The Way Of Harmony: 4 Keys To Getting In Harmony With What Customers Want, Need, Perceive And Feel Printer friendly format
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Person on a computer with a megaphone coming out of the monitor with a lightbulb lit up.My client, an engineer by trade and a musician by passion, explained harmony to me over wine and hummus as we talked about the keynote I would be delivering to her organization the next morning. She loved my keynote topic, The Way of Harmony, and explained that she selected me as the speaker specifically because my take on harmony in the customer experience resonated with her.

“When music is out of harmony, people can feel that it’s not right. I can look out at the audience and see dis-ease in their faces; I notice tension in their body language; and if I had my hand on the pulse of a person in the audience, I’d feel that something was off. When music is out of harmony, you feel it.”
 
“Harmony is the goal,” she explained. “When music is in harmony, the audience is relaxed, captivated, and they go on the journey with you. That’s exactly what we want for our customer experience. Customers should be relaxed, engaged and they should enjoy their experience throughout their journey with us.”
 
She’s right. Harmony is the goal for the customer experience. When the customer experience is harmonic, first-time customers become repeat customers, and repeat customers become loyal customers. When the experience is out of harmony, customers often defect, spread negative word-of-mouth advertising or both.
 
Achieving harmony in the customer experience is about understanding four keys: Needs, Wants, Perspectives and Emotions. Understanding these four keys puts companies in the position to deliver the level of service customers expect and deserve, which results in customer loyalty and increased profits. This article explores the Four Keys to a Harmonic Customer Experience.
 
NEEDS
 
Oftentimes what your customers need is obvious, but sometimes it isn’t. My client for this keynote is an airport, one of the world’s largest airports. In my keynote address I explained that to be in harmony with female travelers, the focus for this message, the airport had to be crystal clear on the customer’s needs. For example, a female traveler might have the following needs:
 
I need to transfer with a very tight connection and I need the first leg of my flight to be on time.
 
The customer in this case doesn’t simply need to go from point A to point B; she needs to feel as little stress as possible in making her very tight connection. An understanding of the full needs positions the airport to create experiences that reduce stress and aid the customer in easily making her connection.
 
WANTS
 
I met a businesswoman on a flight from Rochester. She told me she worked for a film company. I knew the company and, in fact, had just read that the company recently laid off 4,000 employees. The company faced a major shift in the industry and was headed for demise. I asked her what her take was on what happened to the once-dominant brand. “Thirty-five millimeter film was a cash cow for us. We weren’t surprised by the introduction of the digital camera in the industry. We invented it, but we held back on it because we thought what customers really wanted was print images. We pushed film, but customers actually wanted digital. Now we’re playing catch-up and trying to win customers back.”

The company fell out of harmony with what consumers wanted. They pushed the product that worked for them, was easy to produce, and was profitable. Unfortunately, customers wanted something different.
 
PERCEPTIONS
 
Being in harmony with customers includes understanding customer’s perceptions of interacting with your company. Customer perceptions may be accurate, but often they are not. Organizations need to be aware of perceptions, be they true or false.
 
An art studio can attract more customers if it understands some of the perceptions that hold customers back from enrolling in classes. An example of a perception that holds customers back might be:
 
I’d like to take a painting class, but I’ll be the only beginner. I won’t know anyone. Everyone will be so advanced. I’ll be too self-conscious to paint.
 
In reality, the studio might be eager to have beginners in classes and it’s not unusual that most students do not know each other before the first class. All art classes start with a fun and easy icebreaker and students quickly get to know one another. If the art studio communicated the reality of the beginner student experience, it could attract more customers.
 
EMOTIONS
 
Understanding the emotional dimension of the customer experience helps organizations create rapport, establish trust and build customer loyalty.
 
Years ago I bought an expensive video camera from an e-commerce retailer so that I could take the camera on our family vacation. When I received the camera, I realized I bought the wrong type of camcorder for my family’s needs. I immediately shipped the camera back for a return just three short weeks before our vacation. Because I didn't have much time before departing for vacation, I decided that I’d get the credit from that camera and simply go buy the right camera at a local retailer.
 
The camera had a large price tag, so I intended to wait until the credit was applied to my credit card before I bought a new camera locally. However, one week before our vacation I found the original camera purchase was still not credited to my credit card. I reached out to the company over Internet chat and this is the response I received:
 
“Ms. Golden, I’m so sorry the HD Camcorder return hasn’t been processed as of yet. I know you’re anxious to have this completed. The return processing time can take up to 17 days from the date an order is returned to us. I hope your item is processed soon.”
 
The company representative brilliantly picked up on my emotion. I was, indeed, anxious to have my credit applied and she responded accordingly, “I know you’re anxious to have this completed.”
 
The employee’s response to my emotions put me at ease, instilled trust that my return was being processed and gave me a good feeling about choosing to buy from this company. Had the chat simply read, “Your return has not yet been processed,” I would have walked away with a completely different feeling and perspective. By zeroing in on my emotions, this perfect response led to trust and repeat business.
 
Focus on a customer experience of harmony by understanding and responding to your customers’ wants, needs, perceptions and emotions. When you do, you’ll be perfectly positioned to attract and retain more customers.
 
 
 
Myra Golden is a keynote speaker who travels North America looking for great stories to share, and new ways to help her clients deliver the best possible customer experience.