Do you have companies you buy from or stores / places you visit, where they make spending money with them an enjoyable experience for you?
I’m sure you do, and this post will give you some of the reasons why you feel the way you do, when doing business with those rare providers, who “get it” when it comes to the business of business.
It will also give you some food for thought, about getting people to feel that way about spending money with you and your business.
The Apple experience
One of the best examples of the value of creating a great buying experience is The Apple Store. Your experience, from the moment you enter an Apple Store until you leave, is deliberately designed to appeal to Apple’s core target market. You will experience cleverly designed retail spaces, packed with beautifully designed products and staffed by people, who enjoy their job and love their products. This creates an overwhelmingly enjoyable and positive experience.
At a time when other computer retailers have gone broke or seen profits drop significantly, the Apple experience has helped Apple Inc post record-breaking profits. This, despite the recession and the fact that their products are often twice the price of PC-based alternatives.
The coffee experience
I was prompted to write this post, after going out for a coffee yesterday and seeing a wonderful example of the benefits of creating the right buying experience. There were 2 coffee shops within the same part of the shopping mall I visited. One was a Costa Coffee and the other an independent shop. I walked past the independent coffee shop and it was almost empty. However, Costa Coffee was full downstairs and almost full upstairs too.
I have used the independent coffee shop before (they make great smoothies) and their coffee is great. Their coffee is also slightly less expensive than Costa Coffee. However, their floorspace is over-filled with cold looking wooden tables and wooden chairs, which always makes it feel cramped. Costa Coffee has a mixture of wooden tables and chairs, along with big, soft sofa’s / couches and comfy chairs that almost hug you as you sit down. It looks and feels comfortable and welcoming.
What experience do you offer?
So, here’s the question: What kind of experience do you offer to your existing and prospective clients / customers?
Customer service is a key part of creating the right buying experience, (and developing a successful business in general), but it’s just one part of the experience. For example, the people standing outside the busy coffee shop had no idea how well they were going to be served and those who ignored the independent coffee shop also knew nothing about the service there either. In fact, the independent shop offers a much better level of service; especially if you have a young child with you as I often have, as they bring your order to your table!
The kind of positive, commercially valuable experience I’m talking about here, needs to penetrate your marketing, your delivery, your customer service, your design – everything. If those beautiful Apple Stores I mentioned earlier were full of ugly products or the customer service was poor, it wouldn’t have worked for them.
Your employees are also a massive part in this development of a buying experience. I bought my wife a new phone this Christmas and the lady that served me really did not want to be at work that day. How do I know? Because she told her colleague, when he asked her why she was so miserable looking!
When we look at improving business, I believe we need to look at the whole business – everything. We need to ensure that every element of our offering is consistent with creating the best buying experience possible.
What’s your take on this?
What do you think are the most overlooked areas, which let businesses down? What tips or ideas do you have, for people who want to create a better buying experience for their clients or customers? Which companies do you think offer the best buying experiences and why?
Please share your thoughts with a comment.
This is a particualarly relevant issue at a time when we are all seeking to differentiate. This post reminds us not to neglect the customer experience. It’s too easy to think from our own perspective (we are different because…) and forget to think from our clients’ (they come here because…).
Thanks again, Jim.
You make a good point Ash, about the link between the need to differentiate yourself and the need to develop a great client/customer experience.
Thanks for the comment sir!
Hey Jim,
One of the most overlooked areas when businesses plan (often by default) their customer experiences is to ‘design’ the experience in non-peak time.
This is a huge flaw because it typically means that the second things get busy, the customer experience erodes.
Why should me as the customer suffer a less than peak experience just because the place is busy?
Beit a coffee shop or computer store, I’ve yet to find a retailer who has designed a peak experience for peak time.
Best, Robin
Twitter: Robin_Dickinson
As usual Robin, some real food for thought there.
Maybe you have uncovered a niche for retailers to fill; a peak time peak experience?
Thanks as always for the feedback.
That’s a really good point, Robin. I totally agree with you.
It’s easy to design great customer-friendly features but it’s all the more disappointing when they get dropped because the business gets too busy to keep them up.
Hi Jim,
Happy New Year to you.
You’ve already listed my top two: Apple and Costa – I am a big fan of both and love their customer experience.
