by Stan Phelps
Boston Market turned 25 in 2010. It looks like they are revamping both their offerings and service model. According to seriouseats.com , {Endnote 116}
Boston Market is giving its restaurants something of a makeover. 370 of their nearly 500 locations will be revamped by the end of 2010, with the stores in the Miami and New York markets leading the charge. Some of the changes are small, some are large. The side orders in the “Hot Case” will be cooked in smaller pots, so the food is prepared more frequently, and less is wasted. They are increasing staff, and will have employees escorting customers to their tables, as well as bussing the tables after they’re finished. Finally, and most interestingly, Boston Market is introducing real plates and silverware for dine-in guests—bringing the experience away from the traditional tray-to-table fast-food model.
The renovations can be summed up by Tony Buford, Senior Vice President – Operations,
“We are proud of our new offering but it’s more than just paint, pots and poultry – it’s the people. The people are the heart and soul of the company, and what makes Boston Market America’s kitchen table.”
Kudos to Boston Market for raising their game and focusing on customer experience.
8. Service that flies into the Purple Goldfish Project [PG #300]
Submitted by Brian Millman:
I wanted to send through a Purple Goldfish to help in your quest for 1,001. I’m not sure if you have heard of Porter Airlines , but it is a short-haul airline which flies out of Toronto’s city centre airport ( very cute and small airport ) and focuses on business travelers. It started primarily operating in Canada with one US route to Newark but has expanded to fly to Boston, Chicago and Myrtle Beach.
With most airlines, you expect to sit in the typical terminal with old rows of seats. At Porter’s hub, they offer a VIP lounge for everyone. The terminal area is set up similar to that of any VIP lounge: a kitchen stocked filled with FREE soda and water, two cappuccino machines, and free snacks (Cookies & chips). Porter also offers FREE Wi-Fi with a power port under every seat as well as 14 computers for those without a laptop.
ALSO- not sure if I have gotten lucky, but supposedly there is an $100 change fee for jumping on an earlier flight… but I haven’t been charged for it once.
9. This Purple Goldfish is easy to write up [PG #401]
Salute from Peter Hurley of Synergy Events.
“Had lunch today at Salute in New York City (270 Madison Ave). Nice upscale restaurant that caters to a business crowd. Upon sitting at the table I noticed a purple goldfish. Each table came with a tiny notepad similar to those you would get at a conference or hotel. It was for notes if needed during lunch. The small pad was branded with Salute’s marks and contact info. A nice little keepsake compliments of the restaurant.”
Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Embrace the purpose of your clientele. If they are dining to conduct business, figure out ways like a little notepad to grease the wheels of commerce.
10. It’s always 5 o’clock [PG #78]
Horizon Air was submitted by Marcia Hoover:
“The best one I can think of is Horizon Air – the regional affiliate for Alaska Airlines. They have always served free beer and wine to all passengers on their flights. Given today’s economy and stifling service in the airline industry Horizon definitely stands out as a marketing lagniappe.”
11. What’s Your Thermometer? [PG #664]
From Ron Kaufman at Up Your Service {Endnote 117}:
“A waiter at La Pirogue Resort in Mauritius comes to work each day with a thermometer in his pocket. On the way to the restaurant he takes the temperature of the ocean water and the swimming pool. As he pours coffee and clears plates during breakfast, he joyfully tells guests exactly how warm and enjoyable their swimming will be that day. What a great way to improve customer satisfaction!
Chapter 21
#9 - Waiting
“The secret to success is to treat all customers as if your world revolves around them.”
-Unknown
WE SPEND 10% OF OUR LIFE WAITING…
The 9th of the 12 types of purple goldfish is all about “waiting”. Waiting for your customers is inevitable, especially if you are a successful business. How you handle those moments and the little extras you offer can make a big difference.
Enough waiting already, let’s look at eight examples:
1. Ugh… Flight Delays [PG #414]
JetBlue flies in from Sharon Trainor - Smith. Sharon talks about an experience with the airline:
When flights are delayed they often show up at the gate with tables full of free water and snacks, and then set up a trivia game for everyone with good prizes such as free flight tickets, gift certificates, etc. The stranded passengers LOVED these bonuses and there was a lot of positive buzz. Plus by giving out flight tickets, we were incentivized to come back to JetBlue. It turned a bad situation into a really positive group and brand bonding opportunity.
Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: When faced with lemons... make lemonade. Make the best out of a bad situation by being proactive. It’s not about the water, snacks or trivia... it’s about what they represent. They stand for the fact you care about your customers. Kudos to JetBlue for bringing a little humanity back to air travel.
2. Smart moves that make waiting less painful [PG #509]
They say (whoever “they” are) that we spend 10% of our life waiting. Even with all the practice we get, waiting still is painful. If you are a business prone to peak throughput, you take steps to make the waiting bearable.
This example of Great Wolf Lodge was taken from Connecticut Magazine {Endnote 118}:
“At peak check in times the lodge has a face painter, juggler and balloon sculptor wandering to entertain guests.”
