🚘Stop #1: Nice is Fine, but Kindness Drives Results

Welcome back! Thanks for joining us for our first stop on this journey through what truly sets exceptional customer experiences apart. Last week, we explored Afterbuy, the reality that a brand spends most of its time “living” with a customer during the post-purchase and ownership phase.

While businesses often focus on checkout and acquisition, the real relationship-building happens after the sale, where loyalty is earned (or lost).

We framed this through a simple truth: The best customer experiences aren’t just smooth, they’re effortless.

Which brings us to the bigger question: How do brands move beyond making transactions easy, and instead make life easier for the customer?

💡Stop Settling for Fine

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite shows in recent years has been Ted Lasso, especially the character of Roy Kent. There’s an iconic moment when he looks Rebecca straight in the eye and says:

"Don’t you dare settle for fine."

That line? It’s not just good TV - it’s a wake-up call.

So many businesses operate in "fine" territory" - polite, professional, pleasant. They check the boxes, follow the scripts, and handle issues well. But fine doesn’t create loyalty. Fine doesn’t build relationships. Fine doesn’t make customers feel like they truly belong with your brand.

The real game-changer? Kindness.

Nice is fine. And, in the words of Roy Kent, there’s nothing wrong with fine - but kindness tips the scales.

Kindness drives results. 

⚖️Nice vs. Kind: The Difference That Drives Business

Here’s where Nice vs. Kind comes into play:

• Nice acknowledges, Kindness understands.

• Nice hears, Kindness engages.

  
  

Nice is service - it’s there when a customer asks for help. Kindness takes it further, it anticipates needs, eliminates friction, and creates meaningful connection before the customer even realizes they need it.

Some might say this distinction is too simple, but simplicity is powerful. In the last article, I mentioned my love for metaphors and keeping things clear. I’m not comparing myself to women like  Mel Robbins or Gretchen Rubin, just recognizing that sometimes the simplest ideas create the biggest impact.

Mel Robbins' Let Them is built on a straightforward concept - stop wasting energy trying to control others and simply let them be who they are. Similarly, Gretchen Rubin’s The One-Minute Rule is about tackling small tasks immediately instead of letting them pile up. Simple ideas? Yes. Big impact? Absolutely.

🔍The Nice vs. Kind Quadrant: Moving from Fine to Meaningful

At first glance, nice and kind seem interchangeable - both create positive interactions, both ensure customers leave with a good experience. But as we’ve established, there’s a key difference:

• Nice reacts, Kindness anticipates.

• Nice responds, Kindness connects.

  
  

Both Nice and Kindness can be proactive or reactive, it’s about how they’re applied. Nice often takes cues from the customer’s requests, but it can also anticipate general expectations. Kindness, on the other hand, isn’t just about politeness, it’s about deeply understanding and removing friction.

Businesses don’t just fall into one category, they operate at different levels within the Nice vs. Kind framework. Nowhere is this more evident than in the product registration process, where the difference between reactive and proactive approaches can dramatically shape the customer experience.

• Reactive Nice: The customer service team provides polite, efficient responses when customers reach out with registration or product questions.

• Proactive Nice: A QR code is included in the box, allowing customers to register their product online - but after registration, no further engagement happens.

• Reactive Kind: The brand doesn’t just register your product - it ensures meaningful follow-up, offering support and helpful resources when needed.

• Proactive Kind: Instead of making customers hunt for product details, each box includes a personalized QR code linked to their specific product, providing instant access to troubleshooting guides, replacement parts, and warranty information without extra steps.

  
  

Now, let’s visualize that:

🌟 Understanding Nice vs. Kind Through Real-Life Experience

As promised in the first article, I’ll always bring real-life experience, whether my own or stories that have shaped my perspective.

When I first joined Weber, my focus was improving the global digital experience. To me, that meant looking beyond the initial shopping moment to build something lasting. But in the U.S. market, the conversation centered around performance on weber.com.  My proposal? Evaluate the entire experience - not just the purchase, but the intent behind every visit.

What we uncovered might have surprised the team, but it didn’t surprise me. The true insight was hidden in post-purchase behaviors. The word cloud told the real story: Customers weren’t just browsing for grills, they were overwhelmingly coming to find parts.

One customer summed it up perfectly: "Weber owners are very loyal. It would make us feel more like a club if you had after-sales servicing information. The site makes it seem like as soon as you sell it, you don’t care."

That was OUR wake-up call. We realized:

• Nice = Having a helpful customer care team ready to assist.

• Kind = Anticipating the need by making parts easy to find, ensuring clear how-to videos, and empowering self-service.

