The Purpose of Appreciation
We make thousands of decisions every day. Many are purchase
decisions. We pry our wallets open and hand other people, or automated
machines, our hard earned cash in exchange for goods and services. Some
exchanges make us uber-happy like the purchase of a fabulous pair of Old Gringo
boots, tickets to an Adele concert or a finely frothed morning latte. Others
provide a sense of comfort and fill our basic needs like purchasing a week's
worth of groceries. Regardless of the item, a decision has been made based on
rational and emotional criteria. The criteria are different for each of us as
human beings. For instance, you may be thinking, I don't give a rat's-asterisk
about Old Gringo boots and I'd rather see Pitbull in concert any day of the
week. That's ok. We're all different. Live and let live, right? We can't all
have great taste in boots and music. The point is, we all make small, medium
and large purchase decisions that are meaningful to us individually. So, isn't
it nice to feel good after we've just made a purchase?
Target or the coffee shop. After you made your selections and proceeded to the
cashier, what sort of experience did you have? Were you greeted? What sort of
interaction did you have with the person there to complete your 'transaction'?
How did you feel parting with your hard earned cash? Did the person thank you?
Did you feel appreciated?
of my retail visits, I took note of how I felt after my purchases. And more
specifically, I noted if I was thanked for my transaction. Sadly, 8 out of 10
times I was not. It did not feel good.
you to the cashier no matter how long I wait for them to say those precious
words to me. Why? Why do I feel compelled? Oh right, because it's the polite
thing to do. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me manners.
I thanked them? When I had just pried my wallet open and handed them my
cold-hard cash? Again, 8 out of 10 times the responses were, 'Yeah, no problem.'
put $100 into your cashbox for products I probably don't really 'need' is
contributing to your salary. I hope it's no problem because I just provided
something for you to do with your hands while you were more interested in
carrying on a conversation with the neighboring cashier who, by the way, I now
know gets off at 3pm today and is still buzzing from the party last night.
Their conversation was far more important to them than the job they had been
hired to fulfill. I'll tell you what's 'NO Problem,' taking my business across
the street to another retailer. (Thanks for letting me vent.)
wonder if retail leaders and managers know this is happening. How can they not?
It's right under their noses. It appears they don't care. Do they not care
because they know our world is inching closer and closer to full automation?
The experience I just described is nothing more than an automated checkout.
Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the self-checkout lanes when I'm in a hurry
and they are open. But I prefer the experience of a human checkout if the human
acts like a human. I don't want to see humans lose their jobs to bots. But
retailers that employ humans to be nothing more than bots are accelerating the
full automation trend faster than the technology itself.
and brand loyalty, within this most important face-to-face interaction? A
simple thank you, I believe, is one of the most important statements any brand
can make to its customers. It says, 'We value you. We know you have choices. We
thank you for choosing us.' And these words are best delivered by the human
voice, not the computer.
design good shopping experiences, we appreciate being inside their four
walls. We willingly and happily give them our money. And we exuberantly share
these experiences with others. Designing experiences with the purpose of
appreciation builds better brands.
Thank you for sticking with me all the way to the end of
this rant. I appreciate you.
(See what I did there?)
Kitty Hart
Director of Client Experience
Capsule
@HartOfCapsule
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kittyhart