3. Peanuts become a tasty diversion to waiting [PG #94]
Five Guys Burgers and Fries is one of my favorite waiting examples of ‘marketing lagniappe’. There is a huge box when you walk in. In the early days the long lines forced Jerry Murrell and his sons to distribute free, unshelled peanuts to placate waiting customers. The peanuts have become a FIVE GUYS trademark.
4. Put your name on the pad and grab a glass of complimentary wine [PG #143]
Pacific Cafe , a seafood restaurant in San Francisco, offers free glasses of wine while you wait for a table. They don’t accept reservations and it’s a popular spot, so the beverage is a nice gesture to extend to patrons as they wait to be seated.
5. It’s ‘all about’ the fans of your brand [PG #503]
Lady Gaga was tweeted into the Project by Tim Baran ( @uMCLE ):
Here is an excerpt by TJ from Neon Limelight: {Endnote 119}
Say what you will about Lady Gaga… her persona is over the top; her music videos are blasphemous — but one thing you can never say is that she doesn’t love her fans (Little Monsters).
Her connection with her Little Monsters is undeniable and the lengths she’ll go to prove that are boundless.
Several Gaga fans camped out in early July in front of the Rockefeller Plaza and braved the scorching New York City heat a day ahead of her concert appearance on the Today Show to ensure they got a prime spot.
Once Gaga learned that her Little Monsters were going all out to see her perform, she sprung into action to make sure the wait was a bit more bearable. “My little monster sweeties are already camped outside today show! I love u! Will be sending u pizza and water all day!” she tweeted.
6. Raising the bar on CX when faced with steep demand [PG #391]
This story featuring ABT Electronics was taken from post entitled, “ It’ s the Customer Experience , Stupid ” {Endnote 120} from Ryan Deutsch of StrongMail:
At its core, it is the customer experience that turns a one-time buyer into a loyal customer, subscriber, fan or follower. I feel we lose sight of this fact at times. I had an experience last month that reminded me how true loyalty is created between a brand and a consumer.
For those of you unaware, the federal government
in the state of Illinois offered $6.5 million in rebates to consumers who purchased “Energy Saver” appliances between April 15 and April 25. Not being one to pass up money from the government, I rushed to ABT Electronics in Glenview. Our family was in desperate need of a new microwave oven. As I walked into ABT, it became clear that this was no ordinary sale. They had parking attendants directing traffic and the store was an absolute madhouse. I was immediately dejected assuming there was no chance of finding an associate to help me, let alone make a purchase. I found the microwave section and stood there looking lost for no more than 90 seconds before a young woman approached and asked if she could help.
“Yes, which microwaves qualify for the energy saver government rebate?”
She looked at me and admitted she had no idea and ran (yes, literally ran) down the aisle towards a manager and started speaking. After about 15 seconds, she ran (yes, literally ran) back to me and explained that microwaves were not part of the government rebate program. While I appreciated her enthusiasm, I was less than happy. But I still needed a microwave, so I asked what she knew about combination microwave/convection ovens. Again she knew little but promised to find someone who did and off she went.
Less than two minutes had passed when a gentleman in a General Electric golf shirt walked up to me and said: “I hear you need help with microwaves.”
Now this was impressive. The store was mobbed, and in less than 90 seconds, I had an actual GE employee answering questions about GE appliances. A real subject matter expert on hand to help me! ABT had their vendors bring in experts to help customers understand the benefits of various appliances for the sales event. In less than two minutes, this gentleman helped me decide on a microwave oven, and I had forgotten all about the lack of the government rebate. The GE employee handed me off to a man in an ABT vest: “Follow me,” he said and off we went towards a line that must have included 700 people. My eyes rolled back in my head and I said, “Listen maybe this wasn’t the best day to come in…”
He cut me off, saying, “Don’t worry, we will be done in less than five minutes.”
Sure enough, this guy found a computer terminal and had me checked out in no time. I was in and out of the store on the busiest day of its existence in less than 30 minutes, feeling great about the product I purchased, even without the government discount.
Halfway to the exit my wife called. “Ryan, can you do me a favor and buy that replacement filter for our refrigerator?” she asked.
“Aargh,” was my response. I explained, “Rachel this place is crazy! There’s no way I’m going to be able to find a replacement filter.” I could feel my wife rolling her eyes — she’s been trying to get me to order this filter for more than two months.
“OK,” I finally said. At that moment a different gentleman in an ABT vest walked past. “Excuse me, sir,” I said. “Do you guys sell replacement filters for your refrigerators?” We both looked toward the refrigerator section, which was a zoo. The refrigerators were actually included in the government rebate program. “You know what,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll come back another time.”
“No, no that’s silly,” the gentleman said. “I’ll take care of you.” And off we went in search of a computer terminal. The gentleman started flipping his fingers across the keyboard and asked me a few questions.
