"Fingering the Goods"

"Fingering the goods" was a 1950's merchant expression for "shopping in a store."   Except for the Sears Roebuck catalog, store shopping was about the only means for acquiring merchandise.  Well, there was the ice cream truck and Farmer Brown who sold their products through the neighborhood.  But, they only came by on Saturday. 

Today, we go on line in seconds (without trying to find a parking space).  We can go directly to the item we are seeking (without getting lost or having to find a sales clerk for directions).  Up-selling is done without pressure ("People who bought this item also bought...").  And, if the item fails to please, we simply put it back in the package, slap a pre-printed label on it, and put it out front for the postal person to pick up.  There's no returns clerk to cross examine us about the missing original receipt.

Why would anyone ever go back into a store with such on-line convenience?  And, the in-store versus on-line competition is daily being fought with such formidable foes as Amazon.com and Zappos.com. Some retailers have countered by offering their merchandise on-line.  But, stores don't need to throw in the towel.  On-line shopping does not let you "finger the goods." In-store service can give you an experience that can take your breath away.  The warmth of the super-helpful clerk, the sound of the soothing music, the smell of the perfume counter, the opportunity for a tactile connection with the product, are all features completely missing from the on-line buying experience.

We Don't Remember Clicks

The on-line buying experience is typically designed to be a largely forgotten experience.  An Amazon.com purchase experience might become a story to share if there is a problem or an exception, but their goal is to create an experience you do not remember.  So, what's wrong with that?  Nothing--as long as your organization is leading the pack.  And, the principle is the same for any enterprise-on-line or brick-and-mortar.  Let the playing field get close to being even and customers begin to search for ways to differentiate one option from another.   What's the big difference between Delta and American, Cabela' and Bass Pro Shops, Costco and Sam's, or Marriott and Sheraton?

The service experience is the last venue for true differentiation.  We assume the products we buy or the outcomes we seek will be trustworthy.  What's a KFC without chicken, a Hertz without reliable vehicles, or Best Buy without electronics?  Run out of what customers seek from you and you are on the path to extinction.  We also assume the price or investment we make will be a fair one.  With social media an instant billboard seen by a gazillion potential buyers, one hiccup that reads "unfair" can send you packing to the back of the line in the customer's mind.

As customers, we don't talk much to others about price and product these days.  Unless price and product are very unique, they are simply the ticket to play.  But, experience is an entirely different component of the customer's definition of value.  Eavesdrop on a conversation between colleagues on the back deck over a grill, on the golf course, in the car pool or on Twitter.  If the subject is commerce, the focus is on really bad service, or occasionally on really great service.   Smart organizations are using three principles to enrich the experience of their customers---they make it matter, they make it memorable, and they make it "mine."

Make it Matter

Great service begins with an understanding of what is important to customers.  Ask customers what is the most important feature of airline travel and they will tell you safety.  Safety might not be a loyalty driver (we don't pick an airline because of their safety record), but let an airline have an unfortunate accident and customers will avoid the carrier like the plague...at least for a while.   It requires paying attention to the basics.

We assume banks are safe and hospitals are clean.   But these humdrum fundamentals allow you to remain in the game.   What is the source of most of your customer complaints?  Might this be a peephole into poor management of what matters to customers?  Your customers judge service based on their emotional and irrational perceptions.   What do they see in how service is delivered; what conclusions do they draw from what they perceive?

We were doing a focus group with a group of nurses of a large Midwestern hospital.   We were running through our battery of customer intelligence questions when the discussion turned to patient anxiety.  There were comments about the fact that patients are not always candid with their caregiver if they are uneasy about their welfare.

"We were swamped one day," said a nurse, "and it took me a bit longer than normal to respond to a maternity ward patient's call button.  Since she had been only two centimeters dilated five minutes earlier, I was confident her call was not an emergency.   By the time I got to her room, she was hysterical.  She finally calmed down enough to tell me she could not locate her lunch menu.  I thought it odd something so small would make her so upset.  But, as I was leaving her room, she asked, "How soon will you come if my baby is in trouble?'  I got a new appreciation for the symbolism behind the call button." 

Make it Memorable

Memorable service starts with an understanding of the difference between customer satisfaction and customer delight.   Satisfactory means "good enough to fulfill a need or requirement"-not exactly the stuff that gets customers talking.  Recall one of your five-star experiences.  Maybe it was your honeymoon.  Assume a researcher asked:  "On a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being 'completely unsatisfied' and 10 being 'completely satisfied,' what would be your overall evaluation of your honeymoon?"  Recalling the moon on the water, the breeze on the balcony, or the late night social activities, you would likely view "completely satisfied" a falling short of capturing your evaluation of that special experience.   Satisfaction might work for products or outcomes, but it is a "C" on the customer's experience report card.

Customers are not loyal to organizations that deliver a satisfactory experience.  They are only retained until something goes wrong or something better or different comes along.  But, customer delight is what advocacy is made of.  It includes understanding what drives customer loyalty and then building great experiences around those loyalty drivers. 

A large country club learned from members that club employees calling them by name and recalling their preferences increased member loyalty.   Members assumed the food would be good, the grounds immaculate, and  employees professional.   The club manager created for every employee a photo album containing member preferences beside their photos.  At each morning employee meeting ten members were selected from the album. The club manager gave prizes for all who could recognize the photo and name all the preferences.  Soon, every club employee knew every member; most could remember the names of a member's spouse and children.

Make it Mine

Bose is brilliant!  Buy a pricey set of their Quiet Comfort headphones and they come with a stack of courtesy cards for the new owner to pass along to potential buyers.  On the back of the courtesy card is every conceivable way to contact Bose.  And, the strategy works--at least according the many users who continually request replacement courtesy cards.   Bose turns consumers into partners.  Politicians would be wise to learn the ways of Bose. 

Make it Mine means creating a sense of ownership.  When customers put the pronoun "my" in front of your brand or organization's name, they are telegraphing ownership.  And, getting customers to participate can ratchet up that sense of "mine."  Inclusion begins by being comfortable enough to ask customers for assistance.  It also means being willing at times to sacrifice a bit on efficiency or effectiveness for the commitment gained by inclusion.  Be careful!  Seeking customer participation can backfire if mishandled or used inappropriately. 

On Southwest Flight 22 from El Paso to Phoenix, the flight attendant accepted assistance from two adoring passengers to help pass out peanuts to fellow passengers.  The most important part of the occurrence was not the obvious fun the two guys in Bermuda shorts and ball caps had.   It was the noticeable positive effect the incident had on everyone on board.  Even super serious passengers could not help but grin as they received the all-too-familiar snack from the flight attendant-wannabes!

Inclusion involves finding a way to invite customers to put skin in the game.  The power lies more in the opportunity to participate than actual involvement.  Most passengers on the Southwest flight knew that had they volunteered, their services would have been equally welcomed.  That means that they participated vicariously and had almost as much fun as the two guys with the peanuts. 

What are you doing to help your customers "finger the goods?"  Finding ways to focus on making the service experience matter, making it memorable, and making it "mine" can upgrade their affinity from satisfaction to devotion.  What is your customers' buying memory beyond the parking, product and price?  What steps can you take to make "fingering the goods" more valued than "point and click?"