The smallest details can ruin a customer's entire experience

A friend of mine once shared a story about his family's coffee farm in Ecuador. They had two fields. One side produced amazing coffee beans that everyone loved, while the other side always yielded bitter beans. They tried everything to fix it. They brought in experts, tested the soil and water, and used different fertilizers — nothing worked.

One day, my friend’s dad noticed a worker blasting death metal music from a boom box on the bitter side of the field. He remembered reading somewhere that music could affect plants. It seemed crazy that this could be the culprit, but at this point he was willing to try anything. He bought the worker an iPod and asked him to use headphones instead.

Guess what? The next season, the bitter beans tasted just as good as the ones from the other side of the field. One guy choosing to listen to death metal in the field made all the difference.

This story highlights a key lesson for business leaders. Customer experience is often viewed through the lens of big-picture strategies and major initiatives. Companies pour tons of money and effort into new apps, websites, products, and services to make customers happy, improve efficiency, and drive revenue. But sometimes, despite these investments, the experience still isn’t great, and the business suffers. Just like the unnoticed worker playing death metal, a single overlooked factor can have a huge impact. This might look like front line workers not understanding a small but vital part of the sales/servicing process because you didn't train them, or a broken link on your website that prevents customers from getting the support they need.

This week, we're diving into the importance of paying attention to the details—those seemingly minor elements that can make or break the experience for your customers.

1. See the big picture and the fine print 

To truly understand and improve your customer experience, you need to look at it from every angle and at every level of detail. This means not only considering the broad strokes of your customer journey but also zooming in on the finer points that may be overlooked. From the first touchpoint to the last, each interaction should be examined to ensure it's contributing positively to the overall experience.

Think of your customer journey as a flight path. You need to consider the experience at cruising altitude—high-level strategic touch points like your brand message, website navigation, and product offerings. But you also need to descend to lower altitudes to see the details—like the clarity of instructions on a product page, the ease of finding contact information, or the friendliness of automated email responses. Both perspectives are crucial in creating a seamless and satisfying experience for your customers.

2. The power of a smile: Employee impact on CX

Never underestimate the power of your frontline employees in shaping the customer experience. The way they interact with customers can leave lasting impressions, both positive and negative. A smile, a helpful attitude, or a genuine effort to solve a problem can turn a regular transaction into a memorable experience.

The attitudes and behaviors of employees—even something as seemingly insignificant—can have a profound impact on the customer experience. In your business, ensure that your frontline staff are not just well-trained but also motivated and aligned with the values of your brand.

3. Walk in their shoes

To truly understand the customer experience, go through the entire journey as if you were a customer. This exercise often reveals pain points and friction that might be invisible from the inside. Maybe it's a confusing checkout process, unclear instructions, or a lack of follow-up after a service is completed. These small frustrations can add up, leading to customer dissatisfaction and lost opportunities. 

Take the time to regularly walk through the customer journey yourself. Use your website, navigate your app, call your customer service line, and see what the experience is like from the customer's perspective. You might discover that a small tweak—like simplifying a form, adding a confirmation step, or updating a piece of outdated information—can significantly improve the overall experience.

4. No bugs allowed

In the digital age, your website, app, and other online touch points are often the first and most critical aspects of the customer experience. That's why it's essential to continuously QA to ensure they work as expected. A broken link, slow load time, or malfunctioning feature can quickly turn a potential customer away.

Remember, even the most beautifully designed website or app is useless if it doesn't function properly. Regularly test your digital platforms across different devices and browsers. Check that forms submit correctly, that buttons lead to the right pages, and that the overall user experience is smooth and intuitive.

Wrapping up

In the quest to deliver exceptional customer experiences, it's easy to focus on the big picture and overlook the details. But as we've explored in this edition, sometimes it's the smallest things that can make the biggest difference—like an employee playing death metal. By paying attention to every aspect of the customer journey—from the attitude of your frontline employees to the functionality of your digital platforms—you can create an experience that exceeds your customer’s expectations. 

Onward & upward!

Drew

P.s. If we haven’t met yet, hello! I’m Drew Burdick, a leader in Customer Experience (CX). For over 15 years I’ve worked with organizations of all sizes to enhance their CX and design solutions that drive business results. Have a question? Send me an email or reach out on LinkedIn.

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