The term “customer experience” is thrown around more today than ever before. But has the customer experience really changed or is it just the current buzz word that makes an organization feel better?
Organizations that create truly memorable and remarkable customer experiences don’t need to talk about it…they deliver it! And when they do deliver it, others talk about the experience and their organization. They spread word-of-mouth about it…a lot! Here’s an example of an organization that delivers such an experience…
I love this story! It’s unexpected and it’s an awesome example of reinventing an experience that is memorable and remarkable.
There’s a diner…or I should say a Community Kitchen to be exact, located in Kansas City that has not only created a truly incredible experience but they did it in a place you wouldn’t expect to deliver an awesome customer experience. They are a “soup kitchen”…yes, a soup kitchen.
You know soup kitchens…the places where community groups feed the homeless and those in need of a meal. They are everywhere…in every city, in every state. You’re probably thinking of one you know right now and probably have helped serve a meal from one sometime in your life (I hope). We visualize them as less than desirable places where there is a cafeteria line and people are standing in it waiting to get some food on their plate. Then they go sit down, nameless and maybe feeling a bit embarrassed that they are there and eat. Then they leave. It happens all over America.
But not this time…not inside the Kansas City Community Kitchen! When you walk into this community kitchen, you would think you are in a normal restaurant. There are cooks, waiters and waitresses, bus staff, and nice looking tables and décor. But there is no cashier…it’s free. This is how they choose to serve those in need of a meal…with respect…with dignity…with the experience they would get if they had the money to pay for a meal. Oh, and one final note…the food is awesome! It’s not some crappy food you would not want to eat, it’s really good looking and tasting food.
For those who can’t afford a meal, they have created an experience to show them how much they care and are treating them with dignity and respect. They are treating them like customers. They are smiling and feeling like somebody cares, if only for the time they are there enjoying their meal. And while the kitchen showcases their great food they serve, what they are really serving is an experience to a group of people who normally don’t expect nor get this type of experience.
It is unexpected…and it is memorable. This is what gets talked about.
ANY ORGANIZATION can create a total awesome, memorable, and remarkable experience. It’s just a matter of whether you want to invest in your customers, or something else.
I ALWAYS vote for the customer.
