Playing Customer
Why it's important to pretend to be your own customer
Recently, I was at a local cafe with my family. We stepped to the counter, ordered our items, and I paid for the order. After the transaction was complete, out of habit, I took the receipt and went to sit down. While we waited, I glanced at the receipt, and noticed something very strange - the "Suggested Tip" amounts struck me as absurdly low: 2% ($0.24), 3% ($0.37), 5% ($0.61), and 7% ($0.85).
After we finished our food - I went up to the counter and shared this discovery with the staff working. They were completely unaware their POS system was configured to these amounts, and thanked me for letting them know.
Which got me thinking... If the employees, managers, or owners of this cafe made of habit of "playing customer" - they might have experienced the checkout process from the other side of the counter (receipt included) and noticed the miss.
So the question is, when was the last time you stepped back from your desk and had hands-on experience playing customer?
A few suggestions to get started (some may be more relevant than others for you/your brand):
-Visit your webpage and actually read what's on the page. Does it still reflect your brand/product accurately and in the way you desire to show up? (Chances are your website copy was written a while ago)
-Go through the process of signing-up / registering (either for an email list or account). Can you find where the sign-up link is? Is the process easy? Do you have absurd password requirements? Do you get a welcome email right away?
-Call your 800 number and pretend to have a question / want more information. How long does the phone ring / do you have to wait on hold (and, if you were a customer, would you wait this long?)? How does the person on the other end present your brand/product? Do they deliver the level of care and service you want (service is much more than meeting SLAs)? Does your question get answered or "problem" get resolved?
-Pretend to be looking for solutions to the customer problem your brand/product aims to solve. What comes up when you search the internet? Are the other links surfaced just as viable for solving the problem (if not more so) than what you offer? How does your brand/product/business page look on Google, Yelp, Maps, etc?
-Walk into your physical store/office. Do you feel welcomed and invited in? Is the flow of the space easy to follow to someone walking in for the first time (is it clear where you should go?)? Is the overall atmosphere what you're aiming to deliver?
-Lastly, check your receipts. Is the information on them up to date? Is there an opportunity to create a better brand impression on an item customers may take with them? Are your Suggested Tip amounts right?
Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,
Eric
