"Hold the pickles; hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way." That 1970s jingle for Burger King was trying to take a "bite" out of McDonald’s sales by promoting customized service.

Burger King’s jingle glorified the wonder of a burger made to match the customer.

At the time Burger King didn’t know its jingle would be a first in a trend that would change customer service forever.

In order to stand out with today’s customers, "maximized personalization" is key. Whether your business is an army of one or employs a cast of thousands, ignoring the desire for personalization is perilous.

What is maximized personalization? It is the desire by consumers for a customized product and experience. This desire occurs regardless of how small or insignificant the purchase.

A great example is a cup of Starbucks coffee. According to Starbucks’ website there are 87,000 possible beverage combinations. At one a day it would take 238 years to try them all.

Subway boasts nearly two million combinations of bread, cheese, meat and vegetables. This staggering number of choices illustrates the extreme in product personalization.

Customers are also interested in an experience that is personalized, consistent and accommodating.

W Hotels offers guests "whatever, whenever," as long as it is legal. Recently, a guest wanted to bathe in chocolate milk. No problem. Another guest requested pink elephants. When he checked into his room the staff had a laptop with pink elephants marching across the screen on a table. The goal of W Hotels is to make sure every guest goes home with a story to tell about their stay.

Maximized personalization is a competitive edge for small businesses. Small businesses have a great advantage in delivering customized and personal service due to the fact that the owner frequently knows or engages with many customers.

Jere’ Webb is the owner of Webb Network, 6700 N. Oracle Road, Suite 121. Webb Network provides financial planning services for women.

"Discussing money can be an emotional and intimidating process for many people, so I spend time putting my clients at ease," Webb says.

She helps each client determine their needs and lets them choose where to start. Then she creates a plan to reach financial goals and determines the method for how to get there.

"I help my clients do as much or as little as they wish and each plan is fully customized to an individual’s unique situation," she says.

To maximize personalization, consider the following:

• Know your customer:

• Offer flexibility and choice: Allow consumers to mix and match services or design products to their own specifications. In addition to customization of products, consider how customers want to access your business. Find out when they want to shop or receive services. Keep in mind an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule may not be convenient.

• Use technology:

Maximized personalization is a critical element of a customer service strategy. If you are unwilling to make changes for the customer, your competitors will. Product customization is important but without a great experience the customer will not return.

Develop an accommodating business outlook and a team willing to deliver a great experience. If you get stuck, just remember the key phrase from the Burger King jingle, "All we ask is that you let us serve it your way."

 

There are a host of inexpensive technologies available to improve customer experiences. Some customers may prefer to be notified by text message when a special order arrives or may prefer to make appointments online. Technology is a great asset in providing service, but it’s important to double- and triple-test the system to make certain nothing falls through the cracks. Technology can greatly enhance an experience but if it fails to function effectively it will create frustration and drive customers away.Knowing them by name is critical. It is also important to know how they want to engage with your business. At one end of the spectrum, customers may prefer concierge-level service. At the other extreme, self-service with little human interaction may be preferred. This information can be gathered through industry reports, customer focus groups and surveys.

Contact Leslie Clark through her website www.shiftcustomerservice.com or (520) 971-0456. Clark is president of Shift, which provides training and consulting services for businesses working to provide distinctive customer service. Shift guides businesses in collecting information, developing processes and training people to provide great customer service.