CragRats Chairman Dave Bradley: what makes customer experience extraordinary?
Posted by: David Bradley in Customer ExperienceI am often asked this question, what elevates customer experience beyond the everyday and transforms it into something special? Then over the weekend I had an experience that sums it all up…
On Saturday morning I nipped into town to do some jobs. I went to the supermarket for the weekly shop and then filled my car with petrol before heading home. As I unpacked my shopping, I thought about the morning. I had experienced the customer service of two highly successful companies, I had personal contact with a number of their employees - but I could not recall a single one of them. I had given these companies my time and custom but they had done little to make sure I would return. In short, Saturday morning felt like a bit of a let down.
That afternoon I cycled 15 miles to a butcher’s shop high in the Pennine hills to buy sausages. It took real effort to get there as it is mainly uphill so why did I make this journey just to buy sausages? Put simply - Brindon Addy at Hade Edge is extraordinary. They know how to engage with their customers and make them feel special, of course it helps that their sausages are the best for miles around! In short, Saturday afternoon was brilliant.
I believe any of us can be extraordinary, any team can be extraordinary, any organisation can be extraordinary. So why do we experience so much mediocrity? I am sure people do not go to work thinking “I’m going to do a bad job today”, managers do not tell their teams to “avoid engaging with their customers.” So why do so many people see work as a chore – something to be suffered until home time?
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March 4th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Extraordinairy! I know exactly how Dave feels for reasons which will become apparent. I am not usually a fan of shopping expeditions unless they are for CD’s, books or musical instruments. However, one trip I always make is to Lofthouse’s in Compstall. Another butcher’s shop, owned by Bob And Tony Lofthouse , which truly understands how to make a mundane exercise into something special. That they serve products of the highest quality is beyond question - it is the way that they do it that makes the difference. Every visit I’ve had has left me laughing and has usually resulted in me spending more than I’d intended - either because the boys have pointed out I’d missed something vital or worse still, I’ve been lured into the “weighing game”. This started when Bob once claimed that he didn’t need scales to measure meat accurately and I foolishly challenged him to prove this. When I was 4-2 down, having bought the items on my shopping list, how could I leave until I’d equalised or better still beaten him? I never have won but it’s additional elements like this that turn the shopping trip into an occasion. One final point is that, unlike an anodine trip to the supermarket, I have never checked the price of goods in Lofthouses because I know that the value I get in other areas more than compensates. The lesson, and the challenge, for the big boys here is to try to emulate this type of experience. I shall be interested to see if it ever happens