When we buy things, it’s the product we actually pay at the cash register, but it’s the experience that often provides an amount or more of the perceived value of the transaction.
Earlier this year, I had to buy plumbing repair parts. Trust me, I by no means wanted to buy these items, but plumbing issues carry some urgency.
The parts I needed were pretty basic and could be insured to any number of vendors at a comparable price. However, as a novice plumbing buyer, I needed some guidance. The pieces were the product I paid for, but the seller’s experience was the experience that created value.
Everything that is sold is combined with experience to add value. We pay the insurance, but we buy peace of mind. We pay for a meal in the restaurant, but we buy an atmosphere or comfort. We pay for a car, but we buy reliability, prestige or utility. Regardless of what we buy, value is never limited to the item itself.
When our office receives a customer service complaint against a local company, they rarely deal with a product. Dissatisfaction almost always stems from experience. Something about the way the product was delivered to the customer was twisted.
I believe that the continued lack of manpower in our community has led to an increase in the number of complaints our office receives. And, I get it. Trying to absorb the increased demand for this product / experience with a dwindling amount of human resources is a problem that is expected to happen. No one does their best job when they are overwhelmed and tired.
Like everyone else, I burn. Trying to explain, once again, why we are not able to predict the exact date of the maximum flowering of wildflowers or why I do not know the name of this beautiful little shop that the person who called visited three years ago: “ You know, the one on the main street ”- can be exhausting. Sometimes I will confess to complaining under my breath, and then Susanna Coppernoll appears in my mind.
It’s been 30 years since I met Susanna at a conference before I became friends. In his presentation, he said, “Remember it may be the thousandth time you answer the question, but it’s the first time the customer does it.”
He is right. For the person requesting it, the experience is new. They are not responsible for the cumulative frustration we sometimes feel.
So how can we improve the experience? Especially in these times of declining workforce, we need to cheer on our team. Think of ways to encourage excellent service or provide a safe space to blow some steam when needed.
As an owner or manager it can be difficult to devote time to training, but we can never do enough. My friend, Susanna, loved to ask us if we would rather invest time in building our team or solving problems and responding to complaints.
She was a gifted teacher who often used role play to train members of her team. Instead of scolding, it was great to talk through the interactions, identify where the gaps in the service were most likely to occur, and get the team to develop solutions. Its goal was to build better systems that would eliminate customer problems and reduce staff stress.
In today’s world, our product range is becoming more and more homogeneous. It is the experience that will always make the customer get more again.
McBride is the president and CEO of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce.