As in many parts of the world, January is the month of big SALE also in Dubai. You, as me, are probably already tired of all SMS and e-mails filling up your inbox and spam box with promotions and ‘hot deals’ and while it is definitely tempting to hit the stores with the best deals, I personally find the e-mail and SMS spamming quite annoying. If you’d ask me the best way to approach customers, I would however not naturally say the phone, as receiving endless sales call can generally be even more disturbing.
But… today I was surprised again.
Earlier today I received a call from a shop telling me that they have 50-70% discount. I realized that this was the first time in a while I received such a call, most companies actually use my phone number only for sending me impersonal SMS, or my e-mail for impersonal e-mails, it seems like most people have stopped calling. While the lady kindly explained me the current discount and invited me to visit her shop, what struck me even more was when she just before hanging up asked me about my two daughters, remembering their name and asking how they were doing. I remembered how nice she was already in the store taking care of my children while I was trying on clothes and I found myself thanking her for the call and telling her that I will try my best to pass by and actually meaning it.
As a customer experience professional I am guessing (and hoping) that there is a process in place and that she noted down these personal facts about me in their CRM system together with my contact details, but it really doesn’t matter how she did it. The fact remains that she got me emotionally. While there are thousands of sales going on at the moment, the likelihood of me visiting (and spending my money in) her store just increased multiply. And this, thanks to a phone call and remembering my daughters’ names. So simple, yet so powerful!
CX learnings of today
Use a different channel than everyone else
Be personal, remember (and note down!) personal details