He then said, “I apologize if this takes a few minutes to process your order, I am the CFO, so bear with me.” My jaw hit the floor.
Here I am at ABT on the biggest day of the year and the CFO is helping me make a $44 purchase. Not only did he treat me as if I were the most important person in the store, this guy, the CFO, was capable of entering an order into a computer terminal on the store floor and selling somebody something. I was absolutely blown away and walked out of there completely committed to buying every future electronic appliance from ABT.
In addition to my loyalty, thanks to the wonder of the social web, I took the time to write this blog talking about my experience at their store. Once finished with it, I will post it to my Twitter account, my LinkedIn page and hopefully one or two of the blogs I contribute to on a regular basis, sharing the story with thousands more readers. The blogs will deliver the story via email to an even broader audience. I am already a subscriber to ABT’s email communications, and I will continue to anticipate and appreciate those communications.
The point here is that customer loyalty does not start on a Facebook page or in a Twitter feed. It is not developed solely through relevant email communications and the appropriate cadence of messages.
Engagement between a brand and a consumer in any channel (email or social media) starts with the customer’s experience with that brand. If the customer experience is average, your consumer is unlikely to be a repeat buyer, they are less likely to click and open your communications, and they are never going to spend their social capital recruiting their friends to be your customers.
This is a tremendous story on so many levels. First – let’s look at the quad purple goldfishes:
Parking attendants in the lot directing traffic. Great first impression.
Quick service that gets quicker. Love the running bit.
Making checkout painless and fast.
Senior management that dives into the trenches and terminals.
Ryan really hits the nail on the head. It all starts with the customer experience and going above and beyond for your customers. Loyalty isn’t gained via a Facebook page, a Twitter feed or an e-mail campaign. The net effect is the generation of positive word of mouth. You effectively give your customer something to talk , tweet , Facebook and blog about. Ryan does exactly that and more.
7. H2O while you wait [PG #625]
J. Crew flows into the Purple Goldfish Project courtesy of a submission by Jim Joseph , author of The Experience Effect
So here’s another purple goldfish, and I actually feature it in my book… I experienced it again yesterday.
J.Crew. I’m a huge fan, have been a for awhile. Brand experience is exceptional, always consistent whether you are at the store, online, or browsing the category. Distinct to each of those venues, but always J.Crew.
The shopping experience in store is particularly good. The sales staff all wear the clothing, so you can actually see how things will look. I’ve had many of them show me how to tie a tie the “just so cool way” they are wearing them, or how to role the cuffs up on a pair of jeans, or how to partner a pair of shoes with new khakis. This is in store, but they also offer a personal shopping service online as well.
I was at one of the Manhattan stores yesterday, and as you can imagine for a Saturday afternoon in December it was packed. Didn’t matter though, the service was impeccable. When I walked in the door, I was greeted by a salesperson. I immediately told her that I was looking for a purple jacket for my daughter… she immediately took me to the back of the store to see three options. I went upstairs to the mens department where the service was just as good, despite the crowds.
With merchandise in hand, I proceeded to the registers where there was a huge long line. Here’s the kicker... more sales people were working the line with buckets of small bottles of water for the people who were waiting. They also helped select more items while people were in line.
That’s a purple goldfish!
8. Spa services included [PG #628]
Submitted via e-mail from Carolyn Ray. She nominates Purple Goldfish Hall of Famer Lexus:
“At Lexus of North Miami , people who come in for service are entitled to a complimentary spa service {Endnote 121} at their in house spa. Services include manicures, pedicures, haircuts, waxing or chair massage. There is a full service cafe, kids playroom, fitness center and pool room for waiting customers. Makes coming in for service a total pleasure!”
Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: If you are going to make people wait... figure out ways to make the waiting more bearable. If you are a leader like Lexus, you give your dealerships carte blanche to create experiences th
at customers actually look forward to. Lexus gets it and utilizes the “little extras” as a key differentiator in the car ownership experience.
Chapter 22
#10 - Convenience
“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”
-Jeff Bezos
EASY PEASY... GEORGE AND WEEZY
The 10th of the 12 types of purple goldfish surrounds the idea of “convenience”. A little unexpected extra that makes things easier.
Let’s look at 7 examples:
1. Ice, Ice Baby [PG #22]
Simple, yet an effective and noteworthy little extra. Whole Foods enters the Purple Goldfish Project from Claire Gallo:
“I live in West Hartford, CT. When you shop at Whole Foods and buy fish, meat or poultry... the folks at Whole Foods will offer to give you ice for free. Very nice touch, especially if you have other errands or plan to shop around town.”
2. Find the stuffed animal [PG #320]
Jody Padar submits Trader Joe’s:
“The stuffed whale that hides at Trader Joe’s. If you find him, your child gets a treat out of a treasure box. Then you get to re-hide him. My kids love to go to Trader Joe’s to find the stuffed animal. It keeps them entertained while shopping. Hint: He spends a lot of time in the snack food isle.”