I used to be a fairly frequent flyer, taking flights for business trips on a monthly or fortnightly basis. Flying on a plane feels sterile – regardless of where I go, I feel like a piece of cargo being transported from point A to B. Regardless of the airline I took, food would taste the same and I would be stuck in an uncomfortable seat in a tight space for a long time.

So last year (much to my dismay), I got the news that I would I have to fly on my birthday. I was devastated; a sterile, cramped metal tube in the sky is one of the last places anyone would want to their spend their birthday right? Wrong.

The unthinkable happened… I was upgraded. “We want to celebrate your birthday by upgrading you to business class – Cathay Pacific.”

It wasn’t my first time on business class or getting a free upgrade, but this one was extra special. The experience continued on the plane where I received a personalized greeting message on my screen and all of the air stewardesses came by to pass on their well wishes. It became an impromptu celebration up in the air. A truly charming yet unexpected experience that made me naturally fall in love with Cathay Pacific.

I would go on to share this story with numerous friends on Facebook and Instagram, as well as at catch ups at cafes and dinner parties (and obviously this blog).

I had a priceless experience, while Cathay Pacific won a lifelong customer.

As a marketer, here are 3 key lessons to win a lifelong customer, just like Cathay Pacific did:

1. Operational excellence will only give you a pass; care with charm wins the customer.

Companies are comfortable with measuring what is simple to measure, such as operational metrics in their customer satisfaction surveys. However, a good score just puts you on par with the competition.

Doing nothing wrong doesn’t stop your customers from switching.

Companies need to go beyond operational basics, to expand their focus to include customers’ emotional experiences such as human connection, care, and enjoyment.

Unfortunately, this is a missed opportunity for many brands.

“48% (brands) say that improving customer experience is not a top priority. Most Australian brands don’t value emotional leverage as much as they should and are instead focusing on providing an easy or effective experience to customers.” – Marketing, Sep 2015

2. Thoughtful surprises add a multiplier effect to customer value.

The best things in life are unexpected. How can brands organically deliver these unique experiences to their customers?

Timing is key.

Special occasions such as birthdays or festive seasons (e.g. Easter, Christmas, Chinese New Year) are a good place to start. Brands armed with demographic information about their customers can send targeted greetings or small gifts to their customers.

It doesn’t have to be something fancy or expensive. My father-in-law has a Chinese New Year card from Hocking Stuart that sits on top of the fireplace together with cards from friends and family.

These thoughtful surprises help brands to break into the circle of trust and create a greater bond with customers.

3. Identifying key ‘moments of truth’ and delivering on them.

The timing of showing customer care is key to ensure impact is maximized and marketers get a good ROI from the customer relationship.

Customers know they want something, but don’t know exactly what that something is and when they want it.

The real challenge is uncovering key ‘moments of truth’ that make or break a brand’s relationship with its customers. We recommend doing immersion exercises such as shopping safaris and home visits to discover key occasions, pain points, and those unmet needs that may have otherwise been missed.

So yes, I am happy to go on a flight on my birthday to uncover insights about customers’ needs, as long as it is Cathay Pacific Airways!

Written by Daniel