The Customer Experience Should be Central to Our Experience

The other day while consulting with a lighting technician for one of Branson, Missouri’s many entertainment shows. I made some suggestions on how they might improve some of the lighting effects and visual images used during some of the numbers. Overall, I had been very impressed with the show and my suggestions were simple tweaks to what was already being done. In one number, however the visual imagery and the musical number being performed were in sharp contrast to that of the energy of the song. My suggestions were not simple tweaks, but a whole new approach. The song was Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”, which is about having a party all night long, a fiesta, or celebration. The song is played with energy and excitement in a very audience engaged atmosphere. The lights and imagery used with the number however were in contrast to that energy. They were soft and romantic, like that of a ballad, soft blues and light purples depicting a soft moonlight night.

As we discussed my suggested changes to the lighting, the technician commented that the lead performer, and head of the entertainment group, said he didn’t want anything in the lights or visual imagery that would distract the audience from the lead performers. Needless, to say I was a little set-back. I understand what his concern is, but entertainment like any business is about the customer’s entire experience. Our decisions on how we do business should not be centered on us as a company, our products, or our services; they should be centered on our customer and their overall experience in doing business with us.

If anyone has truly mastered the concern for the consumer’s total experience it is Disney. Go to any theme park and you will be swallowed up in an experience that goes far beyond mere amusement rides and games. Your customers judge you not simply by the product or service you provide, but by everything associated with the experience of receiving that product or service.

• How hard was it to find your product or service?
• How hard was it to find your company on the web or physical location?
• How was the staff in answering questions about the product?
• How did the information on the website appear? Was it useful or just rhetoric?
• How was the purchasing process?
• How was the perceived value compared to the actual cost?
• How was the delivery process?
• How was the service after the sale?

Literally everything in your company is a part of the consumer experience, from when the customer first recognizes they have a need for something, to when they become satisfied that such need has been met. And beyond! This does not mean that everything we do must have an elaborate show filled with tremendous fan fair. It means balancing the experience surrounding our product or service with the experience most desired by our customer.

I am amazed with the number of companies I’ve had the opportunity to work with that try to control the customer to the company’s desired experience and place the concerns of the customer second to that of the company. Oh, don’t misunderstand; the company must make a profit, and a healthy profit. The company owes it to its customers to stay in business, and continue to serve them. And this can only be done by making a profit and weathering the economic storms that rag continually.

As we step-back and make a conscious effort to take-in the whole of the customer experience surrounding our products and services, from the customer’s point of view, we discover a balance in how we do business. We also quickly recognize that most often it is the little things that make the greatest difference. It’s in the way a sales representative greets a customer. It’s in how a service technician answers a customer concern, or the way a billing statement is arranged, so that it can be easily read and understood by the customer. In many of these cases there is no additional expense. It’s just simply how we do business, however the returns for customer concern translates directly to the bottom line, profitability.

Too often we as managers and executives get caught up in the day-to-day pressures of our jobs and the financial concerns, the employee concerns, legal issues, vendors, and the list goes on, and on. Yes, these are all very important and do require our attention; however they cannot trump our concern for our customers. Regularly take time to experience your company from your customer’s point of view. Walk out your side door jump in your car parked in a reserved parking spot and drive several blocks away. Now take your tie off, unbutton your shirt collar and return to your place of business as a customer.

• Is it easy to find?
• How’s the parking?
• Is it clean and inviting?
• The list goes on and on . . . . . and you should be the best judge of your business.

People can argue back and forth about products and services supplied by different companies their pros and cons, however there is little argument when it comes to the way a superior company treats their customers. And that is a choice we can all make, we have a choice how we treat and respect our customers and contribute to their overall experience.

This article was first published in December 2010 on the "Social Media Today" website.