Grace Blacksea of the Quench Collective: 5 Ways To Create a Wow! Customer Experience
By: Alexandra Spirer
Tags: Women In Business, Entrepreneur, Customer Experience, Business, Customer Service

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Seven years ago, I was working in what I thought was my forever career, as a corporate account manager planning events for Fortune 500 companies. At the time, I had been in the trenches working in experiential marketing for almost five years. I worked around the clock, pulling in massive revenue but quietly suffering inside.

Over the course of 18 months, the “busyness” of what I thought was my dream job had quickly turned into a nightmare. Before I knew it, the late nights turned into all-nighters, the commuting turned into a chiropractic bill, and my phone was a 24/7 hotline for my co-workers and clients. I completely and totally burned out.

When I left that job, I set out to find a new path, something where my worth wasn’t measured by my productivity, email response time, or days I stayed late at the office. Somewhere along the way, I found a group of small business owners who were struggling to bring their products, ideas, and services to life. They wanted guidance and coaching, but more than anything, they wanted a community of like-minded women to feel supported by.

That’s how Quench Collective was born. A community for female entrepreneurs to learn, connect, and grow…together.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

Oh yes, there have been many of them! One that really stands out to me was when I mustered up the courage to invite a well-known speaker, to be a guest on a panel I was hosting. I emailed her, a week went by, I emailed her again to follow-up and by the third email I finally received a response…from a completely different woman with the same first name. I wasn’t paying attention and had invited the wrong person to my event, I was so embarrassed but luckily the woman on the receiving end was very gracious. Biggest take-aways? Slow down and ask for help when you need it. While technology is immensely helpful, always give your work a second look!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

It feels as though almost everyone who has come into my life has played a part in helping me get to where I am today. The most impactful one has to be my Mom. When I was nearing the end of my time in the corporate world I was at my absolute worst. My health was rapidly deteriorating from stress and I was completely unavailable to my loved ones. I knew the healthy choice would be to quit but I was so afraid to not be associated with my job title and salary. Finally, my Mom came to me and said “I’m worried about you, what would your life look like if you quit your job?” My immediate response was, “I’m too busy to even think about that,” which was a clear indication I needed to. She was courageous enough to ask me the question that ultimately influenced my decision to quit my job and thus start my own business. I am so grateful to her for helping me see what I couldn’t at the time.

Thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main focus of our interview. This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for success in business?

Customer service is what sets you apart from everyone else, customer experience is what keeps your clientele coming back. Top-notch customer service is one of the most impactful ways to increase your visibility in the marketplace while also building trust. For example, say there are two sandwich shops in town, one has all the finest bread, meat, and cheeses from all over the world and the other carries locally sourced goods. They both make delicious sandwiches and are similar in price, but the shop that sources locally always remembers your name, your favorite sandwich, and even includes in a free cookie with your order. Which sandwich shop would you go back to? When your experience exceeds your expectations, that is typically the driving force for gaining a returning customer. It’s not the product, it’s the experience.

We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?

Customer service is an inside job, one that is born from values and education. Unfortunately, many businesses look at those factors as unimportant and expensive. We invest in what’s important to us, so if good customer service isn’t a value of the company, it typically won’t be implemented within. Businesses that have outstanding customer service are usually those who invest in the training, education, and well-being of their employees. After all, happy employees usually translate into happy customers.

Do you think that more competition helps force companies to improve the customer experience they offer? Are there other external pressures that can force a company to improve the customer experience?

I really believe that the customer experience comes from the top. If it isn’t important to those leading the charge, it typically isn’t something the business is known for. Customer service is tough to rival because it stems from the very culture of the company. Typically when a business tries to compete based on customer service they’re unsuccessful because it’s more difficult to undo what’s been taught vs making it mandatory from the very beginning. On the flip side, if a company regularly receives poor marks for customer satisfaction there’s an opportunity to radically shift the foundation of the business starting with its values.

Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?

I make sure to give my clients and community the best experience possible when we work together. Once, I had a client tell me she felt “deeply cared for” after working with me. I am a firm believer that my client’s business is just as important as “the business of her.” She was struggling on a personal level at the time, I made sure to check in with her regularly, sending voice notes and even a card in the mail. I knew giving her that continuous support would help her to feel like she was capable, no matter what she was going through. Ultimately, it paid off. She not only grew her revenue and impact within her business but the extra support helped her work through a tough season in her life.

Did that Wow! experience have any long term ripple effects? Can you share the story?

Yes! That woman has not only become a dedicated Quench community member but also referred me to a handful of other female entrepreneurs who I have had the pleasure of working with since. Those relationships have then rippled out into a number of other connections growing my network and community tenfold. Some of my most noteworthy accomplishments have come from the result of wonderful customer service.

Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a founder or CEO should know in order to create a Wow! Customer Experience. Please share a story or an example for each.

Showcase your values: Make sure your values come through in every aspect of your business. From the very first touchpoint to the last. How can you become the most memorable company in your industry to your customers? Treat customers like “people:” Have you ever walked into a store and been greeted by what feels like a recording (but is really a human?). Treat your customers like they are guest in your home, how can you elevate the experience for them, and make them feel comfortable? Invest in education: Customer service can be the thing that makes or breaks your business. Make sure to invest in the tools you need that help your company stand out from the crowd. Lead with authenticity: In business, mistakes are inevitable. By leading with authenticity, you’re able to take challenging moments and turn them into teachable ones. Authenticity builds trust, and if you can build trust with your customers that will be the thing that keeps them coming back. Create a culture: When you receive great feedback from a customer, celebrate it — that’s the result of all your hard work paying off. On the flip side, create a culture that not only owns its mistakes but learns from them. Creating an encouraging environment will ultimately create happy employees and customers.

Are there a few things that can be done so that when a customer or client has a Wow! experience, they inspire others to reach out to you as well?

Yes! This is why it’s so important to provide feedback about your customer experience (good or bad). When you have a Wow! Experience, share it. Tell your friends, family, and others who might benefit from your experience. When you recommend someone to be a part of something you’re excited about, it psychologically builds trust therefore preemptively creating a Wow! experience for that potential customer before it’s even begun. Asking for feedback as a business owner is crucial. Not only can you catch any unsatisfactory experiences and make them better, but you can also highlight those who were WOW’d using those experiences as social proof to promote your business and build authority in your industry.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would start a movement that helps people feel seen, heard, and loved. That gives them a platform to come together and feel that they belong. I think so much of the turmoil we experience in our lives, businesses, and beyond stems from not having those basic needs met. Community is extremely powerful and can be a catalyst for major change.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Please follow along and join the community on Instagram @quench.collective!

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Thank you so much for having me :)