While I was doing my MBA at the University of Southern California (Fight On!) I read a case study about Customer Experience at Disney. The cast member approach to hospitality is brilliant. I was running a direct marketing agency at the time and I thought, “how can I create moments of delight for clients?”
And I continue to challenge myself with that question almost every day.
I founded Virtual PreSkool. I teach conversational Hindi to children virtually. I specialize in children who come from a South Asian heritage and are growing up outside of the region. My students are in the US, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the Middle East.
I’m a solopreneur that runs a small business. What I have found is that I don’t need Disney’s resources to delight clients – just thoughtfulness, empathy and creativity. The beauty of small businesses is the ability to develop personalized connections with clients. So I have embraced that.
Below are true stories. I wasn’t consciously thinking about brand perception nor trying to score points on customer loyalty. I was just treating people the way I’d want to be treated.
True Stories: Opportunities To Create Moments of Delight For Clients
Sick Student
The first time I had a student miss class because he was sick I sent a note to their parents, after the class, with links to cartoons for the student to watch while recovering. And (truthfully) shared that all his classmates were asking about him and missed him as I thought it would make him happy to know that.
Moment of Delight: The parents were delighted and appreciative that I cared. And the student felt happy knowing that his classmates cared. I thought through the cartoons too. I could have sent a few generic links and been done, but I didn’t. I sent links that I knew he’d like, were educational and focused on Hindi and furthered his learning about South Asian culture.
Injured Mom
Recently a student logged into class late whereas normally they are punctual. The student’s mother looked “off” and so I asked, “is everything alright?”. Turned out she had taken a spill down the stairs the day before and was in a lot of pain. On top of that their nanny got sick and wasn’t going to work.
Normally she sits with her son through class but I told her that I’d occupy him and entertain him and suggested that she get rest for the 45 minute duration. It required me to adjust my lesson plan, on the spot, but I was happy to do that.
Moment of Delight: About 24 hours later I sent her an email to check in, along with some Hindi-English pun jokes. She wrote back that she was feeling better and that the jokes made her laugh out loud. #MissionAccomplished
“I Love You” To Parents/Grandparents
“Mai pyaar you” is an easy way to say “I love you” in Hinglish (Hindi + English). It’s not correct.. that’s not how to say “I love you” but the actual phrase is long and too complicated for very young students and beginners. My point in teaching this is/was to delight their parents. After all what parent’s or grandparent’s heart wouldn’t melt when their 4 year old said this?
Moment of Delight: I received emails from parents and grandparents that were touched.
Misread Email
Whenever there’s a holiday that is a day off from school, I make it a point of sending email reminders about whether there will be Hindi class that day or not. And not just 1 reminder. Typically parents receive 5-10. They’re group emails addressed to all parents.
This year a parent misread the email that there IS class on MLK Jr. Day and thought it was a day off. So when President’s Day came around, in addition to the several group email reminders, I sent them a 1:1 email as well. I didn’t remind them of their previous mistake. The email was friendly and cheerful. I took it a step further to remind them of the number of sessions their son has left before the enrollment renews.
Moment of Delight: they wrote back with how appreciative they were for the personalized reminder and thanked for the helpful info.
How To Create Moments of
Delight For Clients
Connecting to create moments of delight for clients is about being thoughtful, having empathy and being creative. Disney controls all the factors of the environment. When you go to a theme park, show or one of the stores. And the few times I’ve had issues with an Amazon package they’ve been fantastic about sending a replacement or refunds. They make a positive impression by being so easy to work with.
I took these concepts from these behemoth companies and spent time thinking about how I can apply them to my business within the resources at my disposal. For small businesses, it’s about connecting with clients and developing the relationship.
Want To Learn Conversational Hindi?
We teach conversational Hindi (no reading, no writing). Our classes are designed for children growing up outside of the Indian Subcontinent. And our classes are fun! Your child will also learn about Indian culture to build connections to relatives and their heritage. Students from across the globe take our classes from the convenience of their living room.
Contact us via the form below or visit our website for more info.
About Samta Aunty
I try to be like the quintessential cool Masi, to all of my students. Smiling, loving, and ALWAYS trying to make them laugh.
Welcome and thank you for joining me today! I set out to create an educational platform for desi children to learn conversational Hindi (no reading, no wriring) and their culture in a fun, no stress, and convenient way. Students across the globe take our classes right from the convenience of their living room!
I learned Hindi at home while growing up in southern California. My parents were amongst the first Indian and South Asian immigrants to this country and I appreciated their efforts and those of the Uncles and Aunty’s that worked hard to foster cultural and religious awareness for us first generation American-born desi kids. Especially when they themselves were establishing their lives in a new country.
And now I’m in a position to continue their work. Language connects people. And for the children I teach I’m helping them connect to their grandparents and other loved ones.
