{"id":31517,"date":"2017-04-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/its-a-little-thing-but-it-makes-a-difference\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T14:12:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T14:12:38","slug":"improve-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/app\/improve-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a Little Thing\u2026 But It Makes a Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"\"improve<\/a>Every week I stay at different hotels around the world as I travel for my speaking engagements. And, every morning I get up in these hotels and take a shower. I reach in to turn the knob for the water, which is usually a few feet below the showerhead. I turn the knob to what I hope is the correct water temperature and pull my arm out just as fast as I can – to avoid the cold water that is about to shoot out of the nozzle and hit my arm or other parts of my body.\r\n\r\nOkay, that doesn\u2019t seem like a big deal \u2013 and it\u2019s not. That is, until you experience something better.\r\n\r\nOn one of those mornings, many years ago, I noticed that the housekeeper had turned the shower head toward the wall so that the guest \u2013 that\u2019s me \u2013 wouldn\u2019t have to experience the cold water that first came spraying out of the shower. Such a small thing, but a thoughtful and much appreciated gesture.\r\n\r\nSmall, but what a brilliant customer-focused idea. And, it may seem like a little thing, but it makes a difference. Since that time, every time I turn on the shower I look to see if the shower head is aimed at my arm below or at the wall. If it\u2019s aimed straight down, I\u2019ll turn it away.\r\n\r\nNow, how many times do you think I\u2019ve had to turn it away? You probably guessed, almost every time.\r\n\r\nThis simple act of turning the shower head toward the wall so the guest won\u2019t get sprayed with cold water would take the housekeeping staff two seconds. That\u2019s it!\r\n\r\nThere are some hotels that have figured this out. One morning I reached in to turn on the shower and didn\u2019t see the knob. Where could it be? On the opposite wall! The wall didn\u2019t have a shower head looming above it, waiting to spray me with cold water. I smiled and took my time turning on the water.\r\n\r\nThat was just a little improvement. A nuance of a positive change. Very, very minor, but it made me think, \u201cWhy can\u2019t this be the norm? Why is almost every shower, in almost every hotel I\u2019ve stayed in, not designed this way?\u201d This is a rhetorical question. I don\u2019t need an answer.\r\n\r\nWith today\u2019s acute focus on the customer experience, the best companies are paying very close attention as they design the customer experience. They look for ways to improve the customer experience<\/a> or avoid a mistake. Something as simple as putting the knob on the opposite wall of the shower head, or at least turning the shower head toward the wall, is an example of a minor improvement that may go unnoticed until it later is.\r\n\r\nSo, what\u2019s your organization\u2019s version of the showerhead? Where can you make a minor change that improves the customer\u2019s experience, if even just a tiny bit? Talk about it with your colleagues. Brainstorm it. And, then make it happen. Here\u2019s to a better, even just a tiny bit better, customer experience!\r\n

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