Key Summary
Topic: Three actionable strategies small business owners can use to improve customer experience and build a business worth remembering.
What you’ll learn: This post explains why customer experience is the primary differentiator for small business owners. It walks through three concrete keys to elevating it: developing brand clarity and cohesion across every touchpoint, personalizing the client relationship, and getting honest about your capacity as a business owner. Includes real examples from the author’s own service-based business.
Who this is for: Coaches, consultants, creative entrepreneurs, and service providers who work with a smaller client roster and want every client interaction to be memorable, referral-worthy, and reflective of who they are.
Written by: Emily Aborn, Copywriter and Podcaster for creative entrepreneurs, based in New England.
3 Keys to Improve Your customer experience
Think back to a customer experience you had recently that went either exceptionally well or utterly terrible.
Got one?
- What made it remarkable for you, one way or the other?
- What made it stand out?
- Was it how you felt seen, heard, and understood? Or was it a sheer lack of regard for YOU as a customer – ahem, the one paying the bill?
It’s been said that we’re currently living in the “Experience Economy” which means that as business owners, we need to focus on providing memorable experiences to our customers and clients.
It’s time we stop and take a look at why customer experience matters in setting ourselves apart and taking steps to improve our client’s experience with us.
This is how we build a business worth remembering.
Why does customer experience matter?
Customer experience matters because it’s what YOU have as a unique business owner to help yourself stand out from the crowd. If you’re anything like me, there’s a wholeeeee lot of people doing exactly the same thing you do. But there’s only ONE person in this entire world with your unique flavor.
Someone with your exact DNA, your unique lived experiences, and your personality concoction. Those stories, memories, and that just right blend of knowledge and random trivia facts.
Kinda’ mind-blowing when you think of it.
And that YOU-ness… that’s what sets you apart from all the commotion, noise, and hullabaloo of others in your industry too.
Your good, bad, ugly, your quirks and burps, skills, and strengths. Every single last bit that makes you YOU.
All of this is what helps YOU be able to create a meaningful customer experience and connection with your clients that’s unlike anyone else’s on the entire planet.
Because your clients are one-of-kind too and you + them = potential for some serious chemistry and connection!!
Customer experience is paramount.
It’s the differentiator between you and every other business. Your clients want to do business with people who’ve taken the time to create positive and memorable customer experiences.
Customer experience matters because it can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth recommendations, which are some of your best friends when it comes to marketing.
3 Keys to Improve Customer Experience
1. Clarity → Cohesion
Stand-out brands and businesses are, in a nutshell, ones that… well, stand out. A really super simple way to get started in doing that is to get impeccably clear on who YOU are as a business and a brand. What do you sound like? What do you stand for? Who do you serve? Ok, so I know it’s not super simple. It takes a lot of contemplation and some experience to get clear on this. But as you hone in on WHO you are and what sets you apart, you can then translate that throughout your business to your clients.
Develop an understanding of your customers by hearing and learning their needs, preferences, and pain points. Make sure when you get feedback and insights, you take them into consideration and get honest with yourself if something needs to change.
Then, take all this great reflection and apply it to your business and brand. Everywhere.
From the moment they hit your website, to the post they see of yours on social media, to the first consult or discovery call.
Cohesion is the name of the game. You want your brand to look, feel, sound, BE amazing every single place you show up and interact with your customers. These are called “touch points” and it’s everything that’s forward-facing.
Working with a brand designer or Copywriter on the look, feel, and messaging of your business can be hugely helpful in shining forth with cohesion.
2. Personalization and Connection
While I can’t speak for everyone who will ever read this… many of you aren’t working with 100’s upon 1,000’s of customers and clients each year. My average from 2017-2026 has been 40-45 per year.
You might fall slightly higher in this, or slightly lower, but I’d imagine if you’re here, reading my blog on Customer Experience, you’re somewhere <100 clients per year. If it’s vastly higher than that for you, I have a tip at the end of this little speal that will apply to you.
Once you’ve taken time to understand what sets you apart, your customers, and what makes them tick, it’s time to apply it and personalize the customer experience. Get to know each of your customers and tailor their experience to their needs and preferences.
I’ll give you an example from my own business. I’ve recently put a lot of time into my systems and processes and mapping out my customer journey. Inevitably though… I work with someone once in a while who struggles to adhere to my perfect little system. I work hard to try to understand what they need in our work together to get the most successful results and apply changes to my system when needed.
Small and sweet ways to personalize and create a connection such as:
- Sending out a personalized gift with something they mentioned they LOVE in your Strategy Call
- Sending a thank-you card after your initial meeting
- When you use templates, customize them for who you’re talking to and working with
- When you see something that makes you think of them like an article, a podcast episode, or a silly social media post, send them an email sharing it!
If you’re a business that serves tons of people on an annual basis, invest time and money in good employees that reflect your brand values. As you scale, each and every person you bring onto your team can and should be trained and have the freedom to be able to offer an impeccable level of service to each and every client and customer.
Adding sprinkles of personalization and connection goes a long way in making your customers feel seen, heard, and understood.
3. Consider Your Capacity
This is a little-talked-about topic in the entrepreneurial space, but capacity MATTERS. Capacity is what you can feasibly take on at a time as a business owner and it plays a huge role in creating a customer experience that’s memorable.
I can usually tell when someone I’m collaborating with or working with has bitten off more than they can chew. They show up unprepared, or they’re hard to get a hold of and get answers from, and they’re less than present when we get on Zoom. Sometimes they’re even snippy and rude.
Conversely, when someone has adequately estimated their capacity, it shows. They show up to our call and meetings having read all the notes you sent prior. They’re able to be responsive while still maintaining their boundaries. They’re patient, present, and memorable.
Which one would you rather work with? Someone who understands their capacity and how many clients/projects they can take on at a time, or someone who’s just saying yes to any and all paychecks and clients coming in the door?
Getting clear on what your unique capacity is in your business can vastly improve customer experience because you’re able to show up for each and every YES and give them the very best you have to offer.
And like I said at the beginning, memorable customer experiences translate into them telling all their friends and colleagues how great it was to work with you!
A little sidebar from me to you: Automation and technology can be a huge tool to increase your capacity while simultaneously enhancing the customer experience. I personally use Honeybook in my business (affiliate link) and love it for on-brand invoicing, project management, scheduling and calendar management, proposals, podcast guest communication, and more!
Customer experience refers to every interaction a client or customer has with your business, from first discovering you online to working with you and beyond. For small business owners, it’s one of the most powerful differentiators available. You may offer a similar service to dozens of competitors, but no one can replicate your specific personality, approach, and care. A strong customer experience leads to repeat business, referrals, and a reputation that markets itself.
Start with clarity. Know who you are, who you serve, and what makes you different, and make sure that comes through consistently everywhere you show up. Then focus on small, intentional touches: a personalized note, a timely follow-up, a resource you thought of specifically for them. These gestures cost very little but create a lasting impression. Tools like HoneyBook can also help you deliver a polished, consistent experience even when you’re a team of one.
When a business owner takes on more than they can realistically handle, it shows. Clients feel it in delayed responses, unprepared meetings, and a general sense that they’re not the priority. Understanding and honoring your capacity means you can show up fully present and prepared for every client you say yes to. That quality of presence is what clients remember and what they talk about when they refer you to others.
Customer service is reactive: it’s how you handle a problem, question, or request when one comes up. Customer experience is the full picture: everything a client feels and perceives about working with you from beginning to end, including the parts that never involve a problem at all. Great customer service is a component of a strong customer experience, but it’s only one piece of it.
