Last week while I was wandering around Chadstone Shopping centre, I walked into Mecca Maxima and stumbled upon one of the best customer experiences I have ever had.

Mecca Maxima were offering a free beauty contouring class to the public. I was expecting to just watch the instructor put make up on her face or a model, however I was pleasantly surprised to do be able to use the products in the store and practice on my own face.

She took the class through each step of the process and explained what each of the products were for, why they were important and even personalised her approach by giving us products that would suit our individual skin types. When someone else in the class struggled with the steps, she took time out and taught her one on one instead. After the lesson, she didn’t push us to purchase any products but said, ‘If you need any help or advice, I am here to help you’.

What I love about this experience is that it demonstrates the amount of care that Mecca has for their customers. ‘Care’ is one of 5Cs in BrandHook’s model for a powerful CX. In this example, Mecca’s care makes customers feel like they are special, and helps them feel more confident in themselves through the use of makeup. They show that they are really there to be a part of the journey with you, no matter how simple or complex that journey may be.

This got me thinking about some other great examples of companies that show an exception level of care;

• Disney goes above and beyond for their customers to create a magical experience for all. For example; Disney have introduced a CHIP system (Character Hotline and Information Program) that allows customers to ask any ‘cast member’ the location of their favourite Disney character in real time. The ‘cast member’ will call the hotline to find out where the character is located within the park. This means customers aren’t left feeling disappointed because they missed out on seeing a character they were excited about.
• Zappos is a company that listens to their customers and provides surprise and delight to build relationships with the customer. For example – they have been known to send a baby blanket to a customer if they hear a baby crying in the background of a customer service phone call.
• Bones and Harmony (a local Melbourne doggy daycare centre). They will take the dogs once a week, to meet residents of the local aged care facility, this brings joy to the residents and shows care within the local community. You can read more here about this brand in a blog we published last month.

What we can learn from these examples is that for a brand to improve their customer experience, they need to make sure they demonstrate a level of care above and beyond the norm. Understand what your customers want; like Disney, understand what disappoints your customers and make changes to eliminate the chance of this disappointment. Drawing inspiration from Zappos, listen to consumers and providing an unexpected service or gift to demonstrate that you do understands and do listen to your customer’s needs. And lastly, be authentic like Bones and Harmony; you cannot ‘fake’ care to a consumer, they will see right through you and a level of trust will be gone.

Written by Bethany