Customer experience is a business term that refers to the way companies, organizations or any business entity offers their services to their clients aiming at maintaining customer loyalty to their brands. Businesses go an extra mile beyond their sale of services to make sure that the customers feel cared for, appreciated and important.
They give the customer a reason to believe in the product and most importantly want to be associated with the product depending on how the service delivery makes them feel, even though their competitors offer the same services.
Some businesses especially in the hospitability industry have a unique way of creating customer experience. Creativity is an important aspect in making a customer experience memorable, entertaining, worthwhile, encompassing and even emotional especially during festivities like the current valentines season. This is what we call customer experience.
Virgin brand belonging to the famous entrepreneur sir Richard Branson is an excellent example of total customer experience. Virgin has approximately three hundred brands all over the world however virgin airlines come out as one of the best in customer experience.
Virgin airlines one of the top virgin brands was established in the early eighties and has continually emerged as one of the best air carriers in the transport industry offering its services mostly in major cities of the world. The success of virgin airlines in the industry is attributed to their ability to offer excellent customer experience. The service delivery offered by virgin airlines is arguably one of a kind and one that leaves a customer with such an experience that they always want to stick with the virgin brands for life.
Brand integrity
Virgin brand encompasses approximately three hundred business brands most of which are closely related for example, virgin airlines goes hand in hand with virgin hotels, virgin cab services, virgin tourist resorts, virgin balloon flights, virgin cola, virgin charter, virgin health care and others.
Virgin brands are also associated with wealth and class giving the customer an experience of a kind when wholesome package of different executive services from the same company are used. Virgin brand services leave customers especially low income earners who use virgin services with a feel of elegance.
Customer Care
Virgin airlines offer an exclusive customer care services both on and off board that leave the customers feeling important and appreciated. The airline’s cabin crew and the hostesses are always friendly, accommodative and have a unique way of giving special attention not only to first class customers but to all.
The recent gesture where the owner Richard Branson personally did air hostess on one of the flights was a customer experience of a life time. Personally I would have felt so respected when being served and attended by one of the richest man in the world. It was such an invaluable gesture of customer appreciation which left customers with a lifetime experience.
Consideration
Virgin charter airline offers exclusive services to the elite of the universe. In this package they offer executive classic services to elite customers and at the same time offer affordable packages to business, middle and economy classes. In this way they capture all the classes of people and offer them customized services accordingly making them feel that their personal needs have been considered.
Optimization
Virgin airlines incorporates most of its flight bookings with other necessary bookings for example one can book virgin cab, virgin flight, virgin hotel and a virgin tourist package all at the same time in a very convenient online system, since this ventures are all under one umbrella they have an upper hand in service delivery compared to other flight service providers. This makes travelling especially for very busy executives to be quite enjoyable.
Customization
All virgin airliners are equipped with state of the art technology. They were the first airline to install television entertainment sets for every customer in their business class flights. Currently they have computerized entertainment system whereby one can watch movies or even customize entertainment such as music, videos and movies; these entertainment facilities are installed on all the virgin planes. A customer can even order for a favorite drink or snack over the computer even in the economy class.
Though they use the same airbuses as other airline, the economy class of virgin airlines are arguably far much better allowing more leg room than any other airline. They either offer customized packages to different classes of people or make it possible to customize the flight to your own preference hence everyone feels accommodated.
Trust
Credit cards have become the most common means of bill payment. At virgin airlines they make sure that you don’t miss on anything irrespective of your credit card. They accept all credit cards and you ca trust them to charge just what needs to be charged this makes the customer feel secure in the assurance that they can use their cards when and whenever they want unlike in some of other airlines where they have restrictions to credit cards.
Confidence
One of the air traveler’s nightmares is personal luggage handling. With the increased terrorist related attacks, stringent measures and policies have been put into place especially at the airport facilities. Sometimes customers undergo grueling experience when their luggage are ransacked during the inspections and sometimes some properties get lost in the process while in some instances the whole package may even be misplaced or mishandled.
At virgin airlines the luggage handling facilities are mostly automated and the management handle personal luggage with care a sure way of getting into the owners heart. They not only respect the customer but also their invaluable luggage and in this way customers develop confidence in their service.
Sense of belonging
The airlines offer attractive packages to their customers some of which include a loyalty program where customers earn points for every mile they fly with virgin airlines. The customers can then redeem the points with a nice package such as a holiday on Virgin Islands, a return ticket among other offers. This makes loyal customers feel appreciated and also feel as being part of the airline.
Customer recognition
This is one of the most powerful customer experience tools that make a permanent positive impression to customers. At virgin airlines the flight attendants especially in the charter and the business class go that extra mile to keep the faces of their clients smiling and often remind them of previous flight experience and engage them to friendly conversations the next time they fly with them. This makes the customers feel special.
Conclusion
Customer experience is definitely the way to go if business brands have to remain relevant with time. Businesses create customer experience by offering the same services with their competitors but with a different touch.
This touch includes customer recognition, personalization of the services, appreciating customers for using their services, consideration of different needs and expectations, offering customized services among other services. Businesses that encompass the need for enhancing customer experience surely have chance of outstanding their competitors in the current torrential business times.