At every stage of the customer lifecycle, there are opportunities to wow the customer. To make them say, ‘you do that?’ and have them feel great about the decision to trust their pet with your facility. In this blog post, I’ll share a few ways to create these moments of customer delight — from onboarding all the way through the check-out process.
Ways to create moments of customer delight
Onboarding
First impressions matter, and onboarding is where those impressions get formed. To make this process as impactful as possible:
- Make online booking easy.
Having a manual booking process that involves back-and-forth emails is going to create a frustrating, high-friction experience. Instead, invest in a booking engine that allows people to make reservations online instantly. This creates a more efficient, convenient experience for your customers — and adds more credibility to your business. - Ask for the right amount of information.
The initial intake form is critical for collecting information about people’s pets, such as their vaccination records, medication needs, and feeding schedule. However, overloading the form with too many questions will only overwhelm pet owners and waste their time. Try to strike the right balance of only asking for the information you actually need. - Offer a tour.
Offer new customers an optional tour of your facilities. Often, having customers see where their pets will be staying creates more peace of mind — especially if what they see is a clean facility with lots of professional staff members and happy dogs.
During the stay
It’s a huge act of trust for pet owners to leave their dogs in your care. The best way to delight customers at this stage is to give them the reassurance that their dogs are safe, healthy, and happy at your facility. Yardstick knows that there’s a high correlation between the degree to which they send out updates and the number of 5-star reviews they get online. Because of this, they prioritize communication in their daily activities. A few tips:
- Share high-quality photos and videos.
Pet owners love receiving updates. One to two photos a day — or even some short video clips — of their dog enjoying activities or interacting with stuff can make a powerful impact. Just make sure the photos capture the right moments. A careless picture of a pet with the wrong facial expression can create more panic than peace. - Send personalized updates.
Pet owners want to feel like you know their dog. So when sending updates, add a personalized touch. Maybe it’s sending a photo of Luna getting scratches in her favorite spot . Or maybe it’s taking a video of Max’s goofy personality. This will make customers feel that their pets are receiving the individualized attention they paid for. - Be mindful of how you communicate.
It’s normal for dogs to be a little stressed for the first few days of boarding, which may cause them to eat less than usual or have stomach problems. Be mindful of how you communicate these updates to customers. Saying “Cooper hasn’t eaten in three days” is a surefire way to make his owner feel anxious. Instead, let them know Cooper has been grazing, but you’ve added canned food to get him to eat a bit better. Or that you’re taking him on extra walks to get his appetite going.
Checking out
The best way to delight customers during check-out is to 1.) make the process as smooth as possible and 2.) send their dogs home in great shape. A few tips:
- Optimize the process.
Simplify the check-out process by having the customer’s card on file so they don’t have to wait around for the transaction process. A smooth check-out will be a nice surprise for customers who are likely coming back from a day of travel. - Go the extra mile.
Accidents, like dogs soiling their beds or themselves, are inevitable. Avoid returning pets or their items in an unclean state, as it could leave a poor impression. Instead, give the pup a quick rinse or throw the bed in the wash before handing them off to the owners. - Share a report card.
Whether it’s sent digitally or given in person, giving owners a brief overview about their pet’s stay can be impactful. What were the highlights? What would the owner want to be aware of? Do you have any notes to share with them? Wrapping up a stay with this type of report will help your business stand out from the rest.
Bonus
Even outside of the standard customer lifecycle, there are opportunities to delight. For example, Beverly’s Pet Resort has seasonal photoshoots, where they dress their dogs up and take photos against a holiday-themed backdrop. Some facilities also host ‘yappy hours’ for both pets and their owners, where they can come hang out with the staff members over snacks and drinks. There are tons of creative ways to go above and beyond for your customers.
Scaling moments of customer delight
You might be wondering: is it actually possible to scale these moments of customer delight as my business grows?
My answer is: 100% yes. But the key is to have the right technology in place. My recommendation is to invest in a platform that, at a minimum:
- Offers an easy way for customers to make online bookings.
- Has a front desk management feature to make things like check-in and check-out seamless.
- Streamlines all aspects of customer management, including having a centralized place for team members to share notes about a pet’s stay.
These features will make it much easier for you to consistently deliver a top-notch customer experience at scale, without adding more burden to your team.
Creating moments of customer delight isn’t just about marketing. It’s a way to build trust with your new and existing customers — and also demonstrates that your team is always keeping their needs (and their pets’ needs) top of mind. Keep investing in the customer experience, and I promise that you’ll see less turnover, increased revenue, and improved relationship quality.
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