How can you keep both your customers happy and satisfied? The answer lies in going beyond providing a good product or service. It’s about creating a remarkable experience for both employees and customers that leaves a lasting impression. But how do you achieve this? According to BigSpeak EVP Ken Sterling’s article on Inc.com, the key is to be kind. When you prioritize kindness in all your interactions, you create an emotional connection that fosters loyalty and trust. By going above and beyond to make customers and employees feel special, you not only cultivate loyalty, but you also set yourself apart from the competition. So, the next time you’re looking for ways to improve your customer experience, remember to go farther, be kind, and keep your customers amazed. Here’s how to do just that!

Previously published on Inc.com 

Look, folks, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We are in challenging times of high inflation and economic upheaval. It’s more important than ever for your organization to be empathetic with customers. Not only is it great for business, but it’s also great for your people.

My Nonno used to say, “We’ll get more flies with honey than vinegar.” I adored the man so of course I never said, “What, we don’t want is any damned flies, Nonno!.”  He also taught me, “Rule # 1 is our customer is always right, and Rule # 2 is when in doubt, refer to Rule # 1.” 

Organizations that can understand their customer’s pain are the ones that will do well in good times and bad. These organizations know that the best way to help the company succeed is by being good to their customers. This is why companies like Starbucks, Southwest, USAA, and Warby are consistently among the top companies for Net Promoter Score (NPS).   

While we’re on the subject–and I know I’m tooting my own horn–the NPS for my company this year is 89. This is unheard of for almost all industries, especially speaker bureaus and talent agencies. How do we do it?  

Simple, follow these tips:

Good Customer Experience Starts With Good Employee Experience

The best companies for customers to work with tend to be the best companies for employees to work for. If an organization looks out for their employee’s best interests, it often translates into the employees looking out for the best interests of their customers.

Look at how Starbucks offers training, education, and health benefits for its employees. By offering so many benefits, Starbucks not only attracts better employees, the employees tend to give better customer experience–from getting to know your name to providing free drinks if you don’t like the one you bought. 

Or look at the bank USAA. During the potential government shutdown, USAA was going to offer one-time interest-free loans to its members. When have you ever heard of a bank helping people without making money? This is why USAA has one of the most loyal customer bases.

So, how can you make your employee experience better? You might try what we do at my company. We offer profit sharing, flexible working arrangements (most of our employees work remotely), health care, and a budget for personal development. Our positive reviews have kept customers coming back and retained employees through tough times.

Good Employee Experience Starts With Leadership

Great customer experiences come from your customer-facing employees, however, they can only start at the top. Starbucks provides another great example. Look at their new CEO  Laxman Narasimhan. He kept it real by earning his barista certification, working in 30 different store locations, and getting to understand the employee experience.

How many CEOs do you see working behind the counter? When leaders are willing to be understanding and empathetic of their employees, it inspires the employees to do the same with the customers. Another good example is Southwest Airlines. Their leadership instills kindness into the company’s DNA through their mission. Southwest’s goal is to interact with people “with a sense of warmth, friendliness, [and] individual pride.”

So, how can you inspire employees from the top? At my company, our leaders have worked from the bottom to the top so we understand the employee experience. However, if you can’t do that, you could also try courses to improve your emotional intelligence. I recommend the Last 8% with JP Pawliw-Fry, Bestselling author of Performance Under Pressure.

A Kind Word Will Get You Farther

Finally, how you treat people will affect your business more than how good your product or service is. Unless your product or service is a monopoly, you are selling the same thing as your competitors and need to provide a better experience. So, how you treat people will be the difference to your long-term success.

But don’t take my word for it. Consider a study done in the 90s on why doctors get sued for malpractice. In the study by Dr. Gerald Hickson (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association), the researchers found the doctors who were sued most for malpractice weren’t the doctors with the most mistakes. The doctors who were sued the most were the rudest to their patients.  

So, how can you treat your people better–customers and employees? Simple. Take the time to get to know them. Ask how they are doing. Ask if they need help. And remember the great advice of Maya Angelou. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

If you want your organization to thrive in the short (and long term), make sure you understand how your customers feel. It all starts with a leadership that cares about its employees, who then care for its customers.