In two previous posts, we’ve been discussing how Tesla has grown an incredibly strong brand with fierce customer loyalty. We focused on the lessons from real-life examples that can be applied to any business. We’ve discussed the first six examples in our previous posts, and here, we’ll look at the last four.
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Be Consistent in Your Messaging
“One of the biggest factors in a great customer experience is being able to get the same information no matter how a customer contacts the company,” says Blake Morgan, a customer experience futurist, author, and keynote speaker. In Tesla’s case, many customers reported getting conflicting information from different parts of the organization, some of which was outdated. This understandably led to some frustration.
But rather than allowing that frustration to fester, Tesla learned through these experiences and took steps to ensure that messaging was consistent across all areas of the organization.
Think about your own organization and the conflicting messages that customers may be receiving. What can you do to monitor and ensure consistency across all customer touch points?
Be Available to Customers
Customers who have questions or concerns want to hear back from the right person right away. Imagine how frustrating it is to struggle through an answering service and press button after button without getting the chance to talk to a human being. Now imagine your question is about the six-figure electronic car you just bought.
In truth, whether spending a lot of money on extremely expensive cars or buying far less expensive products and services, customers are frustrated when their needs are not immediately met.
Identify the barriers that might exist in your organization that may be preventing customers from getting the help they need.
Focus on Digital
“Modern customers often start their customer journey online,” says Morgan. “That means that digital provides customers their first impressions of the brand.” She adds that Tesla has a strong digital presence that enables customers to get all the information they need in one place.
Having a strong digital presence is good not only for customers but also for companies. When done effectively, meeting customer needs without staff intervention can save time and boost satisfaction.
Provide Self-Service Options
Customers like being able to do things for themselves and on their own time. Morgan reports that after test driving a car, potential Tesla customers are sent a link that allows them to configure their car and understand pricing.
What opportunities might you have to build self-service options into your organization’s customer journey? The more you can do to build value into the customer experience, the better the odds are that your customers will remain loyal. Better yet, you’ll also increase positive word of mouth, which can lead to new customers.
Over the last three posts, we’ve looked at the 10 customer experience lessons Morgan draws from the experience of tech-car icon Tesla. These lessons are important, but the broader is that by using actual examples in your training and development activities, you can improve the impact of that training.