Making an Impact
In this issue:
Experience or Expense?
This is the section where I share with you the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the customer experience, the impact everyone can have on it - in either direction, and the resulting impact on image, reputation, brand, customer relationships, your whole organisation and your bottom line. We have all been customers at some point, and we all give customer experiences to others, whether it's in work or out of it - so our neighbours, friends and relations can all be viewed as our customers too.
I have a growing list of just such experiences which I am looking forward to sharing and in some cases, venting! You'll see that I do rather get on my soapbox about some of these!
All at Sea
This summer I decided to book myself onto a dolphin, whale and shark watching trip off the south coast. I'd investigated a couple of options before plumping for this one particular 'adventure' trip company, as they billed themselves. I had a good surf through their website and looked with excitement at the photos of recent sightings of all three of the aforementioned marine life, as well as the added bonus sightings of seals and rare birds.
One thing that also drew me to this company was that the craft was a speed boat, which only took a maximum of 12 people. The other companies seemed to be offering vessels that were more of the pace you would find on one of the lakes in Disneyland than on the wild ocean waves, so I was sold.
Just as I was getting quite excited at the prospect of my adventure trip, I saw a paragraph which said that, whilst there had indeed been all these recent sightings, there was no guarantee that you would see anything, as it was of course up to the wildlife whether they decided to put in an appearance or not.
I was slightly less excited when I saw this, and of course realised that they were absolutely right, and there was a chance nothing would turn up on the day. However, I decided to ring the company anyway and investigate a bit further.
The girl I spoke to was great, and said they do indeed have a lot of encounters with dolphins in particular, and with sharks and whales too, but that I should be aware of the fact that we might not see any of those during the whole of the afternoon trip. She said they make a point of emphasising this to everyone, whether they book by phone or online, just so they know, in order to avoid the risk of irate customers on the day if they don't happen to spot anything.
I quizzed her more about the boat, and she said it was an exciting trip anyway because they did go really fast, and was I all right with that. When I informed her that I had actually hoped that was the case, and that it was a factor that drew me to her company in the first place, she was pleased. She said they always made a point of telling people that too, as not everyone is a speed merchant like me!
I then asked her a question that I don't think anyone had asked her before, as it obviously took her a little by surprise. I wanted to know, if we did spot one of the 'big three', and if I had my swimsuit on underneath my all-in-one waterproof that they supplied everyone with, whether I could divest of my waterproofs and get in the water and have a swim with the creatures. There was a pause before she said that I was indeed the first person to ask her that, and stuttering a little, she replied that unfortunately they would not be able to let me do that on health and safety grounds. I expressed my disappointment, but at least I knew that wasn't going to be an option and that donning my swim gear would be pointless.
It was good that I had found this out now too, rather than when I was being restrained on the boat by the crew thinking they had a stripping, suicidal customer, who was trying to disrobe and throw themselves off the boat at the same time! Shame, I thought. Anyway, although slightly disappointed, I resigned myself to it, and had been let down gently at least.
So when the day finally arrived I had all my gear ready, and as I was driving to the departure point, I was very excited at the forthcoming trip. I also decided that if we ended up seeing nothing, at least I would have had a great ride in a speedboat with some spectacular scenery, on what was looking like it was going to be a fabulous day.
I arrived at the assembly point where a few people had already gathered, and where two members of the adventure company were greeting people. It was a very windy day and they informed us that it would be a bit choppy out there, which might put off some of the wildlife from surfacing, but said they would pick the best places to go and give us an exciting ride along the way. They also warned us that we could get pretty wet!
As the 12 of us were kitted out with our wet suits, we started to mix and chat about the trip and what we might see. There was a lively air of excitement, and it seemed everyone had been well informed as to what they might, and indeed might not see, but knowing this, we all agreed we were going to have (bad pun coming up…) a whale of a time whatever happened!
The skipper said he would do his best to track down dolphins in particular, and with a mischievous glint in his eye, asked if everyone had been told we were going to be belting along at speed for sections of the trip. We all excitedly shouted 'yes', and he then said that if anyone did scream, he would indeed go faster! Fantastic I thought! I was going to be a banshee for the whole trip!
As we set off, it was indeed more than a little gusty. The hilarity too, was that we were perched on jockey seats with not a lot to hold on to, as the seats were in a pyramid formation fixed to the deck. So unless you happened to be in the centre of the formation, you didn't have a seat in front of you to hang on to. I was on the far outside – hands-free!!
