Customer service. Customer experience. No matter what you call it, how your organization interacts with customers can make or break your business – from your ability to retain customers to the profit that drops to your bottom line. The proliferation of online shopping has made the on-site retail experience even more critical as alternative channels vie for consumer dollars and long-term loyalty.

Did you know that:

• More than half of Americans have scrapped a planned purchase or transaction because of bad service. American Express 2017 Customer Service Barometer

• Americans tell an average of 15 people about a poor service experience, versus the 11 people they’ll tell about a good experience. American Express 2017 Customer Service Barometer

• After one negative experience, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again. Newvoicemedia.com

• Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits anywhere from 25% to 95%. Bain & Company

Recently our RPM team had the opportunity to participate in a unique customer service program with one of our automotive clients. The goal of the day was to build on the client’s already strong customer service ethic and translate that into its marketing and communications efforts.

But this day went beyond the development of tag lines and branding to truly unearth what makes this client’s customer commitment different – the family behind the storefronts and the teams interacting with guests every day. At the end of a workshop that had our team working hand-in-hand with our Client-Partner, we all left with a greater understanding of the promise the brand makes to each guest that walks through its doors, as well as how to deliver on the purpose of that promise with every interaction.

How can you improve the customer experience and make customers a little happier? We can learn a few things from the most magical place on earth. The Disney Institute has been helping to advise and train a variety of organizations worldwide based on the business insights and best practices of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts for more than three decades. What has the Disney organization learned? That regardless of industry, volume or scale, exceptional customer service is achievable for every organization because the service experience is “architected” from systems and processes they control.

According to the Disney Institute:

• Build relationships – Show employees how to turn transactions into interactions, and then into relationships.

• Be “on-purpose” – Learn more about the governing rule: “purpose trumps task,” which means it is OK to be off-task if you are on-purpose.

• Listen beyond the obvious – Understanding your organization’s potential “Three o’clock Parade” question, and then training employees to genuinely seek to understand each individual customer’s needs and wants, and be able to respond accordingly in the service moment.

• Resolve issues quickly – Empower and equip employees with tools to enable them to quickly resolve as many issues as possible on their own.