Why is it that I pass by a perfectly good Walgreens to shop at CVS? In my “consumer mind” there is no difference between the two. I have shopped at Walgreens. I have no problem with their stores or their brand. So why, in almost every case, do I pass them by?
One of the key elements of customer experience is easy access. CVS offers easier access and it’s next to a gas station and a dry cleaners. I can knock off three errands with one convenient stop.
Walgreens has inadvertently created a barrier to my customer experience. Could CVS lose my loyalty? Sure, but it would take a lot because it’s just so darn easy to go there.
When a location is convenient a barrier is removed. That’s obvious. What are some others barriers that might not be so obvious?
A robotic phone system that loses customers in the matrix? Or a robotic phone operator who doesn’t know what he’s doing? Store hours? Difficulty in finding key information when someone is ready to buy, like no price information or no product details available?
How about a language barrier? Expressions, buzz words or jargon that excludes customers and damages the customer experience?
Or my favorite: an ineffective web site. Hard to navigate, impossible to find what you need, frustrating to visit. Or no web site at all! Can you believe there are still some businesses without web sites?
What can you add to this list? What barriers have you encountered? More importantly have you scanned your business from your customer’s point of view to discover barriers that you have inadvertently erected?
Unlike Superman who was “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound” customers will not make super-human efforts to do business with us.
Easy access is not the only factor in creating an excellent customer experience, but when it’s missing, it will cause a major negative impact on your business.
What can you do to make it easier for your customers to get right to what they need?
Dennis, this was a great post.
Too many business owners focus on “pulling customers in” without thinking about the speed bumps a customer encounters along the way.
Barriers can the be smallest of things, right down to how small the parking lot is. If business owners did nothing but focus on seeking out and breaking down every barrier possible, they’d have one smart marketing plan
Ha! Dennis, you and I are on the same wavelength. I just wrote a similar blog post on doing the small, inexpensive things that make it easy for customers to do business with us.
Great post Dennis, I couldn’t have said it better myself!
Michele and Tom, thanks for chiming in. I think we all have to help each other see things that we don’t normally see…things we need to see for business success. Not easy when we spend 10 or 12 hours a day micro-focused on what it is we do and how we do it.
Thanks for your posts.
Remember those famous words = location location location. Knowing the advantages and pitfalls of possible sites for your business is key in your maximizing your potential. Right on, Dennis.