  
  

This was the essence of Afterbuy, where the real opportunities lay. Weber grills were widely available in retail outlets, so our own direct-to-consumer website needed to have exclusive value. And that was parts and accessories - the heartbeat of ownership.

📈Industry Shifts: The COVID Boom-and-Bust Cycle

At first glance, it seemed like we were on the right path to long-term success. But the reality? Not quite.

By late 2019 and early 2020, brands were making meaningful strides in Afterbuy retention and proactive kindness - ensuring customers weren’t just satisfied but truly supported beyond their purchase. Then, COVID hit.

Like many outdoor and home brands, Weber thrived. Demand skyrocketed, especially on our own website, delivering record-breaking sales. It was the kind of success any brand would chase, but it came with a blessing and a curse.

The momentum shifted focus from retention to acquisition. And when the boom faded, retention wasn’t there to catch customers on the other side. We, like so many others, had prioritized transactions over relationships.

Nice: Meeting demand, processing high sales volume. Kind: Ensuring customers had post-purchase support, fostering ongoing engagement.

Without proactive kindness, customers were one-and-done. The brands that thrived after the surge? They weren’t just good at selling, they built loyalty beyond the purchase.

📏Metrics: Measuring More Than Just "Nice"

One of the biggest lessons, learned the hard way, was how we measured success.

Looking at NPS and CSAT, we would have thought we were doing great. Customers were polite and satisfied, our scores reflected approval, and on the surface, everything seemed fine. But those metrics only tell part of the story.

What they don’t measure? Depth of engagement, loyalty, and the lasting impact of kindness.

Kindness-driven businesses track what really matters:

• Customer Effort Score (CES): Did we make it easy?

• Retention & CLV: Did kindness keep customers loyal?

• Proactive Follow-Up Sentiment: Did they feel cared for beyond the transaction?

  
  

Kindness isn’t just about delivering a smooth checkout experience. It’s about showing up when customers least expect it, but need it the most.

🫂Nice vs. Kind in Action 

Some brands have mastered the art of proactive kindness, transforming everyday transactions into moments of genuine connection. One of the most personal examples for me? Chewy’s legendary pet loss support.

This isn’t just good service, it’s kindness at its best. Instead of simply issuing refunds, Chewy steps in with human empathy, sending handwritten notes and flowers to grieving pet parents. In a moment of loss and vulnerability, they prove that customers aren’t just numbers in a database. They are seen, valued, and cared for.

Kindness like this isn’t limited to Chewy. Other standout brands demonstrate proactive kindness in their own remarkable ways:

• Patagonia’s Worn Wear Program: Encouraging repairs instead of replacements, fostering long-term customer commitment to sustainability.

• Apple’s Accessibility Features: Designing for inclusion before it’s even requested, from VoiceOver to AssistiveTouch.

• Uppababy’s Easy Repair System: Making solutions effortless with simple parts ordering and user-friendly fixes.

• Zappos’ Legendary Customer Service: Going above and beyond with surprise upgrades, personalized support, and unexpected gestures of care.

  
  

Kindness doesn’t just turn transactions into relationships, it creates bonds that stand the test of time.

Kindness, however, doesn’t stop at the point of sale. Its potential stretches far beyond, weaving itself into broader strategies and internal cultures.

🏙️Springfield & The Roadmaps Ahead 

Just as Springfield appears in multiple states, kindness reveals itself across the TX landscape in many forms. Afterbuy is just the beginning. As HER-ON Atlas continues to develop, the upcoming Roadmaps will chart how kindness informs the Employee Experience (EX), User Experience (UX), and Customer Experience (CX).

Because kindness isn’t a single destination, it’s the foundation of every meaningful interaction, across every mile of the journey.

🗣️ Next Stop: Your Customers Are Talking. Are You Listening?

Kindness is about action - but it starts with attention.

Your customers are constantly sending signals, in reviews, in conversations, in their behaviors. They tell you what they need, what frustrates them, and what keeps them coming back. The question isn’t whether they’re talking, it’s whether you’re listening.

That’s why our next stop will explore the Voice of Customer, diving into how brands can move beyond simply hearing their customers to truly understanding and acting on what they’re saying.

And the journey doesn’t end there! After tackling VoC, we’ll delve into how brands can connect with customers - even when the relationship feels distant, and rethink retention strategies to turn one-time buyers into lifelong advocates.

Later in the roadmap, we’ll uncover how agentic AI plays a pivotal role, empowering brands to anticipate needs, personalize engagement, and scale kindness in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Real kindness isn’t just about doing it’s about understanding, building relationships, and driving meaningful results.