EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES

A five-step plan for elevating the customer experience of your business.

Business coach James here distills her 20 years of professional experience into something she calls the Experience Elevation Model, which allows businesses to transform their brands by creating a luxury mindset. “Do your clients feel a sense of belonging to your brand?” the author asks. “Do they realize that you cater to them?” The Elevation Model is the key to encouraging this, James asserts. Her five steps begin with "Entice," offering "unique, personalized, and exclusive experiences" to clients and customers, which James illustrates with the example of the "swanky" new Delta Air Lines customer lounges. Then follows "Invite," which draws clients further into the brand experience. Next comes "Excite"—the goal is to create "memorable, share-worthy, surprising experiences that encourage clients to engage with your brand." "Delight" is when the company begins to offer clients solicitous luxury experiences, and "Ignite" turns clients into loyal fans of the service. In each chapter, the author elaborates on one of these luxury levers, using examples ranging from a TED Talk given by Toy Story co-writer Andrew Stanton (“We are born problem solvers; stories deepen our understanding as human beings”) to a newsletter by “world-class marketer” Ann Handley. Throughout the text, James’ consistently upbeat, energetic voice makes it easy to understand why CEOs would rely on her for advice; readers in the corporate sphere will feel empowered. Her broader Elevation Model is comprehensive, but equally intriguing are the smaller measures she suggests, most of them revolving around enhancing experiences (such as the idea of adding a pleasant custom scent to your lobby or office, so clients will associate it with your brand). The concentrated focus on improving customer experience is a welcome, nonmercenary approach, and it’s enhanced by James’ very friendly tone.

An optimistic experience-based guide to improving customer brand-perception.