Lost and found is unlike any other customer touchpoint along the customer journey.
The customer comes to you in a frantic state, frustrated that they misplaced an item. 9 times out of 10, they know they’re never going to see it again. So, when a company over-delivers at this touchpoint, they win the customer’s loyalty over, far above any free dessert, complimentary champagne, or any low-hanging fruit delight token of appreciation can.
Take the Ritz-Carlton, for instance, who invests a lot into its customer service. They became even more famous for their great service when it won a family’s loyalty for life so much so that after running the extra mile to return a stuffed giraffe toy, the father wrote not only one Huffington Post article about them, but two. Or Japan, who is world-renowned for attracting residents because of its great lost and found police infrastructure that returned 4.1 million lost items in 2018.
For companies, improving their Net Promoter Score (NPS) and winning customers’ lifelong loyalty is their tip-top goal, but only a handful like the Ritz-Carlton get it right. Why?
Because while every company attempts to achieve this loyalty through great products, venues, and entertainment during the customer experience, they still struggle getting the small things right to amaze customers differently from competitors –– lost and found, a department that takes integrity, process, and phenomenal communication.
Frankly, customers ditch companies because of poor lost and found experiences. They become so annoyed –– and let down –– that they publicly drag companies through the mud on social media just so they feel heard and inspire change for the company.
These recent tweets speak for themselves:
Wowing your customers takes more than just how you serve them when they’re there –– what makes the best companies is how they continue to amaze their customers post-experience too, even when they don’t expect it.
That’s exactly why lost and found is so powerful…
It’s as unique a customer service touchpoint as it gets: the fragmented state of people frantically never getting their lost items back. The low bar for stand-out excellence. The ability to wow customers during and after their experience. The data-rich nature of collecting, tagging, and storing items daily (see Uber’s Lost & Found Index), and how this can digitize an outdated Wild West process.
So, if you’re looking to improve your NPS, win customers, and ultimately, turn them into advocates for your company, getting your lost and found operations in check is a great start.
Lost and found is typically viewed as a department too hard to improve. With Boomerang, those days are over. We’re here to help you shine in the best light possible.
Happy customers = returning customers.
Let’s make it happen.
Skyler Logsdon
CEO, Boomerang
