We hired a Customer Happiness Officer. Here are 6 ways it changed our business.

Running a small business means the people in the biz wear many hats. And in our case, that includes the Directors! At sourcey.m we pride ourselves on offering the best customer service in the industry. It’s our “secret sauce” and the reason that once we have a client on board we keep them. Our business model has and always will be 100% customer-focussed (some might even say “customer obsessed”) and our relationships are built on trust, reliability, and attention to detail. This is why it can be hard to let go of doing everything, especially things like:

• Hand-checking stock before it goes to clients to make sure everything is perfect.
• Hand-delivering samples to clients even if that means an interstate trip (yes, we go the extra mile!)
• Accepting Couriers (and knowing them on a first-name basis)
• Packing boxes in the warehouse (ensuring they are Top Notch)
• Effectively diagnose and solve customer concerns (band-aid measures are not enough)

Our mission is to be the best merch agency in the biz. Client happiness is our top priority, rocking every brief to exceed 100% satisfaction!

Despite our commitment to providing exceptional customer service, as our business grew, we realised that we needed a dedicated professional to take our customer experience to the next level. Our business model revolves around making our customers feel like the superstars they truly are!

As our client list has grown, it has become impossible for us to be across everything. Unfortunately, no app has been developed yet that can give us more hours in the day, or the power to clone ourselves. So, yeah, if someone wants to get onto that, we will download it faster than a Swifty rushing into the arena on concert day!

In the absence of such a superpower, we made the super smart decision to hire a Customer Happiness Officer (CHO). This decision has marked a significant turning point for sourcey.m, and it has seriously impacted our business. For the better!

Finding our Customer Happiness Officer

We were pretty clear about what we wanted in a CHO. We were after a people-person, a customer specialist who would go above and beyond mere email replies, beyond responding to comments on social media, and beyond managing customer accounts. We were aiming for more. Yep, we’re a bit greedy when it comes to onboarding. Only unicorns would do!

This particular unicorn had to ensure an A-GRADE experience for everyone in our orbit – our customers, couriers, and service providers. They needed to have top-notch people skills because, let’s face it, sometimes even the best-laid plans… well, they don’t go according to plan. So, we knew we needed someone who could offer excellent, empathetic support to improve everyone’s experience with us.

Introducing our Unicorn…

Let’s talk about Ella, our uber-fabulous CHO whose arrival has been a game changer for our business.

She organises us in a way we didn’t realise was possible! A master at all things organisation. A queen of spreadsheets and colour-coded Google Docs (hey, it’s gotta look good too) and the friendliest and most unflappable team player.

The Arrival of Our Customer Happiness Officer has totally transformed the way we work. Let’s dive into the six unique ways it has changed our business:

1. Elevating Customer Engagement to New Heights

Our CHO’s main gig is to make sure our customers feel heard, valued, and appreciated. Ella began proactively reaching out to our clients, not just when there were issues, but also to gather feedback and understand their unique needs better. This heightened level of engagement strengthened our relationships with existing clients and made them feel more connected to our brand.

The feedback from our customers illustrates just how valued they feel. Ella regularly gets emails with comments like “Thank you, you are a gem”, and “That’s above and beyond my expectations”.

2. Mining Valuable Insights and Opportunities

The CHO’s interactions with customers also uncovered some precious insights about our products and services. She managed to spot recurring pain points and common requests, enabling us to continually prioritise and address these areas to enhance what we offer.

Ella even picked up the phone and called clients who had gone cold. Yep, she had actual conversations with them. And guess what? She listened. Then, she took action! Ella had the power to bring them back to life with her can-do attitude. No auto-email sequence could achieve what she did.

3. Spreading Positive Word-of-Mouth and Building Brand Advocates

Thanks to her personalised attention and remarkable service, our CHO worked her magic, transforming satisfied customers into enthusiastic brand advocates. How did she pull off this wizardry? By going the extra mile to ensure crystal-clear communication and on-the-dot deliveries.

These loyal clients began sharing their positive experiences with others, leading to an increase in word-of-mouth referrals. Ella didn’t just make customers happy; she turned them into roaring fans!

When our valued client Fox FM won Best Breakfast Show we were excited. It’s a BIG DEAL! Bianca and Ella wanted to celebrate their success and together they came up with something super *sweet*. They sent a surprise chocolate brownie to the brekky team at Fox with a Congrats message on the giant treat. We were told the brownie lasted a “mere 5 seconds”.

A little surprise and delight goes a long (or rather short) way!

4. Reducing Churn and Enhancing Customer Retention

Our CHO’s magical powers didn’t stop there. Churn rates dwindled faster than ice cream on a hot summer day. Prioritising customer happiness and proactive problem-solving significantly reduced customer attrition. Addressing customer concerns before they escalated not only prevented potential customer loss but also showcased our commitment to our clients’ success. Hasta La Vista, Churn!

5. Fostering a Customer-Centric Culture

Having a dedicated Customer Happiness Officer helped reinforce a customer-centric culture across the entire organisation. Our team members began to internalise the importance of customer satisfaction, and every department aligned its efforts to deliver exceptional experiences.

Happiness truly is infectious. Our office has caught the happiness bug and we thrive on LOLS and the natural high of making clients happy.

6. Freedom and Revenue

Finally, appointing a CHO has given us more space and time to work on bigger things. The Directors need to be focusing on things that move the needle on our business metrics. And boy has that needle moved! We’ve seen a 44% increase in revenue in the 12 months since we hired her! Em has been able to move more into a marketing role, and Rob into the BDM role which he was born to do!

Hiring a CHO has enabled us to be more attentive and proactive, and helped us build stronger, long-lasting relationships with our clients. We couldn’t imagine our business without our Customer Happiness Officer. Ella goes above and beyond to ensure our clients are 100% happy.

If there’s one lesson we’ve learned from this experience, it’s that investing in customer happiness is not just a choice; it’s a game-changer that can make all the difference in the success of a business.

She keeps clients informed every step of the way. They know when their samples are arriving, what the turnaround time will be, when decisions need to be made, and importantly they know they will get honest and prompt answers to any questions they may have. This instils confidence and sends a clear message to each client that they matter and no one is going to forget about them.

Our entire business has grown based on happy clients! Hiring a CHO has been a game-changer for our business, and it can be for yours too.