How to Create a 'Remember When' Experience that Keeps Customers Coming Back

Hospitality Net

04-06-2025

Why do customers go back to the companies they love doing business with? That's what we asked more than 1,000 customers in our annual customer experience research, and here are some of the top reasons:
Employees who are helpful and knowledgeable
A friendly experience (thanks to employees)
A convenient and easy experience
A personalized experience
Employees who show empathy
Customers can decide to return based on any one or a combination of these experiences, or anything else they deem to be positive. And as good as these experiences are, are they good enough to get customers to return?
Recently, I read a MarTech article about creating emotional connections through CX memories and how B2B and B2C brands are winning over customers with 'memory-driven CX.' The point of the article was that, more than just creating a good experience, it is the memory of the experience that drives repeat business and potential loyalty.
Some companies understand this better than others. Consider Netflix, which once a year sends its subscribers a 'What We Watched' summary of the shows and movies they watched. Or Starbucks, which sends its 'members' a free drink or food item for their birthday. These companies (and many others) have engineered a follow-up experience that recalls the experience, creating a Remember When Moment. This moment triggers a memory and hopefully creates an emotional reaction that gets the customer to want to repeat the experience.
You don't need to be a big brand like Netflix or Starbucks to do this. Here's a simple five-step process to get you thinking about how to create the Remember When experience:
Create an Experience Worth Remembering: If you don't have that, stop here and start working on your overall customer experience. Identify Key Touchpoints: Your journey map will help you identify your main interactions with your customers. (If you haven't created your customer journey maps, stop here and do so!) Enhance the Key Touchpoints You Want the Customer to Remember: Not all touchpoints need to be memorable. Sometimes it's just a few – maybe even just one. Identify these key interactions and engineer them to be memorable. For example, a restaurant might bring a small plate of chocolate with the bill, capping off a wonderful dining experience. Last impressions leave lasting impressions. Design a Follow-Up Campaign: Similar to Netflix, remind customers why they love doing business with you. Don't combine this with a sales pitch; this is meant to create the Remember When experience. Measure the Impact: Be sure to find out if the customer agrees with your memorable moments. Furthermore, determine if the follow-up campaign is working.
I've written about the I'll Be Back experience. If you want your customers to come back, create the experience that gets them to do so. Then remind them about the experience. That will help get customers who say, 'I'll be back,' to actually come back.
(Note: This is a shorter version of a similar article I wrote for my week Forbes.com column. CLICK HERE to read the original article.)
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep's customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
Shep Hyken
Shepard Presentations, LLC.
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