ECMW

I just heard a psychologist talking about how people perform better when they feel they are being watched or ‘on show’. It reminded me of Pine & Gilmore’s book The Experience Economy and the notion that all business is now theatre and your people are players.

It reminded me of last year’s European Customer Management World. Chris Daffy had invited some of us to a pre-conference dinner. Each course was introduced by the chef and then the servers swept in, around ten of them I think, from two doors on the side.

I watched them - five on each side of the long table - step back in unison and glance at the head waiter, who gave a small signal with a nod of his head, like a conductor of an orchestra setting the timing.

All ten moved forward at the same time, like dancers, and placed the next dish before the guest in front of them. Then they stepped back, all turned as if in military formation, and strode out the door. Some of them were smiling to themselves in satisfaction. I wanted to give them a round of applause.

This wasn’t serving a meal. It was choreographed theatre. It was art. When I was a student I used to be a room service waiter in the summer holidays, at a five star hotel. It was boring work with long hours and a gruelling regime in the kitchens when you ordered and collected the meals as the lowest of the low - the waiter (think lots of Gordon Ramsays shouting at you; on more than one occasion waving a meat cleaver at you that you had to duck to collect the dish you had ordered - I think it was their sense of humour. I hope so).

But these people weren’t at the bottom of a pecking order. They were artists on show, part of a flawless team. And they knew it. Whatever your sector is, you can do the same. The Geek Squad (I’m looking forward to interviewing their founder at ECMW next month, in the leadership track) even does it with IT service and repair.

All work is now theatre. Your customer experience will be all the better for it once you realise that.

Phil Dourado
www.PhilDourado.com

Just reflect for a minute on the last 24 hours.   Focus on the times when you were out and about travelling, going into shops, interacting with people.  How many spring to mind?  Maybe one or two?  Often I ask people to do this and they can’t remember a single incident.  They have gone through a whole day and nothing has engaged them.

Now flip the perspective and identify those interactions where other people might say that you have made them feel special. How many would there be?  Of course we will say there are plenty, but are there?  Do we make a conscious effort to really engage with people – would they ride 15 miles on their bike to see us?

This brings me to my bike, more of which to come.

I 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?