What’s your experience?

We were off-island for over a month to visit family in Texas and when we returned to Saipan we went to a couple of our favorite restaurants. The first one is decorated nicely; however, we were greeted as if we were strangers and simply asked: “Smoking or non-smoking?” Even though the waitress had greeted us on numerous occasions, there was no warmth or comment about not seeing us for a while.

The meal was fine, but at 8:55pm we were asked if we wanted anything more at the salad bar because they were going to take the food away. At 9:10 I was asked to take care of the bill because they were going to close the cash register. When asked if they still closed at 9:30pm, they said “yes.” Being in a rush to close the place made us feel uncomfortable and so we hurried through our meal and left at 9:20 without being told “goodbye” or “please come back.” We were satisfied with the food, but dissatisfied with the service and general attitude.

At the second restaurant, we had a completely different experience. The staff greeted us enthusiastically and asked where we had been. We told them about the trip, and they asked about our children. With big smiles they took care of us and made us feel welcome. The quality of the food at both places is similar, but the prices at the second restaurant are about 50 percent higher. We were delighted with the service and felt missed by the excellent staff. We had a better experience at the second restaurant and are willing to pay a higher price to visit it more often.

Every time a customer visits your business, they will leave with some type of feeling about the experience. It usually ranges from satisfied to dissatisfied; however, if the experience was particularly memorable, the feeling can be much broader and range from pleased to delighted on the positive side, or upset to angry on the negative side. It is in those extremes where the power of word-of-mouth promotion kicks in. When a person has an emotionally pleasing or irritating experience, they tend to tell others about it. The stronger the emotional impact the greater the talk factor will impact your business.

Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and ask: What kind of experience does my customer have with each visit to my business? Let’s look at the different possible experience gradients, starting at the bottom and then move up. The worst experience is when someone becomes angry from his or her interaction at your business. You or your staff intentionally or unwittingly violated the person’s minimum expectations because of your products, service, attitude, or maybe something that you failed to do. This would be the restaurant whose service is extremely slow, the food is unsavory, or the atmosphere is uncomfortable, or unfriendly. The customer can react by silently vowing to never come back or publicly announce their feelings to anyone who will listen.

The next level up is the upset to dissatisfied person. Their minimum expectations may have marginally been met, but it was an experience that they would not want to repeat soon. This would be the restaurant that doesn’t get your order quite right and is reluctant to correct it. They offer palatable food, but nothing worth talking about. Their service lacks warmth, and even though you visit on a regular basis, they treat you like a stranger.

Next is the satisfied customer who gets what they expect, but not much more. There is nothing distinct or impressive about this restaurant. The food is the same quality as most places, but you know it could be better. The staff makes eye contact and tells you “hello” as they greet you, and when you leave they say “thank you” and even smile.

The next interaction level causes you to be pleased with the service. You are greeted with a friendly smile and the food is cooked to your liking. The staff is really good at what they do, and you appreciate their prompt friendly service. You feel comfortable and enjoy returning often. This type of restaurant exceeds your expectations.

Even higher is the establishment that delights you by surprising you with their high level of service. The food is always delicious, and the setting is unique. The staff is very friendly, knows your name and asks about your family. You feel like a member of their family when you visit and gladly refer others because you know they will thank you for the experience. Even though some will tell you that they have not encountered such a place, these businesses do exist. However, they are on the endangered list because they are so rare.

The very best experience is one where you would react by saying: “Wow!” You have an unbelievable encounter that positively astonishes you and causes you to think about it often. You are compelled to tell others because you are so excited about the experience. This type of restaurant has extraordinary food, and the service is superb. The staff knows your favorite drink, your favorite spot, and they regularly exceed your expectations. These businesses are the very best. Their prices are higher, and they are so busy that you have to make reservations a couple of weeks in advance to get a seat. Everyone there seems happy and each visit feels like a reunion with good friends. Yes, these places do exist. If you have encountered one, you can’t wait to return.

We have used a restaurant as an example, but this applies to any type of organization, a government office, or even a tropical tourist destination that would like to attract more visitors. Your organization’s future is not about chance, it’s about choice. All it takes is a decision and commitment to move customers up to a higher experience level. If you’re satisfied with just satisfied customers, then just keep doing what you’re doing. If you want better times, then better the experience of your customers.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)