The 5 elements of remarkable experiences
True customer experience design means deconstructing the entire customer journey into its smallest component parts and then re-engineering each component to look, feel and most importantly, operate differently than before and distinctly from your competitors. It means digging below the surface within each moment to understand the underlying customer need and designing the exact combination of people, place, product and process to deliver delight in that micro-moment. It means reconnecting with the company’s unique brand story and culture and weaving it into every customer interaction. It involves using different language, methods, rituals and processes than your competitors so that the resulting experience is tangibly foreign and fascinating compared to anything else they’ve been through.
Truly remarkable customer experience is where the 'audience' feels an emotional connection to the brand story and a physical oneness with the action. And each day when the curtain is thrown open on your brand, the elaborate performance begins again.
This is customer experience, and when it’s done well, it leaves customers craving more.
The 5 Elements of Remarkable Experiences
From my perspective those that are truly outstanding comprise 5 distinct elements and if we’re being honest, most retailers never achieve any of the 5. Some achieve one or two. Fewer hit 3 or 4. Extremely few ever achieve all 5.
Truly remarkable customer experiences are deliberately engineered to be:
1.Engaging:They connect to all five senses: of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. They involve the customer in a visceral way. What we think about an experience may last hours. But memories of what we hear, feel, touch, see and taste may last a lifetime.
2.Unique. They incorporate methods, language or customs that are unusual, surprising or proprietary to the brand but are also authentic and natural. The incorporation of these unique elements lends the feeling that customers have not just entered a different store but a different world entirely.
3.Personalised. They make the customer feel that the experience was created just for them. This may be as simple as recalling details and preferences from an earlier visit or it may be as complex as creating a completely bespoke product or service design just for them. Either way, they feel special and valued.
4.Surprising. They incorporate elements or interactions that are completely unexpected. Packing even one small but delightful surprise into the experience leaves a lasting impression.
5.Repeatable. They are executed using prescriptive and tested methods to achieve a uniform level of consistency and excellence across the enterprise. They are so highly engineered and well practiced that they appear spontaneous while leaving almost nothing to chance. At the same time the experiential design affords staff just enough freedom to let their unique personalities shine through.
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