Fun Customer Service Ideas to Laugh All the Way to the Bank With

The following is an excerpt from Michael’s raved about latest book, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing and to help you serve up more fun to  your customers:

• Great service isn’t about blindly smiling at the customer, it’s doing something that gets the customer smiling back at you. The smiles you generate are the ones that truly matter, which is why I love the STP program initiative that Barry Williams,  instituted with his employees. STP—Smile Transfer Protocol—was simple, yet remarkably effective.  Each employee recorded the number of times they were able to transfer a smile onto a customer’s face. The employee who created the most smiles at the end of the week won a prize. Williams said the impact on employee morale and customer satisfaction was phenomenal;

• Add some humor to your customer comment forms. Barry Williams found that when he added some humor to Barney’s customer comment forms the response rate more than doubled;

• Have front-line employees wear a fun badge, like the “This End Up” pharmacist I referenced earlier, that gives people a smile. Perhaps a badge with a fun slogan, service promise or quirky question;

• Slip a funny thought of the day, humorous quote, or clean joke into their bag when they purchase something;

• Thank your customers in an outrageous way: AFA JCDecaux sends a “hugging squad” over to a client’s office when they are awarded a large contract;

• Find an offbeat way to say yes. When a customer asked a sales rep at AFA JCDecaux if they could do better on the price, the agent invited the customer to their games room and challenged him to a game of Foosball with the offer being that for every point the sales rep scores they’ll knock 1% off the price; for every point the customer scores they’ll knock 2%off the price;

• To help bank-goers enjoy their banking experience, each branch of Umpqua Banks in Oregon is given a special fund designed solely to engage customers in a fun way. They’ve been known to bring in ice cream, popcorn and sandwich trucks for their customers;

• Have a rotating position in charge of greeting customers in a welcoming, fun way;

• Create a fun, unique space for your customers. The Winnipeg International Airport has an official “Hugging Rug” at the bottom of the arrivals escalator, while the international airport in Nice, France offers a “Kiss ‘n’ Ride” commuter lane;

• Offer a wacky promotion: Gary’s Uptown Restaurant in northern California offers a “Bald Guy’s Menu” (the owner just happens to be bald) every Wednesday that attracts customers from  more than fifty miles away. Customers pay based on how much hair they have: Totally bald and you pay nothing; half bald and you get a 50% discount. Men with toupees or comb-overs have to reveal their bald spots to qualify for the proportional discount. You can extend an idea like this to all sorts of offbeat promotions.  A special left-handers’ day discount, a full moon howl of a deal day, or “Ginger Day,” where redheads get 20% off;

• In the 1920s advertisers would try to promote their clients’ products by warning consumers of the dangers of afflictions such as Accelerator Toe, Vacation Knees and Office Hips. All fictitious maladies, of course. So why not invent some obviously exaggerated fake ailments your particular customers might be suffering from?

• We talked about how Google has some internal terms they use, such as Googliness, that help strengthen their culture.  Why not extend this to your customers when possible and create some fun terms that tie into your name or brand?

• Instead of asking customers the standard pat questions that often feel scripted, ask quirky questions that will perhaps start a better conversation and elicit a chuckle or two;

• Are your welcome areas for visitors truly welcoming? Put up fun signs to welcome guests to your visitor parking, or add some fun to your welcome area with a humor bulletin board, funny signs, or some fun reading material. Include a guest book or photo album highlighting your workplace’s accomplishments over the last year. Offer something for the kids or dogs. Provide a place where people are encouraged to sing your praises immediately on their favorite social media site;

• Hold a contest to solicit funny photos or videos from customers using your products or services in creative, offbeat ways;

• Offer unique services. The Westin Dublin offers a Digital Detox Package for guests, where they can safely leave all their electronic gadgetry behind for the duration of their stay and receive a Digital Detox survival kit;

• Offer an outrageous customer service guarantee. Zappos offers a full refund on any item for up to 365 days after the purchase, which is simply outrageous compared to most return policies. Or you can go the outrageously outrageous route and offer something funny: “Our service team will serenade you over the phone with a Celine Dion hit if you’re not completely thrilled with our service;”

And this is just the start! More fabulous fun ideas can be found in The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank! 

The key is to exceed expectations and stand out from the herd by daring to do something different!

Michael Kerr, 2017. Michael is a Hall of Fame international business speaker who helps organizations around the world create more inspiring, innovative and fun workplace cultures to drive outrageous results. If you like the ideas here, be sure to sign up for Michael’s weekly e-zine, Humor at Work. Michael is also the author of 8 books, including The Humor Advantage, The Jerk-Free Workplace, and Hire, Inspire, and Fuel Their Fire!