Trivia…

It was Saturday morning…. Saturday mornings carry special sweetness and who wants to get up early? Gee!! It was 9 a.m. and I was all set and enthused to attend a FREE vegan cooking demo at one of the restaurant. So ‘Free’ and ‘Vegan’ were like music to my ears. On the contrary, my husband was already feeling as if he was in doghouse. The only incentive for him was the hope that whatever the Chef would demonstrate; he would get a sample to taste, as was written in their mail, “come hungry!”

So, I reached there and found that the place was already jam-packed. I finally grabbed a place to sit, though could hardly see what she was demonstrating. While the Chef was demonstrating, the waitresses with beautiful smile (second incentive for someone?) were serving the samples of the soups and stews. Darn…Why on earth do they keep such complicated names of the dishes, difficult to remember? May be, it is the way to glamorize the dish and give a feeling of enjoying something rich.

While collecting the used disposable cups and spoons, the young girl sitting next to me asked the waitress that she wanted to retain her spoon for the next delicacy as she did not want to waste one. Waitress smiled and said “Okay!” Meanwhile the lass gossiped with her friend that the waitress will fake it up and would take out a spoon from one cup and would serve it to her. She will still waste the spoon and pretend that she took care of her guest. Surprisingly, after three serves, I could see in my neighbor’s eye that she was wrong and that she realized of being genuinely served by waitress. Of course, this incident is no big whoop! But it tells that sometimes just fixing the things does not solve the purpose, but fixing it genuinely definitely does. Creating a difference between pretending and being original and genuine is quintessential. Such customers want more authentic experience.

I was wondering that the restaurant took no time in approaching and engaging us, immediately after becoming the member. Getting data is not a problem these days but using the data and engaging and partnering the customers is difficult. The restaurant tried all their efforts to make the cooking event successful (including giving gift bags to some) and in engaging guests. Another day while shopping for vegetables and fruits in a superstore, one unusual thing grabbed my attention. One fastidious shopper requested an associate that she wanted to taste apples. The superstore had no such policy. There were almost 8-9 varieties of apples and this guy cut each one of it and gave it to the lady to let her taste and decide. While removing those cut apples from the displayed position, this associate winked and whispered – ‘different types of customers!’ I smiled and thought he was right.

Most of the times it is not the big things which matter! It is those small incidents that help in creating an overall fruitful experience for customers. I have had many such experiences which are insignificant but impressive. Be it the guide who almost drove his cart all the way to help us in parking at right place in one of the shopping mall or the Clorox strips available outside one of the superstores to handle the shopping cart to prevent infection from other shoppers handling the cart. Or the very friendly exchange policy at one of the apparel store who refunded the entire amount even after the expiry of the term, as they understood the problem or the attendant wishing with great enthusiasm and cleaning the car at gas station while getting the fuel. Such stories are neither spicy as habanero chilies nor interesting as any reality Television show and bring no mirth but are significantly important to make the customers contented. Giving a good experience is like driving on the street and taking care of subtle aspects and not frenzying on a freeway. So piece of advice to companies from a customer: Trivial it may be.., but such small incidents if handled nicely can leave the experience of having some gourmet chocolate … melting slowly and smoothly in your customer’s mouth…

And did I mention the quote by the famous British novelist C.S. Lewis: “What does not satisfy when we find it, was not the thing we were desiring”?