In the bustling world of technology and innovation, standing out isn’t just about having a stellar product or service—it’s also about making your customers feel valued and unique. As executives and CEOs, you know that customer satisfaction can make or break your company’s reputation. That’s why surprising and delighting your customers with thoughtful gestures can turn a regular interaction into a memorable experience. Whether it’s a small gift, a personal note, or an unexpected upgrade, these moments show your customers that you care about more than just business.

Surprises don’t have to be grand to be effective. They need to be thoughtful and relevant, reflecting your understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences. Imagine the impact of receiving a personalized gift on a special occasion or getting a sneak peek at a new product. These actions not only enhance customer loyalty but also encourage word-of-mouth promotion, which is invaluable in our digital age. By going beyond the expected, you create a loyal customer base that believes in your brand and its values.

8 Business Strategies to Surprise, Delight, and Build Long-Term Customer Relationships

1. Helping Clients Avoid Costly Market Mistakes

A recent client engaged us to research a vertical they were very interested in pursuing.  Part of this deal for us was compensation from their success in that market.  We advised them to avoid the vertical (from the insights from the research) which eliminated the revenue for us. The client was very grateful we sacrificed our revenue to save them significant time and money.  

Justin Fite, Co-Founder, Empiric

2. Direct Access Builds Strong Client Relationships

Whenever a client has an issue, they know they can just call or text us directly, anyone on the team, no need to go through any formal channels. We jump on the problem right away and get it sorted quickly.

Clients really appreciate that they can reach out anytime and get a fast response. It makes them feel like they can always count on us, which is exactly what we’re going for. 

Eric Marshall, Founder, Agent700

3. Genuine Connections Lead to Long-Term Success

Just because of gifts, cards, and emails for customers to connect with customers on things going on in their lives, some were business-related, and some were not. My partner on the sales side was a masterful relationship builder. She knew clients’ birthdays, anniversary dates, and the names of their kids. You name it. She would send congratulations cards or emails or even a gift for birthdays, anniversaries, or in hard times as well. This different level of connection the business builds with their customers spans beyond, and when it was time for them to engage with a firm, guess who was the first one on their list. I learned never to underestimate the power of relationships and genuine personalization; it will pay off in spades. 

Rachel Johnson, Fractional Marketing Executive and Growth Scaler

4. Kind Culture Drives Referrals and Loyalty

We embrace a culture of being kind.  Cards & thank-you notes, Doordashing when someone is sick or celebrating, sending swag or donating to a good cause that our customer is passionate about— all of this goes a big way in building and maintaining relationships and reputation.  Not to mention it’s just the right thing to do 😉

Due to this, our brand and reputation in our industry has become a gold standard “Good People to Work With”.  We have a reputational advantage over our competitors. Our word-of-mouth referrals from customers and partners is our largest perennial lead source, (which has reduced CAC significantly).  It’s also played a key role in keeping strategic accounts during contract renewals. 

Alison Farber, Vice President of Sales, Method

5. Honesty Reduces Churn and Builds Trust

We don’t sell our road map*

We also make it a point to mention to prospects that everything we’re showing during a demo is in production with our global customer base. We do this because our competitors are known for saying “we could do that,” which means “sign here and we’ll build it for you.”

The outcome is less than 1% annual churn. I wouldn’t so much say that surprises our customers but they are delighted as a side-effect because we only sell “what’s on the truck.”

*In 8 years with over 400 customers globally we have sold our road map 3 times, meaning we agreed to build something for 3 different customers if they subscribed. Each time, the co-founders met, discussed the opportunity, agreed it was a good strategic bet and we were very clear with the prospect that we would be building to deliver the feature. These have paid off each time for us. I learned not to do this after spending 11 years at ININ. As much as I loved it, the only thing that changed with agreeing to add features to get business is the deal size increased over the years. That constant reshuffling of priorities is highly disruptive to your dev team, which is why we only do it as a rare exception. I guess you could say this delights your dev team as well 🙂 

So not exactly the one-off “wow” experience you might be looking for. We don’t really do those.

Rick McGlinchey, Co-Founder, PureInsights

6. Thoughtful Gestures Strengthen Business Relationships

One of our CFOs, Mohammad, has a little boy, and one of his customers does too, so Mohammad bought him a book that his boy loves, and mailed it to the customer as a surprise gift!

They absolutely loved it, so did their little dude, and they’re a customer for life!

Steven Plappert, Co-Founder & CEO, Forecastr

7. Small Surprises Yield Big Customer Impact

Small surprises can create a big impact. One way to delight your customers is by offering unexpected value. Add a bonus feature, send a personalized thank-you, or provide a free upgrade they didn’t expect. These small gestures are cost-effective ways to exceed expectations and build loyalty.

Matt Hunckler, CEO, Powderkeg 

8. VIP Access Strengthens Customer Loyalty

We invited clients to a sneak peek of our strategic plan for the upcoming year before it was finalized.  During this exclusive, behind the scenes VIP experience, customers interacted with key executives, shaped strategy and “hacked” our plan.  The outcome of the co-creation was a better plan with better customer buy in that led to better relationships and more customer loyalty.

Karen Mangia, President & Chief Strategy Officer, The Engineered Innovation Group

Conclusion:

In conclusion, creating moments of surprise and delight for your customers is a powerful strategy to enhance customer loyalty and company reputation. It’s about more than just the occasional gift; it’s about consistently showing that you value their business and see them as more than just another transaction. As leaders in technology and innovation, let’s continue to push the boundaries of customer service, making every interaction with our companies a positive, memorable experience. So, what’s one thing you’ve done to surprise and delight your customers? Reflect on this, and consider how you can continue to weave these meaningful moments into your business strategy.