One of the things that really bugs me as a customer is, first, the experience of being passed from one person to another across separate call centres that apparently don’t talk to one another. And, second, the experience of having to go through a scripted process with a customer service advisor, having been through the process five times before without success, but having to do so again because it’s what the company has told the advisor to do.
I think these experiences come from organisation design and business process management that are done from more of an internal/political bias than from the perspective of an external, stepping into the customer’s shoes perspective.
Good point Christine, thanks.
A company can either invest in good staff and then ensure they get the right training, or they can paqy less for people and script them.
in 2010, I hope more companies get the idea that the buyer wants great service, not an ‘average’ script from a well-meaning, under informed call-centre worker.
Thanks for the comment.
I ersonally think that the most business forget about what happens when that happy customer leaves..
Many shops just like online stores can fofus more on customer follow up.
Even a coffeeshop can offer insentives for the customer to come back…
but final point is We all should focus more on our customer / client relationships..
not oly when they are phsically around but when they leave, You should try to set up a way for them to remember You after you are long gone from the store!
Norman Flecha
http://www.151years.com
Hi Norman – good point!
The follow-up is a key part of the process, which a lot of businesses miss out on.
Thanks for the comment.
Great way to sum up a key problem many businesses fail to solve: Making the entire experience a great one. I love the coffee shop example. It applies across so many industries and situations…
Many times businesses may have great customer service, or a killer product, but fail to “wow” in other areas like the checkout experience, advertising that sells, a billing department that’s on the ball, etc…
I believe customer service is a core factor for any business, but it must be complimented with advertising, marketing, and a product that lives up to the expectations set by a great customer service experience. Do that, and your business will soar.
You’re right Rob – That consistency is key.
You make a very good point that customer experience is a whole business issue. Businesses often forget to design back office customer touch points like the invoice experience.. every connection with the customer is an opportunity to excel.
People are accustomed to insincere but well rehearsed customer service. To make a lasting impact and create a loyal customer step outside the normal boundaries of “good service” and do spontaneous one time things with no motive other than recognizing and appreciating the customers patronage.
You have just given your customer a story to tell.
You make a lot of sense for a mad peacock!
Thanks for the feedback sir.
My father-in-law (who is retired)went to a new Apple store in Cornwall which opened a week before Christmas. They were selling them hand over fist … everyone who went in was bowled over and bought one, including him. As you say, a great product, a very enticing environment and enthusiastic staff are a recipe for success. The flip side of that is our local supermarket – time and again i see rubbish lying around in this supposedly “flagship” store, the clothes and toys section permanently looks like a jumble sale, and to enter the store you have to endure 3 travelators with automated announcements reminding you to stand still and hold onto the hand rail. When you arrive at the store, the trolleys are inevitably full of debris and empty plastic bags. My belief is that the enthusiasm and drive HAVE to come from the top – leaders need to be inspirational, motivational and passionate about the business … and to share that passion and listen to feedback (from all quarters), always looking for ways to improve. Otherwise, why would the staff care? What motivates someone on minimum wage to fix something when they see a problem, rather than assume someone else will do it?
Some great insight there Jane, thanks for sharing them here.
That’s a powerful comparison too.
I agree that businesses need to think through all of the customer experience and it should all be aligned across all “touch points”, so the website, the physical space, the call centre and the PRODUCT all need to have a consistent style and service level.
Designers need to think of peak times, and low times, they also need to think of the flow of people through the space they’re designing AND they need to think about what customers special needs might be.
The very nice cafe at the Schiphol airport requires you to carry your tray to the cashier. This is usually not a problem except that around 90% of customers have handluggage with them, most often bag on wheels or a trolley. It’s very difficult to manage.
Design is about practical as well as atmosphere
Some interesting points there Louise, thanks.
I like what you say about consistency – the experience is only maximised, if it’s throughout the entire experience. Having 1 or 2 great areas of the business and 1 or 2 poor or average areas is not enough.
Thanks for another thought provoking post Jim. From my perspective I believe the experience with those we prefer to do business with comes down to comfort, confidence, sincerity and possibilities. We need to create a comfort in the customer in sensory terms, a confidence that they have come to the right, and best place, a sincere desire on our part to serve them as they would like to be served and the promise of possibilities. Possibility thoughts, words and actions to provide solutions to their pains and provide an experience they can’t get elsewhere. Simple to say – very hard to consistently do every moment of every day. But then that is why – to use your example people go back to Apple products or the Apple store.