As we left the harbour and rapidly picked up speed, the boat soon alternated between being almost totally airborne and then slamming back down on the choppy waves with such force, that it made you feel like you were hitting concrete rather than water. On we bounced, with the impact of the boat into the water each time causing a great deal of water to shoot up and break over the boat, mostly soaking the people who were on the outside edge seats – yes that was me!
I started to laugh as yet another plume of water broke over me, and the more I laughed, the more unbalanced I became on my jockey seat. Now I consider myself to be a pretty advanced level horse woman, but I was in serious danger of being unseated from this particular ride!
I was taking on board water inside as well as out too, as I was laughing so much each time the water broke over me, that I was taking in mouthfuls of the salty stuff. I could hear the chap behind me laughing hysterically too, and when I turned round to look at him, we just both burst out laughing again and rolling around on our seats, expressing our admiration too for each others salt set hair styles!
By this time we had reached our first stopping point bay on the other side of the peninsula, where we had a chance of spotting something. We listened to some commentary from the other crew member on the geology of the area. They pointed out interesting features about the bay, as well as some tips on how to spot a fin, which can be regularly mistaken for waves, and vice versa.
We loitered there for quite a while, but unfortunately went away finless. A few seagulls were the best we could do. So we sped off to the next bay, experiencing another bucket load of hilarity as we were once again drenched. My sunglasses, which I had donned as it was indeed a beautiful sunny day by now, became caked with a salty film, so that I could hardly spot the person next to me with any clarity, never mind an elusive fin in the distance!
As we arrived at the next secluded cove, the skipper said we might spot some seals here, so we all stared eagerly at the beach as well as on the rocky outcrop. Someone then pointed vigorously and squealed with delight as they thought they had made a seal sighting. We all squinted in the direction of the finger, and those with binoculars scoured the area intently. When the non-skipper crew member looked through her binoculars, she informed us that sadly it was just a rock doing a great impression of a seal.
We bobbed about a bit silently for a while with our eyes well and truly peeled, but sadly only a few seagulls made an appearance again. As we flew off to the next part of the coast, the skipper decided to demonstrate some of his boat-master flair and expertise, as he swept the boat across the waves in one direction and then another at speed, much to all our childish glee. Both members of the crew were cracking jokes along the way too, and telling us stories in amongst the commentary about the history and legends of the various bays we visited.
By now we were indeed soaked, as water had seeped into the wetsuits where we hadn't fully zipped them up, or when we had our hoods down, but no-one seemed to care as it was all part of the trip, and something that was indeed no surprise following the warning we had been given before we set off about the likely soaking.
We went to a couple of other bays, but again saw nothing except a few black seabirds whose name, which I won't repeat, caused much obvious humour and became the in-boat joke for the rest of the trip. We did indeed see some stunning scenery, more than any of us had expected in fact, and had a fabulous time racing about at sea.
By the end of the trip, our sides were aching and our throats sore with laughter. No-one felt cross at the crew at all for not supplying us with the hoped for dolphins, whales or sharks, because that's exactly what they were – hoped for, not promised.
Before even setting foot on the boat, we had all known that sightings weren't definitely going to happen, and had been given time to think through the possibility of that outcome in our own minds. As a result, when no sightings materialised, no one acted angrily or extremely, no-one demanded their money back or said it was a waste of time, or complained about the soakings or speed of the boat, or that they hadn't been told and had expected something different. In fact the general consensus was one of disappointment that the trip was over.
This company had been very careful to manage our expectations well before they started to deliver the experience to us. They had clearly told us what to expect, but most importantly, what not to expect too. They had made sure that no criticism could be levelled at them, and that we would still be happy at the end of the trip, by making it clear that the main hoped for outcome was not within their control and couldn't always be delivered, through no fault of theirs. They had also been careful to manage our expectations of the other things that they did have control over, like the speed of the boat and the level of enjoyment we had, so that there were no nasty surprises. Importantly too however, for those aspects, they not only made sure that they met our expectations, but that they exceeded them too.
It can be so easy to forget to manage expectations with our own customers and business partners though. Often, we only inform them of the reasons why we couldn't deliver what we promised, or what they were expecting from reading information about us, after the experience has gone wrong, even when that possibility was predictable from the start – whether it was something that was within our control or not. By then though, it's too late to rescue their good will, and throwing them a life jacket to rescue them from the situation we have got them into – psychologically or physically, does nothing to calm their wave of anger and the poor referrals which will inevitably then ensue.
