I was sitting in an airport bar and I saw something happen that is very unusual these days. A sacrifice. Not the human kind. Those are actually not that hard to find.
No, what I witnessed, was much more rare. I watched a company sacrifice a deal in the name of protecting the customer experience.
At airports, people don’t always have a lot of time. And when you sit at the bar, you are often communicating that you have even less time than others – just enough time to grab a quick bite or drink and move on (or like me, your flight is miserably delayed, so you may as well enjoy a good long drink!)
As I sat there, a man sat down a couple of seats over and ordered a beer and a Caesar salad. The bartender, took the order and then paused. He said, “I just want you to be aware that our meals are running about 20-25 minutes – even for a salad. I just don’t want you to be surprised – especially if you need to catch your flight.”
The man looked confused for a moment. He had to process what he had just been told.
Then he said, “Ok. Thank you for telling me. Thank you very much. I’ll go ahead and cancel my order – and my beer. I don’t have that much time. Thanks again.” Then he picked up his stuff and left. But he didn’t look angry or frustrated. He looked relieved and grateful.
This bartender – and I have to assume the restaurant’s policy – had just saved him from a very frustrating experience. They had sacrificed a deal. They did not get that customer’s revenue today. But I suspect that they earned a fan and a long-term customer. And frankly, even if they didn’t, it was just the right thing to do. And it made an impression on me, which is why I’ll be back. I want to spend my money with an organization that values me and not just my money.
So what’s the lesson for an IT professional? The customer experience extends far beyond the transaction of a service. It begins with an attitude. You must genuinely care about your customers if you want to create a great customer experience. It can’t just be about “customer service” – which implies that you’re already in the middle of a transaction. It has to be about caring for the entire experience – even when that experience won’t involve you.
After a keynote I gave recently, I sat and chatted with a CIO of a hospital who had been in attendance. He said to me, “You seem to like stories. I have one for you. When I became the CIO, I called a meeting of my entire staff. I’m sure that they were expecting the same old stuff. They expected me to talk about myself, my plans and what I expected of them. Instead, I told them, ‘I know you expect to hear all of the normal stuff. We’ll get to that. For now, I would just like you to do and to remember one thing: Be kind. Be kind to your co-workers and to everyone you interact with. That’s it.'” He went on to explain how it threw everyone off. They weren’t quite sure what to make of it. But slowly, attitudes changed. Then everything else did. It was a genuine attitude that we need to care before anything else. I believe that’s exactly what I witnessed in that bar.
So, if you ever find yourself at LAX waiting for a flight. Stop by B Grill. I have this feeling that you’ll have a great experience!
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