By Joe Nigro, Business Evangelist at Vsnap

My grandfather, Donato Gattineri came to Massachusetts from Italy in the early 1920’s. He worked for his father’s tailoring business in a small town north of Boston. When given the opportunity to take over the family business, he accepted.

There were many great tailors that provided a great price and great quality. My grandfather focused on standing out by really understanding what made his customers tick.

THE SOLUTION:
Donato believed in enhancing the customer experience and here’s how he did it. 

• He fixed buttons on every piece of clothing for free.
• He created the first delivery service in town.
• He would employ only his 7 kids so there was a sense of family when you walked into the store.
• He would also send notes to customers to thank them for their business and their friendship.

Donato understood that he had to do this because there were so many good, affordable tailors within a close distance. In other words, his customers were empowered to choose his competitors. This is true today more than ever. And the only way companies can endure is creating personal relationships with their customers.

Not sure how to do that? Start by looking at your customer experience. Are you going above their expectations or just meeting them?