Talk about a remarkable experience: A recent headline in Newsweek, “Worried Taco Truck Owner Calls His Best Customer After She Hasn’t Shown up for Months,” certainly grabbed my attention.
To be fair, they had me at “Taco Truck.” But the memorable part of this story has nothing to do with tacos and everything to do with a remarkable customer experience.
The Story
After a frequent customer hadn’t visited in a while, the owner of Taco Tom’s Lonchera called her to check in. He left a voicemail saying he was worried about her:
“This is Thomas, from the taco truck. Hey it’s a long time that I haven’t seen you, and I worry about you. How are you? I hope you’re good. OK, take care.”
As it turns out, she had been ill, which explained her absence.
The woman was so touched by the truck owner’s gesture, she shared his voicemail in a TikTok video, which has now been viewed more than four million times.
A remarkable customer experience = your best marketing. I’ve said it over and over in keynote speeches, blogs, and my upcoming book. And if an enterprising taco truck owner can do it, so can you.
What You Can Do To Create A Remarkable Customer Experience
Calling to check in on a customer doesn’t cost a lot of time or money. It’s not difficult to execute. And yet the benefit (Return on Investment, if you will) far outweighs any cost.
Taco Thomas, as he is known in the neighborhood, simply takes the time to get to know his customers personally, so that he actually notices if one of them stops showing up regularly. He doesn’t use a fancy CRM system or rely on expensive analytics software. He probably didn’t take any customer service courses in school. He just is… himself. A kind-hearted human being. (Related: Why Customer Service Can’t Always Be Taught)
Why can’t every company do this?
Especially after more than a year of a pandemic, perhaps you’ve noticed that certain customers:
- Haven’t visited your store or restaurant
- Haven’t used their credit card or loyalty program
- Haven’t visited their doctor or dentist
- Have fallen behind on rent or loan payments
- Haven’t used your product or service
Now is a great time to re-establish a connection with your customers and find out how they are doing. Don’t make assumptions; instead, go into the conversation with an open mind. Maybe some of your customers:
- Have been sick
- Have been taking care of a loved one
- Aren’t yet comfortable venturing out in public
- Are under an unusual amount of stress
- Have lost their login information
Imagine you playing the role of Taco Thomas and being there in a time of need, showing that you genuinely care about your customers. Imagine the loyalty that will generate.
The Data
According to a study by digital experience platform Acquia, 66 percent of consumers could not remember the last time a brand exceeded their expectations, and nearly half (49 percent) feel the brands they engage with don’t meet their expectations for a good experience.
What’s more, a study by CX management company Sitel Group found that while nearly a third of customers (30 percent) say that they will share a negative experience on social media or write a negative online review, almost half of consumers (49 percent) say the same thing about a positive experience. (Related: Positive Customer Experience Examples Are More Shareable, Study Says)
So to restate these conclusions: People are more willing to share positive experiences than negative ones. The problem? They don’t have enough positive experiences to share.
Let’s Eat
Therein lies our opportunity. Taco Thomas flawlessly executed one of the five steps to creating remarkable experiences outlined in my new book, The Experience Maker: being Extraordinary.
Extraordinary just means “better than ordinary.” Your experience is probably ordinary right now, which is why people aren’t sharing things about your brand. But the good news is that the bar for customer experience is exceedingly low. You only have to get a little bit over it to be better than ordinary, create a remarkable customer experience, and have people take notice. Taco Thomas is no ordinary food truck owner.
When you focus on being Extraordinary, you will create positive experiences that people want to talk about with friends and family. Just like Taco Thomas.
Now who’s up for a taco run?
Image by Chef Heath Schecter from his cookbook, i’m a chef & my kids want buttered noodles
More: Why Customer Experience Leads To Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
