Customer Emotional Satisfaction: This is what it looks like.

This true and inspiring customer service story evidences the benefits of striving for emotional satisfaction, not just rational satisfaction.

During customer service training sessions with businesses, I consistently emphasize the importance of striving for not only rational customer satisfaction, but also emotional customer satisfaction. This is because, as I previously wrote, rationally satisfied customers are just as likely to abandon your organization as dissatisfied customers. In other words, emotionally satisfied customers will exhibit the most loyalty to your business and brand, which translates into increased customer retention.

But what does emotional satisfaction “look like”?

Take a moment to watch this true story about a customer who lost a diamond from her wedding ring while shopping at Nordstrom. I promise that the three-minute video is well worth your time; indeed, you’ll probably want to share the video with your team this week.

So what makes this customer service story so impactful? Three critical factors, all of which contribute to emotional satisfaction:

• “Above and Beyond” Attitude: In order to create emotionally satisfied customers, your business must be willing to “go the extra mile” (or two) for each and every customer each and every time: not just on Fridays, not just when it’s convenient for your organization, and not just for loyalty-card customers, but rather all of the time for everyone, including prospective customers.

• Aligned Customer Service Culture: One of the most striking aspects of this story is that employees from different departments – for example, the general manager, the loss-prevention manager, and two custodians – personally committed themselves to searching for, and ultimately finding, the diamond. The loss-prevention manager roamed the floor on his hands and knees, and the two custodians rummaged through vacuum bags full of dust and dirt to find the diamond. At no point did any employee voice any objection, i.e. “That’s not my job!”

• Obsession with Customer Service and the Customer Experience: Near the end of the video, the customer makes an astute observation about Nordstrom employees: “I don’t care what their job is, they all make a difference in the customer experience.”  And customer experience is the key to emotional satisfaction. Why? Because customers will always remember the way your organization makes them feel, and inspiring customers to make them feel genuinely and individually valued leads to emotionally satisfied customers.

This week, consider sharing this video with your team members and discussing the benefits of an “above and beyond” attitude, an aligned customer service culture, and the role that customer experience plays in emotional satisfaction.

In the meantime, have a “customerific” week!

Mark