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.