Stories have been around longer than writing (and reading) and underpin everything from the arts to religion to science to relationships.
We humans are a storytelling species. From Aboriginal campfires to modern-day WhatsApp groups, the only thing that has changed in thousands of years is the medium. The urge to share remains the same.
I recently ran some customer experience (CX) workshops with the Buxton Crescent Experience – we developed a set of customer personas to help the team tailor the experience to the specific wants and needs of their visitors. In diving into each persona we discovered something quite curious – that every one of their 5 customer types was motivated by the urge to collect, create or share stories.
We went deeper.. what kind of stories were our customers looking for? And what did they want to share, with us, and with the world?
One persona was the student day tripper, who had boarded the train in Manchester for an ‘adventure in a day’. In their late teens and early 20s, these customers were spontaneous and open-minded. Their form of story-telling was social media reels and they wanted to have an experience that their friends back in the city would be envious of.
We signposted all the opportunities for a great #selfie and encouraged the tour guides to share their own stories as much as those of Buxton’s history. We made sure that those customers all had the chance to experience (and make content about) drinking #Buxtonwater from St Ann’s Well, and then offered them treats from our local roastery and bakery – #youwontfindthisinManchester!
We didn’t have to spend a penny, we just reframed the experience around the stories the customers would take home. And the day-trippers were delighted!
When you give your customers a story, they’ll retell it.
So what story (or stories) will your customers tell about you?
And before you say, “but Jenni I just run a …” let me stop you.
Every business has stories.
Start with your story. How did you end up here, in this beautiful part of the world, doing this specific thing? Why do you do what you do?
What stories do your staff have?
What about your suppliers?
And how exactly are you sharing these stories?
Hell, you can even steal stories from the world around you – how many of your customers know the story of the Kinder Trespass, or Mary Queen of Scots’ visit to Buxton, or the Great Plague of Eyam? How might you weave local folklore into your list of products and services?
CX is also a surefire way of giving your customers a story.
Imagine –
“What did you get up to last weekend John?”
“Oh do you know what, I tried out that new café downtown and it was epic, honestly the size of their cream buns! I might go back this weekend actually, fancy it?”
Or alternatively.. “Oh mate, have you seen that new café downtown? Well do not go, I ended up having a barney with the owner because one of the kids knocked over a plant. Nightmare.”
We’ve all had those conversations, haven’t we?!
And when you’ve had an outstanding CX or a horrendous one, you generally tell loads of people. You’re motivated to write reviews and create social media posts about it. But most CX these days is middle ground.
So we’ve also had conversations that go along the lines of..
“Hey Jen, what did you get up to last weekend?”
“Erm.. not much, I can’t really remember. Went out for dinner, did some chores.”
If you were the owner of the restaurant, knowing that your customers could barely even remember the experience, how would that make you feel?
The thing is.. you didn’t give them a story.
Not one remarkable, memorable, shareable thing.
As a CX Consultant I make a habit of only doing business with other businesses who have great CX.. and I have a story to tell about all of them.
My accountant (Bouchers Accountants Ltd) is a football fanatic who comes round to my actual house to help me with my accounts!
The owner of my favourite café (The Herb Garden) held my baby so that I could drink my coffee while it was still hot.
And I’m still raving about Bouquet Wine Bar weeks after discovering it for the first time.. because every member of staff is a trained wine expert and can tell you the story behind every bottle.
So when it comes to CX, don’t simply aim for ‘customer satisfaction’ – it’s such a low bar!
Reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations, social media tags.. all free marketing for your business and all start with a story.
So give your customers a story. And they’ll share it again and again.
Jenni, founder of CX Heroes, is a CX Consultant dedicated to helping businesses move beyond “customer satisfaction” to create truly memorable brand stories. Based in the heart of the Peak District, she works with local icons like the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust to turn visitors into lifelong advocates.
