Engineered customer experience
I work with Soft Shoe, a phenomenal store in Richmond, Ky. that takes customer experience seriously. (That’s why its Facebook page has almost 34,000 likes!) We ended up partnering after the owner and I were geeking out about the following engineered customer experience I had:
In 2015, a client recommended I visit Unger’s Shoe Store in Ironton, Ohio. It was an exceptional customer experience.
This gentleman was here for a “service visit.” He sat while the employee went in the back to maintain his shoe. I believe he got a replacement support, which was part of the plan when he bought it. He was blown away when she told him it would be good for x number of years and then would just need some sole work. 
While my employee gathered some shoes for me to “test-drive,” I noticed this sign. The retail space matches the retail experience–and that’s engineered! 
Here’s some more engineering of the retail space. You’re not just buying shoes; you’re joining a legacy. 
Now for the fun part: I tried on three pairs. She educated me on the difference between a Blucher (left) and Balmoral (right) shoe. This was the first time I had understood why some shoes were so uncomfortable to me. She helped me feel WHY I should buy a certain shoe–and since why is what motivates us to action. … 
Here’s what I bought. As she handed me the bag, she told me that their principle is to service what they sell, so if I ever had any problems with a seam that bothered me, etc., come back in! I’ll be getting my follow-up card in a few weeks.
Another principle the store follows: The Unger’s employee told me that Mr. Unger always says “please” and “thank you” to his people. Because of things like that, this employee had stuck around since she was 17.
As I was buying, she filled out a card on what I had bought (address, size, brand preference, etc.) and added me to the stack of customers who had bought last month. 
Those cards will be filed into this cabinet. You can think of it as a Customer Relationship Manager, just like the CRM tools we use in other businesses. And yes, they are digitizing it! Imagine the opportunities they’ll have to follow up with certain kinds of customers for sales on specific brands, follow up with customers three years after purchase, etc. I will WANT to get these communications. 
The bag communicates the same thing the experience communicates: We are experts at getting you the right fit!
I returned the next year while on a business trip with my wife and kids. I’m always doing field research, and our two oldest needed shoes.
“Bullseye!”
This time:
- Our sales consultant Megan measured both of my daughter’s feet. (They’re still growing, so she needed to know which was bigger.)
- She brought out lots of samples to “test-drive.” (Each brand runs small or large, and she knew which was which for the many brands they sold.)
- We decided on a pair.
And then, a truly exceptional moment. She said, “Before you check out, let’s get our owner to make sure the fit is right. We do that for all our kids.”
Mr. Unger came over and oohed and ahhed over the kids. He felt the toe, felt the heel and said, “Bullseye! Perfect fit! Nice job, Megan! Guys, you’re going to love these shoes.”
He felt the toe, felt the heel and said, “Bullseye! Perfect fit!”
I had never had a store double-check a measurement. It didn’t cost them anything but about 30 seconds of effort.
Repeats & Referrals
While we were in line to check out (yes, there was a line in the middle of a weekday), I found myself thinking, This is the kind of engineered customer experience that causes repeat business! I wish I could communicate to my clients how exceptional this is. How it’s going to lead to loyalty.
And then my wife helped me out: “You know,” she said, “I’ve been having trouble with the fit of my sandals. I ought to get measured here and see what they have.”
And $100 later, we got back in line. We were repeat customers before even leaving the store.
Later my wife said, “Your mom ought to come here and buy some shoes.” We went from repeat business to referral business, just like that.
If the goal of engaging your customers is to build loyalty and advocacy … Unger’s is doing it in one visit. And they do it all with a tiny moment that doesn’t cost any money—just a little bit of time, and a staff who is bought in.
Ready to take the next step getting your employees to buy in? Ready to have a signature, engineered customer experience at your business? I’m an expert in helping teams wrestle through these opportunities. Let me know how I can help.