A brand is not just a logo and a website.
I’m sure you’ve heard this from many brand designers and not just from me, but it’s so true. Successful, service-based businesses don’t become successful overnight solely because of the way they market themselves or their pretty websites, but from the value they add to their clients businesses and lives.
This includes connecting with them through your messaging, creating services that align with what they need and most importantly, making their overall experience working with you absolutely amazing.
So amazing that they go around and tell everyone how amazing you were and now their friends want the amazing experience as well – catching on?
Many studies have shown, even over the years and years technology has enhanced, that word of mouth marketing is the top most effective way of marketing.
Now, I’m not talking a great client experience as in you sent the invoice on time, or answered their email “within 24 hours”.
I’m talking about the next level stuff, when you go above and beyond to make someone’s experience investing in your fun, easy and MEMORABLE!
So… where does Lyft come in? Just last week I had flown in from a red eye from New York and had to get a Lyft home. I was tired, a little grumpy and just wanted to get in bed. My experience with Lyft, was so amazing (yep, using that word again), that I wanted to figure out how to apply it my business.
In this article, I’m sharing what Lyft did to heighten their customer experience above their competitors, and what you can do to apply this to your business.
How many times have you been chasing after a Lyft? Or, have you ever gone to get into a Lyft and it wasn’t yours? Or worse, has someone else ever accidentally taken your ride?
If you’ve ever used a ride share app, I’m sure at least one of those scenarios has happened to you and it’s no fun and extremely frustrating, especially if you have somewhere to be (like home).
When requesting for a Lyft that was going to take me straight to my comfy bed, I noticed an orange light glowing on the screen, which indicated the color that my driver was going to be using – different than the other drivers that were around… GENIUS!
I easily located my driver, got into the car with a very happy person in it and then we were off – no issues, no running or waving of the arms. A quick, easy and painless process for both of us.
Lyft provided each of their drivers with a new LED light that flashes a specific color unique to the other drivers that might be near to ensure you know the exact car that is picking you up.
These LED lights not only make it easy for the passenger to spot the driver, but it also strengthens the drivers experience by making it simple for them as well.
When the driver is happy and the whole passenger pick up process is seamless, it makes for the whole experience to be that much better, and for me, made Lyft stand out above it’s competitor.
I really felt like Lyft was listening to my frustrations as a passenger and really cared about how I was feeling, just by adding a simple light.
Because my experience was so great, I told anyone that would listen and really analyzed what Lyft did, and it’s something that we can all apply to our businesses.
If you make your client’s experience so memorable, they are most likely going to recommend you to a friend and then that friend will recommend you to their friend and so on and so forth.
Are there questions that every new client asks? Maybe create a FAQ sheet or section on your site to send to potential clients, so there questions are answered before they even ask.
Add a personal touch. If you’re a service-based business, your new client invested in your work, but they also invested in YOU. Add something personal, like a handwritten note or send a small gift to show you appreciate their trust in you.
Create a system. This is for you and your clients because if you have a system in place, everything will go 10x smoother and make an overall great experience. With this system, you can share an outline with your client so they’re always up to date on what’s happening.
Below are two blog posts I wrote where I shared my on-boarding and off-boarding processes
An inside look at my client on-boarding process
An inside look at my client off-boarding process
Check out your competitors or someone who’s doing it right. This “ah-ha” moment came to me in a Lyft, who is a multi-million (maybe even billion) dollar company, that is the ultimate service-based business. Do some research on your successful competitors and see what they’re doing right or something that you might change to make your experience better.
Recommended reading:
A great book on creating an amazing client experience!
December 3, 2018