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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mundane tasks: great opportunities to create unexpected delight.

I just finished a four-night stay at the Hilton Orlando. Overall, very good, but not spectacular. Clean rooms with modern amenities, good facilities, reasonably priced, and helpful staff - even if the concierge’s restaurant recommendations came directly out of my GPS’ index of national chains.

The remarkable thing from this stay: The bill.

Slid under my door undetected as every bill does, this one came much more elaborately than the tri-fold or single-sheet invoice. It was folded and placed inside a simple thank you card. It seems Hilton Orlando knew I was on a convention rate (good use of on-hand information to serve me better). They wanted to thank me for using the hotel and invite me to spend my own dime to stay there with my family during a 2010 holiday, offering me what I’m assuming is a modest discount to stay during a slow season for a convention-oriented property.

Every customer experience map has touchpoints that are so routine, they’re taken for granted.

“Slide invoice under door” is as mundane / routine a service task as they come.

This execution was a great reminder that by looking at all touchpoints – especially the ordinary ones – creatively, you can get much more out of them, using committed resources and processes to create an unexpected customer interaction that delights.

2 comments:

Adam StJohn Lawrence. said...

"Mundane" depends on the circumstances. I've stayed in hundres of hotels in Europe, as well as a few in Australia an Japan - and I never had my bill slid under the door. Here, that would be a novelty- :)

Chris Reaburn said...

You make a great point. Many service characteristics or entire service experiences don't travel well, either because they don't fit culturally or because they just "haven't caught on".

I'm amazed every time I travel abroad at the little things that service businesses in other countries do that those in America don't, and I always come back with tons of ideas for improvement of the things I see around me.

You've provided me a great idea for a (or multiple) future posts. Thanks!