Hi Jim – Great post! I absolutely agree that the intangibles of the customer experience are just as important as the product/service itself.
One company that I think consistently gets it right is Chick-fil-A. They understand their target market and the factors that drive loyalty among those consumers…even in peak times. Always friendly; always over-deliver on service (especially compared to other fast-food competitors); always have quality food; and always have clean, comfortable facilities.
Hi Chris. That’s an interesting example and one my North American readers will all know.
The ability to create a great experience is open to every kind of business, but even more so in areas (like fast food) where speed and price are too often the driving factors.
Thanks for the comment.
It is amazing to me how many consumer-based companies fail to focus on customer touch-points. Consumer experience is so important and so easily ruined by a cold personality at any touch-point. Make sure employees enjoy what they are doing (like you said with Apple).
Robin made a great point above that customer experience should be great at all times. If things are going to be different at peak times, make sure there are redeeming factors that make it enjoyable to be part of the peak time.
Thanks for the post, Jim.
Hi Jim, we must have been thinking parallel thoughts today. Customer Service is always on my mind. You are right about the difference in your coffee shops. It’s the same way I feel about shopping in most places these days. I hate overflowing racks, squished together. It is uncomfortably difficult to shop and often the racks are overflowing with merchandise that isn’t even attractive no matter what age you are. I like Robin’s comments about designing for peak times too, most businesses don’t. My post today hits on that.
You always hit the mark!
Thanks for a thought provoking post, Jim.
Robin makes a great point about peak times and we so rarely find businesses which get that part right and it’s a treat when we do.
I was lucky enough to find one in Seattle — and a coffee shop too. Spoiled for choice in that city, my morning coffee came from Uptown Espresso in Queen Anne. Reason? Kelly, the barista. The drill there is barista takes order, makes coffee (2-3 at a time) and takes payment. Mornings were super-busy, yet Kelly always had time to chat and knew her regulars by name; there was always a happy feeling around her coffee machine. Peak time, yes, but people mattered there. Not sure this was a ‘company policy’ – probably more about Kelly realising her job was not about making coffee.
Processes and design are essential parts of creating customer experience and we need to get that part right if we are to stand out. Beyond design much rests on leadership and recruitment. For me leadership is a key, and it can be by the ‘leader’ of the business or the way we choose to lead ourselves (like Kelly). Tricky thing (and the bit that makes it fun) is that in business we need to get it all right if we are really to succeed! Huge rewards come to those smart businesses that do.
Thanks for a fantastic conversation here.
@kategroom
Hi Jim,
In the words of Jeffrey Gitomer, “Customer Satisfaction is a failure.” If we want our customers to become our conduit for repeat business and referrals, you have to wow them! Thank you for your words of wisdom, I enjoy the informative and thought provoking insight you provide.
You know I’ve thought about this a lot and I can never quite think of a good solution.
A great customer experience, as you said, is very reliant on the mentality of your employees. While it would be great to have a workforce that is always happy, motivated, charismatic and helpful, it seems pretty impossible. Unless you’re the ceo of the company and can set your own schedule and responsibilities, there are probably times when you’re not going to be happy at work. Also, unlike the CEO, you probably won’t identify with the brand quite as much.
If you talk to a CEO, they’re always extremely passionate about their brand and their goals. They want to do everything to make their customers happy. Finding employees who would feel the same way is tough.
So that’s where I fail to find a solution. A great customer experience is reliant on an ideal that is seemingly impossible to achieve at least on a large scale. Apple gets pretty close but I’ve had some awful customer experiences there too.
One place where I had an amazing experience every time was at the boston cafe in westchester ny. They’re always friendly, helpful, fun and they have amazing food and coffee. They take the extra step to make sure you’re happy (which turns out is just being friendly and really helpful).
Do the best we can I guess?
David
Community Manager, Scribnia.com
This is a great topic. I don’t know what it is like in the States but here in Japan, buying a cellphone is excruciating and and an experience I had to go through last week – product changes so quicly many of the staff don’t know what they are selling, the different plans available are impossible to understand, there are all kinds of hidden charges and the way they lock you into contracts seems unfair. So, in my view – a good experience has to satisfy on the above. A while ago in the UK, Virgin launched a phone which solved the majority of the above and was very popular. In a nutshell, understahd your customers’ problems/issues and solve them.
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