Source: beattiespharmacy.com

When was the last time you had an interaction with a company that truly made your day — the kind of experience where you felt like you wanted to shout from the rooftops about how good it was? For me that experience happens every time I visit my pharmacy. Beattie’s Health Mart is a locally-owned compounding pharmacy in Erie, CO. Despite their small size (and minimal digital presence), their excellent customer experience is something that any company can learn from.

Here are four principles of excellent customer experience that I’ve enjoyed as a customer at Beattie’s.

Good customer experience creates relationships.
Every time I interact with the employees at Beattie’s, I experience a moment of authentic human connection that goes deeper than a friendly smile and the cute dogs behind the counter. The employees actually get to know their customers. When my husband gets his prescription filled, the pharmacist automatically sends him home with mine, too. When I have a change in a regular medication, they notice and ask about it. The customer experience is excellent at Beattie’s because they develop a relationship with their customers.

Good customer experience is flexible.
The first time I went to fill a prescription, I expected the big box pharmacy model: drop it off and wait 20 minutes for them to call you on the intercom (or pick it up later). Instead, they filled multiple prescriptions while I was paying, and it literally took two minutes of my day. Another time, my husband forgot his flex card so they told him to just call with it when he got home instead of having to come back. The customer experience is excellent at Beattie’s because they are responsive and accommodating to their customers’ realities.

Good customer experience goes out of the way.
When I went in recently for a refill, the medication was out of stock and they couldn’t fill the prescription until they received a delivery later that day. However, they turned this negative into a positive by offering to deliver it to my home after hours. The customer experience is excellent at Beattie’s because they look for moments where they can exceed expectations.

Good customer experience knows what matters.
Inventory and supply management is a reality for any local business, but it should never become the customer’s problem. When Beattie’s doesn’t have enough for a complete order, they’ll “owe me” one or two pills that I can come back in for later. They know it’s more important to get me out the door quickly with the medication I need now rather than making me wait for the medication I’ll need in 29 days. The customer experience is excellent at Beattie’s because they value my time and what’s important to me.

Beattie’s demonstrates these four customer experience principles in a brick-and-mortar environment, but they are applicable in the digital world, as well. Digital products that create a relationship with their users forge easier paths to adoption and loyalty. Good digital experiences must be flexible, responsive, and accommodating, especially in our multi-screen world.

Giving consideration to how your non-digital service model supports your digital experience allows your company to exceed expectations and create unforgettable, more human connections with your brand. And all excellent customer experiences, digital or otherwise, start with an understanding of and empathy for what is important to your user.