Everyone loves a good surprise. Creating intentional strategies that surprise and delight your customers help build affinity and create loyal brand ambassadors. Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that leave the greatest impact on the customer experience.

1. Send handwritten notes. Taking the time to write a handwritten note shows your customer that you care about them. It’s an opportunity to get personal and show your appreciation for their business.
2. Overdeliver. Exceed their expectations and they will tell the world about you. Likewise, if you don’t meet their expectations, they’ll also tell the world about you. Might as well make the former instead of the latter.
3. Personalized service. Getting to know your customers on a personal level will allow you knowledge to provide a more customized product or personalized service. This results in your customer feeling like they matter, that they are special and that they are more than just a number of your spreadsheet.
4. Learn their names. Memorizing customer names requires some effort, but it pays off in a big way. Customers will be delighted when you remember them.
5. Notice the little things. Even small gestures can make a big impact. Train and empower your team to take care of the little things and your customers will feel confident in your company’s ability to deliver on the big things.
6. Prioritize their interests. If a product is not meeting your customers need, recommend something else even if it costs less. Especially if it costs less. Provide a retroactive refund even if you have to do it manually. Take care of your customers and you will earn their trust.
7. Support them on social media. If you are a business-to-business company, support your client’s social media efforts with likes, comments and shares. Don’t be surprised when they reciprocate!
8. Give some birthday love. A birthday or anniversary is a great time to remember your customers with a personal gesture or offer. People like to feel special during a celebratory event. Make an impact by building a process of remembering those events.

Don’t stop here! There are countless ways to surprise your customers. Consider your company’s sales and support processes and build in those things that will keep your customers coming back and talking about you to others.