On Customer Experience

I was shopping online for a unique baseball cap. I found CapCo(name changed), a vintage-style cap maker, so I looked at their inventory. The cap that interested me had only one photo. Most of the time this would deter me from buying a cap, but this one seemed to be what I was looking for. I decided to email CapCo to ask for more photos.

Hey guys,

Do you have any additional photos of your cap? I’d love to see more detail before I buy it.

Thanks!
Nathan

After I sent the email, I began dreaming. I imagined how delighted I would be to receive a whole set of photos from CapCo. What if they one-upped me by creating a video? They might address me by name, show the cap on video, talk about its features and design. Maybe they are running a promotion and offer a coupon code to me.

Do you see how this would shape my perception of the company? I am certainly going to order that cap. I will write an email expressing thanks and praising their efforts. I am going to tell the story every time someone asks about my cap. I may even share my experience online, giving Capco free advertising.

Two hours later, I received an email from CapCo.

Sorry Nathan, we don’t have additional photos of the ballcap.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks for choosing CapCo,

Tim
Customer Service

The world is ripe for “wow” customer experiences. I find myself desperately hoping for this experience when I interact with a company.