There is no doubt we are living in the Taylor Swift era. From her record-breaking tour to her unprecedented fourth moon man for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards to her massive influence on the National Football League (who saw that coming?), we can’t go a day without hearing her name. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s nearly impossible to escape her reach. It’s actually pretty remarkable. But as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility – and no one knows this better than Taylor Swift. The 33-year-old music icon understands how incredibly loyal her followers are and goes out of her way to make sure there isn’t any bad blood. Let’s take a look at the love story and get some inspiration from Taylor on ways to improve customer experience.
Proactive Communication is Key
Late last year, millions of her loyal fans, commonly known as Swifties, were ...ready for (it?) the ticket presale for Taylor’s upcoming tour. The fans lucky enough to get presale codes were met with continuously crashing queues, torturously long wait times and systems that would not accept the presale codes, login or payment information. For those who waited for the general sale, they were simply out of luck. Due to high demand and an overall lack of inventory, the general sale was cancelled.
Now, in this situation, it would have been easy for Taylor to say, don’t blame me, but she didn’t. In fact, she couldn’t shake it off. In a statement posted on her Instagram story she made her unhappiness with the situation apparent. And while she was happy that 2.4 million people got tickets, she was sorry that many “feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them.” She also hoped that people who didn’t get tickets would have more opportunities to see a concert and the situation would be better in the future.
Lesson Learned: When mishaps out of your control impact your brand, you need to calm down, communicate with your customers and lay out the steps you’re taking to correct issues now and in the future.
Personalization Builds Loyalty
In 2014 Taylor Swift went above and beyond for her forever & always fans with Swiftmas. After leaving Christmas-themed emojis on social media profiles of some of her most loyal supporters, these fans received packages with hand-picked gifts from Taylor herself. These gifts included personal items like a necklace, or a candle Taylor likes. She even wrapped the gifts herself as seen in a Swiftmas video. And just when you thought it couldn’t get crazier, it continued into the next year with Taylor continuing to send out thoughtful, personal gifts.
Lesson Learned: Whether it’s addressing customers by name, or recommending products based on their previous purchases, letting customers know I can see you shows you really care through personalization and understanding what’s important to them. Personalization is key to building loyalty and creating lifelong fans of your brand.
Transparency Builds Credibility
Social media and unlimited access has made it easy for Taylor to be transparent with her fans. She’s been upfront about her personal life and challenges she’s faced. Sometimes laying it all out through her music can be better than revenge. This kind of transparency not only humanizes her, but also builds the ever-important trust with her audience. Fans feel like they’re getting an authentic glimpse into her world.
Lesson Learned: When it comes to superior customer experience, transparency is crucial. Customers appreciate honesty and openness especially when it comes to product quality, pricing and company values. Don’t leave a blank space where you can help your customers better understand your company, products and pricing.
Adapt and Evolve
It can be scary, especially for artists, to change and risk alienating their fan base. Taylor has taken a head on approach and has undergone significant style and genre changes throughout her career. As she has evolved, she just hits different – but she has managed to retain a dedicated following. Taylor understands that staying stagnant can lead to irrelevance and embraces change as a part of her ongoing growth.
Lesson Learned: Call it what you want, but adapting to changing customer preferences and market trends can help organizations stay relevant and meet the ever-evolving needs of their customers.
Taylor Swift’s ongoing enchanted success goes far beyond her musical talents. We know all too well that applying the lessons learned to business use cases can build a strong customer experience strategy that leads to unwavering support and support from fans beyond and an organization’s wildest dreams.