Lately, this phrase has been getting tossed around more and more. A quick search gave me this definition, minus the word remarkable: “Customer experience is the sum of all experiences a customer has with a supplier of goods or services, over the duration of their relationship …”
Hmmm. While I think this is pretty close to right, it misses one point: loyalty. Meaning, if your “sum” is pretty good, or even really good as a company, then as a customer, you are totally loyal to that company, right? Probably not.
I go to a lot of places for more or less the same thing, but there are a few select stores or sites that I go to exclusively. No where else. Ever. Why? Take the test.
The best test for all of us to really answer the question of what is a remarkable  customer experience is to look at our own day-to-day experiences.
Right now, jot down your absolute best experience at a restaurant, visit with your accountant, picking up groceries, buying new skis or a pair of shoes–anything. What was it that made it so damn remarkable? Were there any similarities between the experiences? Probably. What are they? Keep these points top of mind.
So, what is the point of this exercise? First, it is so we don’t forget that we are all customers. Secondly, is that when we experience something remarkable, when our day is made, and we leave a store or website or phone call with a sigh of relief and something really of value, that we owe it to try every chance we get in our own businesses to do the same thing.
Why? Because it is one of the few things every one of us can control. It is something we can choose to do. It is never the easiest, but it is something that can give us the most gains.
So who knows, you might just show up on someone’s “Most Remarkable Experience” list someday soon. Try to get there.