Customers are reacting to a down economy with despair. We think they need a bit of comic relief! What if the features of customer service mimicked the elements that made a great joke work? Examine the construction of two simple jokes:
Comedian Joe Weinstein: “My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to 99 cents a can. That’s about $7.00 in dog money!”
Comedian Larry the Cable Guy: “Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”
What makes these lines funny? First they create a mental pattern and then unexpectedly break the pattern in the last one or two words. Second, the construction of the humor is simple and easy-to-get. Finally, both lines have a “tongue-in-check” levity that is playful and joyful. What if customer service was unexpected, simple and joyful?
Need an example? A woman traded in her old car for a new one. A week after she had her new car she turned on the radio and discovered they had programmed in her radio stations from her trade-in—unexpected, simple and joyful!
Ask everybody to try it on your customers as well as each other. They get comic relief for their gloom; you get their devotion!!!
That's pretty sweet what they did, especially that it's an unexpected surprise. I'd reckon if a lot of companies catch on personalized services, there might be little to no buyers remorse left.hee
Posted by: Virtual Agent | December 22, 2010 at 08:17 PM