Some elements of the customer experience can indeed be out of our control, especially if we are relying on others or nature to deliver them. Firstly, doing everything we can to ensure others involved in that delivery are as committed to it as we are, is of course essential. Things can go wrong along the way though, which are difficult to predict, so promptly and thoroughly communicating why the original outcome might not be possible any more, (including the fact it could not have been foreseen), what we are doing to still try and deliver it, or a good substitute, will also help to reduce any disappointment with customers, and help to uphold our reputation with them, rather than saying nothing and trying to fix it in silence, hoping they won't notice.
Covering all bases and ensuring our customers fully understand what outcomes may or may not result, might indeed be time-consuming, and even perhaps feel a little defensive. However, if we communicate it properly and explain why we are telling them, and importantly, why the original offering might not be possible, it will pay dividends in the end, when they come out smiling after the experience nearly as much as they were before it, even if they didn't receive the totality of the original offering.
As with my trip, adding value in other ways at the same time as managing expectations, will also help to keep customers happy, and stop them from bailing out and jumping off your ship, when the experience becomes rougher than they had expected.
Observation Post
Ramping up the Service
I am amazed that some hotels still only have steps and no ramps to access their reception area. I stayed at one in Leeds where the only way you could avoid having to schlep your case and other luggage up quite a number of slippery stone steps, was to go round to the entrance at the very back of the building. I stayed in another one in London recently which only had steps and no back entrance option.
I found the same problem in a major railway station's open air car park too, which was on two levels. The only way to avoid the steep flight of steps down to the lower car park level, from where you accessed the concourse, was if you made a long detour to the far end where you drove in, then doubled back on yourself once on the lower level for another long walk to get to the concourse entrance.
Ok, if you're disabled there are specific parking spaces close to the entrance, but not in the case of the London hotel. However, you don't have to be a wheelchair user or officially disabled in any way to find it difficult to tackle the steps, and be in danger of injuring your back or other vital part whilst lifting a heavy case or struggling with multiple luggage.
The same is true of many London underground stations and connecting corridors between lines at the same station. I've always wondered why they couldn't form a concrete ramp at one edge of the stairs, ie fill the stairs in down one side, just wide enough to wheel the average case on. This would make a huge difference and I'm sure, save many a rupture for the weary traveller.
I imagine there are many customers like me, who would be grateful for this addition to the experience they are currently getting from all the above. I wonder too why no-one in these organisations has done anything about this obvious problem. Small as it may seem to them, it would make a huge difference to the way in which many customers perceive the experience they are getting from them, and therefore influence their decision to undergo the experience again, or not.
Making Your Mark
All Aboard?
Next time you're about to deliver a service or experience to a customer or partner, internal or external, before you do so, write down what you believe their expectations are going to be of the experience. Then think whether there's a likelihood that any aspects of that might indeed not be met, however small. Then write down what expectations you need to manage and how you're going to communicate these.
Importantly too, if possible, ask the customer/ sample from the customer group, what they are expecting. This will give you a much better picture of where there might be any potential disappointment, which will help you to better manage their expectations in your communications with them – verbal or written.
Doing this in advance and making sure all of the team(s) involved understand what the expectations are, before you set sail on delivering the particular customer experience, will give you a much better chance of keeping your customers happy, and increasing their trust and confidence in you. It will also save you having to do quite so much grovelling and reparatory work to your reputation and their trust if something does go wrong, and you find yourself in deep water.
Speaking Events
I speak at a range of different corporate conferences, both all-staff and management, on the customer experience and Whole Organisation Marketing - living and delivering the brand promise and customer experience, and promoting/ celebrating your organisation through all your people. The emphasis is on improving the whole customer experience, referrals, reputation, your brand, effectiveness, business and bottom line success. I also speak at industry and professional body conferences and events. For example, I have spoken for the Institute of Customer Service, the Institute of Sales and Marketing and the Chartered Institute of Housing.
See the showreel on my website from one of these events.
If you would like to know more about these or the other types of events and conferences I speak at, or indeed have one you would like me to speak at, then do get in touch. If you would like to find out more about the workshops and development sessions I run for organisations, which include ones to develop individuals and teams to improve the customer experience, then just give me a ring or drop me a line. You can see a summary of my workshops on my website too.
Thanks for reading, I hope you found it useful and thought provoking. If we haven't spoken or met already, I hope we get to do so in the not too distant future. If we have, then I look forward to chatting to you again.
See you next time.
Mob: 07787 573539
carolyn@carolyndallaway.com
www.carolyndallaway.com
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