The customer experience January 29, 2008
Posted by Barry Klopper in Innovation, Marketing.trackback
Ok, so I’m a media junkie. Reading the Sunday Times of 27 January 2008 , I came across an interesting story in Nadine Rubin’s ‘Made in Manhattan’ column from New York.
In a city where the average lifespan of an upmarket restaurant is something like three years, ‘Michael’s’ has been successfully growing for twenty years. And I think I know why. Firstly, apart from excellent cusine, ambience and service, they have two maitre d’s / reservationists who have been there for sixteen years between them. And guess what? This continuity and longevity enables them to really get to know their clientele.
And secondly they have developed an innovative approach to dealing with the politics and egos of some really powerful and famous people and seating them happily at their favourite tables.
An extensive computerized database keeps track of every customer and has a history of every VIP who walks through their doors; how many times they’ve come in, where they’ve sat before, who they are, what they do.
This enables the staff at ‘Michael’s’ to fully understand and anticipate the preferences and needs of a large clientele who subsequently go out as inadvertent brand ambassadors by telling their friends about the exquisite level of service and hospitality.
And the real innovation here is not in the mechanics of the system itself, but the wherewithal to want to go the extra mile in offering a uniquely familiar experience to their guests. And what they’ve done is take this information which normally resides only in someone’s head, and make it instantly accessible to the business itself.
Remember, all the expensive advertising, messaging and marketing in the world means nothing when compared to the actual experience your clients have when engaging with your product or service. Are you sure that your business lives by this maxim?
Another lesson to be learned here is that a clever advertisement might generate a one-time customer, but failure to live up to the customer’s expectations will negate even the most compelling ad. If, on the other hand, you surprise the customer with something better than expected, you are likely to generate a “customer for life”. This applies to the low end consumer as well.