| I coined this phrase several years ago, before I had even
heard of "The
Pursuit of Wow," by Tom Peters. To me, The Wow Factor is
about going the extra mile for your customers. It is about generating
more than just a ho-hum response from your customers. You want them to
say "WOW! That is fantastic" or "WOW! I hadn't expected
that kind of great service."
By generating this kind of response, you are recognizing that your
customers mean more to you than they do to your competitors. Your
customers will recognize that and reward you with increased business and
wonderful referrals. With The WOW Factor you create true
evangelists for your business. This is The WOW EffectSM.
So why doesn't everybody do it?
There are two primary reasons:
- It is expensive; your customers have to be highly valued to
justify it.
- If everybody does it, it becomes expected and you need to raise
the bar again to get a WOW reaction.
Firstly, it is expensive, but not as expensive as losing your
customers, plus you can reduce your marketing budget because your
customers become your chief evangelists. Putting money into creating The
WOW Effect does make sense, especially if you can also increase your
margins because your customers will be willing to pay more for such
outstanding service.
Secondly, raising the bar is a natural process. In fact, everybody
tries to copy outstanding service, but in the process, the service
becomes expected. Think about this for a moment. Many improvements in
customer service result from just one company trying to be different and
everybody else emulating them. Creating The WOW Factor! is not something
that is done once. It is an ongoing process of constantly exceeding
customer expectations.
The WOW Factor and profit
Creating The WOW Effect is not going to help if it can't be done
profitably. The trick is to figure out how to create a big impact for as
little additional cost as possible. Don't forget though, creating The
WOW Effect can help to raise the average margin on products and
services, allowing you to charge your customers for such outstanding
service.
The WOW Factor! Is not suitable for every business, but most
customers are thrilled at being on the receiving end of The WOW Factor!
On the website we will feature your examples of companies pursuing
The WOW Factor! We've all seen examples of companies going the extra
mile. I'd like to hear your stories. Tell me how your company makes your
customers say WOW! Or let me know about an eRetailer that made you say
WOW!
If you feel like writing about your bad experiences, we might also
create a section called The OW Factor!
Back to The WOW
Factor!
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