I recently had an experience that really brought home my passion for creating a memorable client experience and how Automation for Business can sometimes go too far. First, the backstory.
It had been a couple of years since I went to see a movie in a large commercial theater. These are further away than a smaller local one that I tended to like more. The movie I wanted to see was at the end of its theater run and was only showing at the larger venues, so I got my ticket online, along with the snacks I wanted. Adding the snacks to the online ticket was new and was probably a sign of what to expect when I arrived.
I arrived at the theater a little early and entered the empty lobby. It was a 10:00 am matinee, so it had just opened. I noticed only 2 employees behind the large snack counter, so I walked up to the young kid behind the register. I didn’t really look around, but in my scan, nothing seemed different. The large yellow glow of the popcorn bin, upcoming attraction posters, and the floor displays. You know the usual. He scanned the QR code on my phone and then went to get my popcorn. He returned really quickly with an empty bucket and pointed to the drink cooler next to me, where the drink I preordered was. “Theater 8.”
I was a bit stunned and looked around again, and noticed the popcorn bin was now self-service. I always loved it when the worker would fluff the popcorn in the glass enclosure as they filled the buckets or bags. Now it was a sad dispenser with an even worse, sputtering butter dispenser. The experience felt like a total flop.
Growing up, I remember getting the tickets at a counter where we were greeted and handed paper tickets, then ushered to the bright aroma-filled concession area. The sound of popcorn popping and people excitedly chatting. workers bustling behind the counter, filling popcorn buckets and fountain drinks. I missed that and kind of felt cheated out of the experience of going to see a movie in a theater.
Yes, it was the first showing of the day, and I am old enough to remember not being able to order tickets online. However, there are some things that the business did that continued to make the experience lackluster. And it got me thinking about the customer experience and how automation for business may not be the best option.
Maybe I’m a minority in that I enjoy the little interactions with staff when I go to a business. But that is also a major part of how we experience that business and can make it stand out. This experience was short, and only 2 words were said to me before I went to fill my own bucket of popcorn.
I can see why these things were implemented. Reduce labor costs, speed up the process to get more people through the line, automate processes, etc. It’s about the bottom line, and most large companies think about that a lot! Going a little too far removes that personal touch that can really elevate the experience for customers, which makes them come back and rave about the service.
As a small business owner of a service-based business, my goal is to provide the best experience for clients. That experience is somewhat automated, but still requires the personal touch that makes working with me unique. Your client experience is your brand. A memorable brand is one that people can easily recall and recommend to their friends, or describe the services they received. Oftentimes, that experience comes from the human interactions we have with the brand. Whether it’s a friendly greeting or understanding where you are coming from when needing the service. It is all part of what clients perceive your brand to be and why it is so important for small businesses.
So how can you use this to elevate your client experience? Do an audit of your own process and how you interact with your clients. I’m sure there are areas or places you can add more value or provide information that is relevant in the process. Some of that can be automated, but make sure there is still that personal touch from you and/or your team. People want to feel like they are being taken care of.
Shameless plug: If you struggle with where to begin with your client experience or want to give it an overhaul, I do have a Client Experience Program where we can go through it together.