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Luxury customer service & creating the perfect guest experience
Words Eleanor Turner
Eleanor Turner knows luxury having worked with the globe’s most sought after brands such as Fendi and Bvlgari, and she has your top tips for creating the perfect luxury guest experience.
We know that when deciding to purchase an item from a brand we love, it’s always more than just the quality of the product. It’s about the whole experience associated with it and how it makes us feel.
Now more than ever before, brands have a social responsibility. The new luxury consumer places more importance on brand values and the market has evolved with a demand for forward-thinking products and practices. Not only is purchasing behaviour intrinsically linked to brand loyalty, consumers want to connect with brands who reflect their own values. Rather than exclusivity, it’s about belonging; feeling part of a community connected by shared values and ideas. Brands need to ensure they’re going above and beyond to connect with their consumer whilst remaining loyal to the values they represent.
With my background within the events industry & luxury hospitality, I’ve discovered the importance of creating meaningful connections with my clients in order to create an unrivalled guest experience - and what that entails. This is why I now help founders and businesses engage with their clients and build lasting relationships.
Guest Journey
From the moment a consumer first engages with your brand to even after a purchase - whether an event or retail experience, it’s about the complete guest journey. Picture a luxury hotel and imagine the sensory modalities associated with it. From the moment you walk in; the scent, what you can see, what you hear, how you’re spoken to and most importantly, how you’re made to feel. It’s important to think about every aspect of the client journey and what you can do to elevate that experience.
Service
Creating an unparalleled customer service is about making a genuine connection; taking the time to understand your customer and going beyond the minimum that’s required. Whether this is predicting your customers’ needs and requests or foreseeing any possible obstacles, it’s ensuring the customer leaves feeling listened to.
Personalisation
A great example of personalisation is how luxury hotels will go above and beyond to remember a guest’s name and their preferences. I can’t highlight enough the importance of really getting to know your target consumer. What do they care about? What’s their connection to your brand and how can you go above and beyond to create a memorable experience for them?
Communication
Without delving into brand communication as a whole which of course is a huge topic in itself, on a customer service level it’s about avoiding assumptions and presuppositions. Listening to what’s being said, providing consistency and asking the right questions.
With luxury consumers choosing to purchase from a brand simply for the experience of being part of the community built around it, it really is the time for innovation and personalisation. Considering the increase in luxury retail experiences, immersive experiences and brands being built around micro-communities, think about what more you can do. Do you know what your target customers really want and how can you go above and beyond to provide this? This is how you’re going to engage the luxury consumer and build lasting client relationships.
From the moment a consumer first engages with your brand to even after a purchase - whether an event or retail experience, it’s about the complete guest journey. Picture a luxury hotel and imagine the sensory modalities associated with it. From the moment you walk in; the scent, what you can see, what you hear, how you’re spoken to and most importantly, how you’re made to feel. It’s important to think about every aspect of the client journey and what you can do to elevate that experience.
