Optimising the Customer Experience

How not to design a hotel room

During a recent stay in Singapore I was amazed at some fundamental problems with my hotel room as it related to my experience as a customer. Fortune would have it that I had our Eye Tracking equipment on hand so I was able to capture this video footage. The red cross hair shows what I am looking at. Watch the video and see if you can spot the faults.

The most obvious one should have been the lighting. You’ll notice that I entered a completly dark room. I find the entry light, then find a desk lamp which doesn’t work. This is because the main light switch is on the other side of the room next to the bed. It isn’t until I fumble with the alarm clock that I manage to get light. This after stumbling across the room around the bed.

See if you can spot any of the other issues:

• Fixed coat hangers that can only be removed by moving the wire through a tiny slot. Do that many people really steal coat hangers these days? And if they do, are they that valuable?
• Power outlets on the desk facing the bed - which would be fine except these outlets have bright red lights so when you want to charge your phone and other devices while you’re sleeping you can’t sleep because of the red glow
• And my favourite, which is hard to see in the video, but this is a tea and coffee shelf that hangs on the edge of its mounts so the slightest movement brings the whole thing crashing down. How I didn’t break those mugs I have no idea

Now you’re probably thinking these are small things to complain about. But these are simple things that would be easy to rectify. Guests would never notice when things like this are done right - it all just works. But as soon as they start going wrong its becomes enough to make a simple stay at a hotel less than it should be. And it’s always the negatives we remember.

’till next time.

Posted in Hotels | No Comments »

Down with mobile phone splash screens

It seems almost all new mobile phones these days feature a little video that plays when turning on the device. These invariably advertise the phones manufacturer or your service provide or perhaps both. As a bonus they usually come with a little musical jingle to go along with the video.

What astounds me is the annoyance these intros pose. I have no desire to advertise to the world that I am turning my phone on but short of burying the phone in a bag when turning it on, most people within talking distance will know my phone is now on.

Now I happen to be the lucky owner of a Samsung Blackjack provided through Telstra. Why am I so lucky? Well my phone comes with a bonus. Not only do I get a little video when I turn my phone on, but I get a little video when I turn it off. The video includes a loud clicking noise that goes along with the nifty scene of a hand clicking a NextG logo. How delightful this is when for example I wish to turn my phone off while in a meeting or when seated at the opera house waiting for a performance.

The only solution for me is to switch the phone to silent prior to turning the phone off. This isn’t exactly a great strain on my resources, but seriously, if these mobile operators gave a little thought to how their customers use their devices we could get rid of one more annoyance from an often highly annoying experience.

Posted in Mobile devices | 1 Comment »

Customer experience in airline lounges

There is no doubt that airline lounges are great for travellers. With the number of flight delays these days, a place to sit and do some work or just relax with a drink is a joy to behold in most airports.

Sitting in a lounge here today it occured to me how poor an experience they offer to customers. There are fundamental problems with the way the lounges are arranged and equiped that making using them difficult.

What the lounges fail to take into account is the number of solo passengers that use these spaces. Most business travellers find themselves carrying an array of equipment that they often don’t wish to leave unattended. So a trip to the bar invariably involves taking a bag or two with you.

What this means is that anyone accessing the food or drinks is generally handicapped down to one hand. But the lounges don’t provide anything as simple as a small tray so customers are left to juggle a glass, a plate, and a bag then successfully navigate back to a place to sit. One of these days I’m going to end up with a shirt front covered in finger sandwhiches and tomato juice.

To further complicate matters, it would appear that the lounge designers think customers don’t eat and drink at the same time. The cold drinks, hot drinks, and food are in fact in three different locations. So not only does one risk spills when carrying food and drinks, one has to carry them for an extended tour of the lounge in order to pick up all the requirements.

And god only knows what one should do if you wish to pick up a magazine as well. Of course with some innovation a magazine could make a worthy improvisation for a tray.

Airlines… go the extra step for your customers. Invest a few hundred dollars in some trays for your lounges. Small things like this is often all it takes to turn an accepting customer into a delighted customer.

Posted in Airlines | No Comments »

Shutting the door in the customer’s face

Today I received an email newsletter offering a free briefing document on media planning for lead generation. You know the ones? You register to receive the document by providing your contact details and in effect becoming a lead yourself.

I could argue the point that it’s better to give your documents to all without registration and let viral marketing spread the word, but this registration process seems to have become the norm. No problems, I’ve received many good articles this way and I am grateful to the companies that went to the effort of putting them together.

Except today.

I was presented with a very nice looking email, that linked to a very nice looking web form asking for my details. I gladly started providing my information because the document sounded interesting. I was impressed that they gave me an option to not have a rep contact me at this stage.

Unfortunately, when submitting the form I was told:

Please enter a valid phone number

Now I’ve dialed my own number many times and I’ve given it to many people to dial without problem. So I know my phone number is valid. Yet this company claims it isn’t. Ok well perhaps I need an area code, or a space, or who knows what. But they did not tell me what format I needed to provide. There was no guidance as to what it was about my phone number that THEY thought was invalid.

So alas, I didn’t get my document, and this company didn’t get the lead. Ironic considering the document was about generating leads.

Tip to companies that can’t resist asking customers to register: Provide very clear guidance on what you expect the customer to provide you and what format that needs to be in. Don’t shut the door in the face of your customers by telling them their valid data is not valid enough for you.

Posted in Websites | No Comments »