
Having brand values that align with your offerings is a huge differential, one your customers will appreciate, but it also means that you must be accountable for living up to your claims. If you promise something that you cannot deliver, prepare yourself to see some negative feedback.
IN OTHER WORDS
Customer satisfaction means going above and beyond what your client expects from you and your service.
Make their interests and experience your priority, and do your absolute best to create a positive interaction that they can share with friends. Of course, always strive for excellence without having to go to extremes. Personally, I do not agree with the statement "the customer is always right." Some customers are simply not cordial or do not respect business transactions, and that's okay. A few bad reviews are normal; don't beat yourself up over it. Remember, there are crazy people out there.
No matter what, you should always aim to have an exceptional brand experience and go above and beyond when possible.
If customer satisfaction is going above and beyond, what is customer delight? —I am glad you ask.
Customer delight is all about creating an unexpected experience that generates an emotional response in your clients, leading them to not only feel positive about your brand but also to spread the word. The key to achieving this is that it must be unexpected. That's right! These experiences cannot be consistent, otherwise, they will lack the emotional response you are seeking. Instead, focus on consistently creating unexpected sources of surprise and delight. You want your clients to be pleasantly thrilled!
LET ME EXPLAIN WITH AN EXAMPLE
Imagine you own a restaurant and for every customer's birthday, you gather your servers and have them sing while presenting a small free cake to the table. After a few months, word-of-mouth spreads and people start coming to your restaurant for the free cake and singing, believing it is a standard part of your service. Although it began as a nice gesture, it has become an expectation. Is this necessarily a negative thing? Not if you can continue to provide it, but it no longer elicits a delighted response. This means that if you want to keep your customer’s delight, you need new ideas.
That's why it's crucial to design these experiences to be short-lived and continuously evolving so that you never lose the element of the unexpected.
Brands are always brainstorming ideas for customer delight. If you're wondering about the cost, don't worry. It's entirely up to you. For a credit card company, it could be a VIP ticket to a sporting event, while for a small earring company, it might be a handwritten note. Just make sure to keep it fresh and ever-changing.
Ultimately, the key to creating customer delight is to focus on building strong, meaningful relationships with your customers. This means listening to their feedback, understanding their needs and preferences, and continuously striving to provide them with exceptional experiences that exceed their expectations.
By doing this, brands can establish themselves as trusted partners and build a loyal customer base that will help them grow and succeed over the long term.
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS WHEN CREATING CUSTOMER DELIGHT
If you can, keep it personal
Clients know when you are sending them something that was planned for 100 other people, and even though it is appreciated, it can lose its charm. Think of conversations you have had in the past about hobbies or personal interests, you can use that information to make a great gift. For example, if you know your client loves wine and charcuterie, you can send them a lovely wine bottle with a cheeseboard or a gift card to a local restaurant that has them. Either way, it is a nice personal touch.
Get to know your clients
This might be a personal preference, but I think is better to get to know your clients first before sending them a gift. In fact, timing-wise, I would send your customer appreciation AFTER you have worked together. I know a lot of people do it at the very beginning which makes getting to know your clients obsolete and can result in a generic present.
Spend wisely
I am so guilty of this. I get excited about gifting and totally throw the budget out of the window. I think it is important to treat your customer delight experience as part of your business expenses. It must make sense and accordingly match the investment tier of your clients. For example, if it costs you about $100 to gift a welcome kit to a client, and that client only invested $300 in a package, it is a little silly to be giving away 1/3 of your income back. After taxes and paying for costs, how much are you actually making? Spend wisely, and don’t get too excited.
Add brand personalization
Nothing says “I have my crap together” more than a gift that has been branded. It really makes you look super professional. Think packaging, gift wrap, stickers, bags, boxes, mailers, anything you can brand, you should. Again, add all these to the cost of gifting, because it isn’t for free, but I would recommend ordering in bulk for the pieces that are branded with your own brand. Makes price units go down for sure.
IF YOU FOUND SOMETHING INSPIRING, INTRIGUING, OR ENCOURAGING IN THIS JOURNAL ENTRY—I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW!
Send me a message in the DMs or contact me to inquire about working together. I can’t wait to keep the conversation going.
