Why Your Customer’s Last Impression Defines Your Business—and How to Get It Right
The plumber left a shit-show of mess behind for me to clean up
Just like the tiler.
And the floor layer.
And the air-conditioner installers.
I don’t remember the quality of their work, their speed, or their punctuality.
I remember the mess they left me to clean up. And it makes me mad thinking about it.
This isn’t specific to handymen
I’ve waited more than 20 minutes for the bill at a restaurant.
I’ve been ignored by customer service when the wrong package arrived (when they finally responded they blamed me).
I’ve had unexpected items on my hotel bill.
I’ve waited 2 hours for my bags to arrive on the conveyor belt. And another hour at passport control.
And it’s not just bad last impressions, although they’re more frequent than good ones.
Remember good last impressions?
An airport staff member ushered me and my young family to the front of the line.
The taxi driver took my bags to the front door, after installing the car seat.
The barista gave me two extra stamps on my loyalty card, and didn’t charge me for the babyccino.
The photographer who gave me a sneak peek of the edited photos within 24 hours of the session, and then delivered the lot within a week—a week before she said she would.
A handyman asked me if I had a brush and pan so he could clean up.
But does the last impression matter?
Yes. A lot.
The last impression matters so much because no matter how well you did the job, the last impression will be the first thing, and often only thing, your customers remember.
A bad last impression can sour an otherwise great experience. And a good impression can turn a mediocre experience around.
The LAST impression is THE impression your customers have of you
Every time a customer thinks of your business?
Every time they share their experience working with you?
Every time they give out recommendations?
They’ll think back to their LAST impression.
Why?
Because the last impression is the most EMOTIONAL one
When emotion gets involved memories are stored strongest and accessed quickest. And at the end of a job that’s where things get emotional.
The end of a job is where you stop dealing with the customer’s problem (food, coffee, toilet, flying across the world) and deal with them directly. About things people get emotional about—the end of their problem, paying, mess, phone calls, delivering on promises, meeting expectations, surprises, and delays.
Which means the last impression is more emotional than practical or logical.
Why does this matter so much for your business?
Good last impression? You’ll get repeat business and referrals.
Bad last impression? No repeat business or referrals. Maybe even bad word of mouth.
Even if mistakes happen, ending well can turn things around. A good last impression shows adaptability, dedication, and integrity—qualities customers value and talk about.
5 ideas you can use (and combine) to leave a good last impression:
Take time to go over the experience with your customer, giving them the opportunity to share feedback with you. You can ask for a written review, or talk to them directly. Asking them what could be improved shows that you’re humble and wanting to improve (and listen to them). Asking them what they enjoyed lets you know what’s working, and sets them up for a good last impression (see point below). Knowing that a review is coming will prompt you and your team to do better.
Remind your customers what you did for them. Talk about any problems you encountered, what you did, how you saved costs, and how you consulted with them. Build your case in a story style. By doing this, you take the summarise and offer the good work you did as a base for your customer to build a last impression on top of. The benefit of this technique is that you don’t need to “do” any new last thing.
Don’t give your customers more to do after you’re finished. In fact, do as much as you can for the customer. Clean up the mess you made. Call the office on their behalf. Customers are paying you to do stuff, not paying you to leave them stuff to do.
Tell your customer what to expect next. By doing this you manage their expectations, and assure them that they’re in good hands (your hands). This relates to the point above too—they shouldn’t have to make a phone call, send an email, or search your website for what to expect next. Tell them who’s coming to see them next. Tell them how long they need to wait (and where to wait). You earn a ton of customer goodwill when you then meet these expectations. When you send them the quote on time. When someone phones them the next day (like you said).
Give them something unexpected. When you give your customers something they don’t expect you create a moment of joy they’ll want to reciprocate. It’s the cherry on top of a last impression. Give extra stamps on their loyalty card (or even a free coffee). Give them a discount. If there was any mediocre service, giving them stuff like this will replace existing impressions with a better impression. However, make sure it’s meaningful. A thoughtful gesture leaves a better impression than a generic or low-effort one, like a cheap bottle of champagne from an estate agent.
The LAST impression your customer has of your business is their LASTING impression of your business. Make it good and you’ll keep on getting more business.
What steps are you going to take to create better last(ing) impressions for your customers?