How Introvert-Friendly is your Business?
Introverts make up anywhere between 15 – 51% of the population depending on which source you look at. That means that 15 – 51% of your customer base could be introverted.
But how often do we take that into consideration when developing our marketing strategies, our customer experiences, our customer spaces?
I was in a new city last week and stopped in at a little restaurant, one that is well known on the tourist circuit and is recommended as a great spot for local dishes. And a lovely little restaurant it was; lively atmosphere, a quintessential setting. Perfect, except that I started to get a growing sense that I was getting quite uncomfortable. I was simultaneously frustrated and annoyed and despite everything to be seemingly perfect and exactly what I had hoped for. I was debating whether to leave but I didn't want to miss out and that's when I began to realize what was happening. As an introvert, I was having work to access very experience I had come for.
Introverts often have to fit ourselves into a world designed for extroverts. Some of us learn to act like extroverts in order to get things done and be heard, or we have to extend ourselves way beyond our comfort zones. Doing so comes at a cost; the energy required to change ourselves and thereby also depletes our ability to enjoy our surroundings. That was the struggle I was feeling. While I was still enjoyed myself, it was weighed down and I left with a slight bitter taste in my mouth, and not from what I had eaten (that was fabulous!).
This small moment in my day got me thinking about numerous similar experiences I have daily as an introverted customer. I’ve been put off a number of places without being sure why, and upon reflection, I think a lot has to do with this extra amount of effort I'm forced to exert just to access experience at the same starting point as the extrovert standing next to me. If my energy stores are already being drained as a result of being in a more social setting to begin with, having to act like an extrovert on top of that is going to exhaust me even faster. The more energy I have to use to keep up with an extrovert-designed environment or service, the more frustrated I become and the less positive I will feel about my experience with that business. That means that an introvert and an extrovert may experience the exact same service as complete opposites. An extrovert might find the experience fun and energizing, while an introvert might find the same experience, frustrating and chaotic. How is that going to show up in reviews and survey data?
Do we ever really think about the introvert/extrovert dynamic when analyzing our business demographics though? Should we? What would happen if we started collecting this type of data? Thinking of my own business and how we approach our customer experience cycle, I start to wonder how introvert-friendly are we really?
My initial search for some help on this topic hasn’t turned up much. Most introvert related sources take the perspective of an introvert worker, an introvert leader (like this here blog), or the introvert vs. extrovert dynamic. There’s not a lot out there about introvert customers and what I have found, is heavily weighted in sales pitches and personal contact, which is only a small portion of a guest experience for a lot of businesses, in my mind.
I will have to dig deeper. In the meantime these are some of the questions I’m asking myself. It’s a huge area to consider and I’m only scratching the surface here, but at least it’s a starting point for discussion.
So what is an Introverted Customer? A few key characteristics…
Likes to help themselves than ask questions
Prefers to ask questions more privately than publicly
Is more comfortable in quieter spaces over loud spaces
Prefers observational spaces in loud spaces, than being front and center
Rather observes than interacts
Prefers minimal interaction over being the center of attention
Likes to get to the point, rather than engage in lots of small talk
Marketing to Introverts
Is your marketing content introvert-friendly? Is it attention grabbing by being loud, brash, and flashy sending your introvert customers away before they even get in the door? Or is it balanced offering something to pull in introverts and extroverts alike?
User Experience for Introverts
Introverts are observers. We like to gather information in advance if we can. The internet is a heavenly place or us where we can learn about a service in advance and think through things. Does your website/app/online service offer enough information for an introvert to feel comfortable and welcome?
How can you improve your user experience for introverts? How can you engage them and build loyalty before they even contact you or try your product? If you are able to make an introvert comfortable they will be far more likely to pursue your service, rather than going somewhere else where they will have to jump outside their comfort zones.
Your Staff / Contact with Introverts
How are you staffing your customer service staff? How will they relate to your introvert customers? Are your front line staff introverts or extroverts? Do you provide training for different ways to interact with different customer personality types?
Introverts are perfectly capable of providing a very high level of customer service although we often think of customer service staff as outgoing extroverted types. Introverts can be just as friendly and personable, and also are often very intuitive listeners and acute observers allowing them to offer a genuine connection to their customers and anticipate their needs. Introvert ed staff also communicate well with introvert guests.
The true beast of any customer service for an introvert is a run in with a commission sales person. If you follow me around the store trying to chat, I will run. No, really. I will fast walk out of your store and never come back. That approach may work for some folks who like to chat a little, want to feel engaged, but for most of us introverts it's a deal breaker.
Is your Product or Service Introvert-Friendly?
Are you putting your introvert clients in environments where you are forcing them to speak up in front of others? Is your environment loud and busy or do you have introvert friendly spaces? Do you offer introvert-friendly engagement options?
What is comfortable engagement for an introvert? Opportunities where they can gain information within their own private space through online services, live chats, or one on one in person in a quiet environment.
But what if my service is a big loud experience?
Introverts like to have fun, we just like to do it from the side a little more and you can help us by making us a little more comfortable. Remove some of the introvert barriers and don’t expect us to act like extroverts.
Let’s take my recent restaurant experience for example. I wanted to be in that busy environment. It was part of the experience. It was a great place to people watch and observe. But there were some small things that could have made it better by removing some of the fight:
A product guide I could review on my own.
Staff that reached out to me, instead of me having to try to grab their attention over a crowd.
“Wallflower seating” a quieter place where I could sit and observe
What next?
I can think of so many other scenarios across all types of business and services where it would be so easy to improve the introvert experience. What is your introvert-friendly customer service experience?