What is Customer Delight?

Customer delight differs from customer satisfaction in one very crucial way: it's about exceeding
a customer's expectations, or going above and beyond, rather than just simply providing a
satisfactory experience that met expectations.

We frequently see instances of customer delight going viral (being shared over and over) on
social media. The emotional reaction we experience when we see customer delight in action
makes us want to share what we've seen, a type of word-of-mouth marketing for the business at
the center of the action. In fact, many businesses use these examples of customer delight in their
marketing by implementing them into customer testimonials and other marketing materials.

Customer delight can result in good things for businesses. Why? Because businesses benefit
from their good works toward customers in numerous ways: increased revenue, greater brand
loyalty, and being separated from the pack of competitors.

How to Deliver

So, maybe you're thinking that you're doing well satisfying customers, but you want to move into
the next stratosphere of delighting them. How do you implement it? Let's talk about how to
deliver the delight with some best practices.

1. Listen. You'd be surprised how many little things you can pick up on if you're listening closely
instead of formulating your answer. Your delight moment may come from a simple comment
made by a customer that you can fulfill with ease.

2. Surprise. You want your customers to be wowed; that's where the delight comes in. Give
people something unexpected and build spontaneity into your business practices.

3. Give. We're not talking about money or stuff here but rather time, space, and contact. Work
efficiently for your consumers, but give them room to process information you've provided and a
specific contact person they can reach out to when they're ready.

4. Be flexible. How often are you confronted with a truly black-and-white situation where there's
no wiggle room? Probably not very often. Remember that it's important to bend the rules every
once in a while.
5. Get personal. Taking an interest in your customers is one of the simplest ways to incite
delight. Remembering a birthday or sending a note out of the blue is an easy step for you but a
memorable one for the person on the receiving end. Above all, be genuine.