Navigating the COVID-19 Customer Journey
Wondering how to pivot your retail store strategy and approach to customer service during COVID-19? Mark Villalovos, Director of Strategy and Transformation at Sears Holdings Corporation and customer experience expert, shares five pieces of advice for businesses looking to optimize this “next normal” in the lives of their customers.
1. Establishing Trust is Key
As a business owner, make it a priority to convey to your customers that you have their safety, security, and best interests at heart. Small things add up to turn an everyday experience into a memorable one.
Use signage, marketing, and website callouts to showcase new safety protocols. Go above and beyond the minimum standards of maintaining social distance by creatively dressing up spaces you can no longer use. Instead of a plastic black trash bag and simple floor graphics, think of creative ways using mannequins, inner tubes or plush bears. Not only does this keep your customers safe, they make for extremely Instagram-able moments.
2. Proactively Address Customer Friction Points
If there’s one thing we have learned from this pandemic, it is that it affects people in a variety of ways. Recognize that customers may feel anxiety or fear of in-person interaction as we work toward recovery. Re-map and walk your customer’s new interactive journey with your business – where they park their car, how many door handles or surfaces they must touch, or placement of signage reminding them about their masks. Try to see through the eyes of your high-risk, elderly grandparents and add extra touches to enhance their experience so that they feel safe and cared for.
In addition to safety, use this as an opportunity to focus on customer comfort as they adjust to new protocols. For example, if your customers must wait outside your business to enter, you might provide shade or heaters to keep them comfortable. If parents with young children are forced to wait, provide something to keep them occupied, such as crayons and a picture to color. Your customers will notice and appreciate your investment in their comfort and well-being.
3. Courtesy, Compassion and Connection are Critical
Your customers have always appreciated the courtesy and exceptional service they have received from you and your staff. COVID-19 has left many people craving personal connection and conversation. A little recognition goes a long way. Show appreciation to new and returning customers and welcome them back like long lost family members. Ask about their families, new hobbies they have developed, and how they have been adjusting during this pandemic. Compassionate, personalized service helps to drive loyalty.
Masks and plexiglass sneeze guards are new variables introduced to the Customer Service process and as the mouth is our most expressive facial feature, masks are a huge liability in expressing courtesy and friendliness. Add to this that the hard-of-hearing can no longer read lips. Train your staff to enunciate clearly and project their voices when speaking. Use the eyes and body language to convey courtesy. Observe these new behaviors and conduct correctional training to ensure that your brand is not negatively impacted by these new restrictions.
4. Enable Tech Solution Adoption
Many businesses are implementing new technologies such as delivery apps, pre-order software or touchless payment processes for the very first time. It is incumbent upon you to help your customers adopt these new digital solutions. Add a training video to your website, have your employees help customers download your app, set up their profiles, and provide incentives to customers trying these tools for the first time.
The number one reason people resist new technology is that they do not appreciate being made to feel foolish. Feeling bad about not figuring out a new technology alone is bad enough, but being unable to use a new self-serve kiosk in front of a group of hungry customers is even worse. Your ability to enable the adoption of your new digital tools is critical to maintain your customers’ support and loyalty.
5. Take Charge of Your Brand
How you respond now will determine how your company’s brand evolves. People have long memories, and your customers will remember how you treated them in the tough times for years to come. Be open-minded and listen to all feedback – the best solutions often come from employees and customers.
This pandemic has also changed how some of your customers consume media. This is the time to experiment with Google Adwords, Social Media ads, a ClickFunnel landing page, email marketing and perhaps even considering foreign language radio. Continuously ask your customers where they have seen your ads, test different offers and adjust quarterly.
Conclusion
As business owners, our leadership role requires that we take care of our customers by protecting their health and safety, accommodating their needs, and creating a welcoming environment amidst challenging times. By implementing the five steps above, you will be well on your way to customer experience success.
For more information, check out the full podcast interview with Mark here. You can connect with Mark at m.villalovos@gmail.com or on his LinkedIn page.
About Mark
In 2017, Mark and his family moved to Chicago from Los Angeles, where he had spent 18 years with the Walt Disney Company. As the Director of Strategy and Transformation at Sears Holdings Corp, Mark leads a team of engagement engineers who harness data to build relationships which transform ordinary customers into raving loyalists. Mark is known for being customer-obsessed and uses human-centered design to prove that delivering an exceptional experience translates into measurable sales results. Mark is an industry leader with expertise in Human Behavior, Brand Loyalty, Journey Mapping, White Space Design, and multi-channel Systems Implementation.
