Giving 8 Customer Experience Misconceptions A Pineapple Twist

Listen to the audio version. 👆

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There is a lot of amazing customer experience information out there. From podcasts to books to TED talks.

The problem is that the information is broad, and while it may be great for a company with employees, it may be terrible advice for a personal service solopreneur. So, we end up with a lot of misconceptions.

Let’s take a look at eight of the most common customer experience misconceptions and see how you can give them a pineapple twist so they work for you.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 1

You need multiple feedback/communication channels

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

If you like being available through multiple communication channels, great!

But if the thought of your phone ringing gives you hives or you suck at responding to text messages, focus on the communication channels where you can show up best in.

For me? I love anything that isn’t instant. Email, text, audio notes, etc. It gives me time to pause and consider my words so I can be as clear as possible when I respond. Otherwise, I know I can get excited and overwhelm someone.

🫥  Customer Experience Misconception 2

You have to smile or be bubbly

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

The good news is that it’s your business; there’s very little you have to do.

Not to say that there aren’t natural consequences for doing or not doing certain things, but you have choices.

If you’re not a naturally smiley or bubbly person, you don’t have to fake the funk.

1. Not everybody likes super smiley/bubbly people. Find your people.

2. If you try to fake it, it’ll come off as inauthentic, which can decay trust

3. Use it to your advantage and make how you are naturally a selling point.
   

What you do need to do is offer a great service, communicate clearly, and be honest and fair with your customers. Outside of that, just about everything else is negotiable.

Case in point: The Dick’s Last Resort’s restaurant staff is purposely rude but maintains a 4.8 rating with 12,211 reviews.

So, however you are, find a way to make it work for you.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 3

You need to respond as fast as possible

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

It’s true that customers value speedy responses. In fact, their need for speed trumps their desire for friendly interactions by 350%.

But here’s the deal - it’s just not possible for you to respond quickly all the time. You are actively working on other things, and you should not be working at all hours.

So, instead of focusing on speed, focus on quality.

1. Set communication expectations - let customers know when you respond and how.

2. Find ways to make communicating faster, such as flexible templates.

3. Just because they have to wait, it doesn’t mean the wait has to suck. Depending on your business, you may find a way to make the wait more pleasant.

You can only handle so many customers. If your communication framework doesn’t work for a few customers, that’s okay. I want you to protect your off hours.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 4

You need to do customer interviews

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

“Wait, but Amber, you’ve mentioned customer interviews before. Now you’re telling me I don’t need to do them?”

Customer interviews are meant to uncover information that you don’t have.

It could be about the type of language they use, about how they buy, how they use your service, etc.

If you represent your customers or have done a really great job of listening and paying attention to how your customers operate, you may not need it.

Or it may make sense to do them eventually, but the time to do them isn’t now.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 5

You have to spend money to improve customer experience

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

Uh, definitely not.

Customer experience is knowing what your customers are experiencing and feeling at different stages of buying and using your services to try to help them amplify the good stuff and minimize the bad stuff.

It can be as simple as the way you greet people. Before diving into things that may cost money, focus on the things you can do for free or change something that wouldn’t cost you more money.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 6

A bad review will kill your business

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

It definitely feels that way, doesn’t it?

Here’s the bad news: You’re going to mess up and will get a bad review at one point. Or, you’ll get someone who’s a nutcase and leaves a bad review who was never a customer.

Regardless, gird your loins for the eventuality of a bad review.

The good news is that it’s not the end of the world, and people have short attention spans. Focus more on what you can control—how you respond to it.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 7

Dealing with not-nice customers is just a part of business

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

You’ll get the occasional grump, and giving grace is smart. Everyone has bad days.

However, if someone is continually rude, you do not need to continue to be nice. Be curious, and if you can’t get to the bottom of it, you are well within your right to end the conversation.

Dealing with people who are continuously rude just isn’t worth the money.

Communicate from a very matter-of-fact tone and position, then end the conversation.

🫥 Customer Experience Misconception 8

It’s all about the customer’s experience

🍍The Pineapple Twist:

You spend an ungodly amount of hours in your business. Yes, you want to make it a good experience for your customers, but it’s equally important to make sure it’s a good experience for you, too.

If you create an amazing customer experience that you’re suffering through to provide, it’s not going to work. You’ll burn out, customer experience will suffer, and you may end up closing shop.

Find an experience you can deliver that works for both you and your customers.

THE TAKEAWAY

Not all best practices or advice is meant for you. There’s a great deal you can ignore altogether or that you need to add your own twist to to make it work for you.

Remember - this is your baby. You can learn and take advice, but give yourself permission to adjust it to work for you instead of trying to shove yourself into a preconceived, ‘acceptable’ box that makes you feel like you can’t breathe.