7 ways Meghan and Harry nailed their customer experience

Like many around the world I too have been lapping up the modern day fairytale that has been the royal wedding. While losing countless hours reading about who knows what, it occurred to me that this has been an expert lesson in delivering a superior customer experience. We can all learn from how this was delivered, even if we may not be able to find our own Prince Charming. 

Here’s 7 ways they nailed their CX, and how you can too. 

1. They nailed the basics

Castle - check. Timeless wedding dress - check. The "kiss" - check. 

The royals knew their audience of billions and gave them what they wanted, both before the big day and during it.

A periphery item of note was the one-of-a-kind electric Jaguar they drove to the evening reception. I'm sure very interesting to car lovers and it looked very James Bond, however this wasn't one of the core elements, or the basics, that most people were concerned with.

Many organisations focus on the finer details, just like which car is being driven to the reception. They forget that they need to walk down the aisle, kiss on the steps and look amazing. I know those internally often feel working on initiatives like measuring the length of the aisle isn't sexy and would rather be building an electric Jaguar, however without a laser focus on nailing the basics you are setting yourself up to fail.

2. It was personalised

Anyone living under a rock would know by now that Meghan is of mixed race but many of us were keen to see how that would manifest itself amongst the formality of a royal wedding. When an African-American priest rose to the pulpit and a gospel choir sang Stand By Me we were left in no doubt that serious personalisation was at play. 

Yes, they had restrictions, legacy systems and millennia of tradition that had to be adhered to, but they still found the moments that mattered and made them their own. Think you’ve got shackles?

3. They were transparent

The royals knew of the intense interest in both their family and the big day and decided to embrace it. While some key moments, such as the dress, were kept under wraps until the big reveal other painstaking details were drip fed ahead of the event. Wedding invites, guest lists, menus, cakes and even the Order of Service were all shared with their audience, knowing that in this day and age if you don’t share the information and control it, someone else will.

So many organisations like to put customers in the little black box of death where no light ever enters. Whether it be our loan application, a job application or even when our delivery will arrive, customers know little about their status, progress or even what is to come. When you can now see exactly where your $4.95 pizza is, other areas need to raise the bar and quickly. 

4. They embraced omnichannel

Recognising the different channels their customers were using, the very regular updates were coming out in multiple ways. The days of the traditional press release issued to exclusively to media are long gone and announcements were also tweeted and put on Facebook.

There were a record 6.6million tweets during the ceremony alone, a threefold increase since William and Kate got married 7 years ago.

When you think about how you communicate with your customers, do you engage in their channel of choice? Do you force them to call a bloated contact centre or funnel through a web of online forms? Chances are, you know you need to do this, but you’ve not mobilised your people or technology to make this happen. Time to make this a priority.

5. They leveraged the power of storytelling

Everyone loves a good love story and this one had all the elements to inspire endless tweets and blogs. Details of Meghan’s childhood letters to Hillary Clinton, objections to dishwashing advertisements and humanitarian work were everywhere. Sprinkle this with details of their early holidays to Africa and secret romantic dinners in a “cottage” and you tick every box that makes a good story.

How do you tell your stories? How do you engage your customers on an emotional level about your brand, your offerings and even your people? If you’re not tapping into the power of storytelling and appealing to emotions, you’re going to find it difficult to get much traction in a very crowded marketplace.

6. They involved the entire tribe

Rather than stick to an exclusive list of their 600 nearest and dearest, the royal couple recognised they had the opportunity to provide different levels of experience to thousands of others. Charity representatives were granted access inside the castle walls while tens (or hundreds) of thousands lined nearby streets and the Long Walk to watch the carriage procession. All knowing they played an integral part in making the day that little bit special. 

Looking inside your organisation, who are the equivalent players you need cheering on your CX initiatives? Do your contact centre staff wave the company flag and cheer at the right time? Are all the internal silos lined up with a clear sense of purpose to deliver on your desired experience? Let’s face it, it’s highly likely they’re not, and without that alignment you could be missing out on all kinds of benefits. 

7. They didn’t forget the razzle dazzle

If there’s one thing the English do well, it’s pomp and ceremony and the royal wedding had it in spades. From horse-drawn carriages, to military escorts with gleaming armour and a sprinkle of celebrity guests, they gave everyone plenty to talk about.

For organisations, razzle dazzle comes in a number of guises. You could have an amazing marketing campaign that makes people feel good. You may have a personalised welcome video. But making a conscious choice to invest in specific pieces of razzle dazzle, knowing it’s what your customers value, can give you a lovely halo effect not to mention some great word of mouth.

We might not all have the might of the British monarchy to help us craft amazing experience. However, the inspiration to improve customer experience is all around us, if only we seek a different perspective.

#cx, #customerexperience, #royalwedding

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