The inbound marketing approach to customer delight


Published Apr 27, 2018 | Written by Katie Hughes

Now I’m a regular online shopper at Zara, but their faultless service continues to delight me every time.

This week, I ordered a few products on Tuesday evening. They turned up as expected the next day - beautifully presented as always. Wednesday evening I decided to return one of the items, so popped online, logged into my Zara account, and a few clicks later I’m told a courier will be with me to collect the item for return within 24-48 hours. 

Low and behold, the courier promptly collects it the very next day. No traipsing to a Collect+ newsagent in the rain, or queuing in the Post Office. 

The whole process couldn't have been any easier. And while many of us at Equinet are Amazon Prime enthusiasts and accustomed to a speedy service, it still has an element of delight. It still feels novel enough to make us gasp "but I only ordered it yesterday!"

It got me thinking about the "delight" action in the inbound methodology

If you're familiar with inbound, you may know the four-step process that works to turn strangers into visitors, customers and promoters of your business - "attract, convert, close, delight".

The “delight” action is the bit that focuses on turning customers into promoters who will continue to use your product or service - and sing its praises to others.

However, in this HubSpot article, we are reminded that, “In a truly successful inbound organisation, customer “delight” is everyone’s responsibility - not just those people your customers may come into contact with after buying something from you.” 

As defined by HubSpot; “Customer delight is exceeding a customer’s expectations to create a positive customer experience with a product or brand.” And we can make this happen at any point in the buyer's journey.

If a prospect is consistently left feeling satisfied and valued by your company, it will only help sway them to choose you to do business with. And they’ll be singing your praises to others even before they commit to buying your product or service.

But how do you delight customers through the inbound process?

HubSpot have the answers to this too;

“Solve Customers’ Problems”

Even if they aren’t yet paying customers, it doesn’t mean you can’t yet help solve their problems. It’s not about giving away all your insights for free, but by offering a nugget of advice that helps them with a problem, you can gain their trust so they’ll be much more likely to want to do business with you.

“Be helpful”

Here at Equinet, this is one of our core values - “Always be helping”. Providing a service shouldn’t just be about doing things for your customers. What happens next time they encounter a similar problem? The best way to truly help your clients is to empower them with the knowledge to succeed on their own - even if they choose not to.

“Help Customers Achieve Goals”

It’s all well and good helping a customer with something they need, but knowing why they need it will help you truly add value. It’s about making an effort to get to know a company so you can align your efforts to meet their business goals.

“Be enthusiastic”

Make sure every interaction with both prospects and customers leaves them feeling happy, satisfied and educated.

Take a look at the full article below.

 

At its core, the inbound experience is a customer-focused way of doing business that is centered on helping people and solving their problems in the ways they want them to be solved. The "attract" and "convert" stages are what marketers are responsible for, while your salespeople help "close," and your customer service reps are in charge of "delight" … right?

Well, not quite. In a truly successful inbound organization, customer "delight" is everyone's responsibility -- not just those people your customers may come into contact with after buying something from you.

The concept of delight -- providing a remarkable experience to users that focuses on their needs, interests, and wishes that leaves them so satisfied, they can't help but go out and sing the praises of your brand -- isn't just limited to customers. Great inbound companies focus on delighting potential and existing customers from each their very first interaction with the organization -- and you should, too.

Published by Katie Hughes April 27, 2018
Katie Hughes