Delivering WOW

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends" - Walt Disney


"Wow"...how many times have you said that after you were given great customer service? In the present day where service is driven overseas, you wait on hold for what seems like forever, have to go through at least 5 different "press 1 for this; press 3 for that", and then when you finally get through to somebody they sound robotic and unemphatic reading their script; my guess is not often.

The good news about how poor customer service has become is that companies that deliver great service can easily build loyal customers. Delivering WOW is one way the best companies set themselves apart from their competition. When you "wow" your customers they recommend you to their friends and family; and in this day and age where news is spread to hundreds or thousands of friends, followers, or connections, your word of mouth marketing can deliver big time.

WOW is when you go above and beyond what is expected. For example, a company I've talked about in the past, Zappos, delivers WOW by surprising people that order from them with free next day shipping. Imagine yourself buying something on-line and getting the standard USPS shipping where your product will arrive in 3-5 business days. OK, you say to yourself, that's how it is everywhere. What would you say when you get home from work the next day and see your package sitting there for you at your doorstep?.........My point exactly.

One way we deliver WOW at Wisconsin Athletic Club is through top notch service. For example, picture a mother with a young girl saying "I want a water, I want a water", and the mother who is visibly stressed is trying to carry the girl's younger brother in one arm while rifling through her purse with the other arm, which results in items falling out onto the floor. "I'm sorry, I don't have any cash on me" the mother says to her daughter, which results in the little girl throwing a fit....causing the mom to be embarrassed and even more stressed. In comes a WAC employee who grabs a bottle of water, gives it to the little girl, and tells the mom to not worry about it and that it's on us..."wow".......again, my point exactly.

Delivering WOW doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Simple kind acts that go above and beyond what people expect deliver smiles, deliver WOW, deliver positive word-of-mouth, and deliver profits.

What does your company do to deliver WOW? Do you or your people even know what WOW is? Are you given the authority (empowered) to deliver WOW?

Set yourself and your company apart from your competition and put a smile on somebody's face by making it a priority to make your customers say "wow".......my point exactly :)