{"id":31628,"date":"2017-11-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/its-showtime\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T11:44:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:44:00","slug":"showtime-create-better-customer-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/app\/showtime-create-better-customer-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Showtime!"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s Showtime!\u201d Those are typically the words you hear right before hitting the stage or when the cameras start to roll in the studio. However, for John Lewis<\/em>, the retail floor is the stage and the employees are the actors.\r\n\r\nJohn Lewis is providing 322 employees<\/a><\/em>, whom they refer to as \u201cpartners,\u201d acting lessons<\/a> at The Oxford Playhouse. This will help \u201cteach them the art of outstanding service.\u201d They are being taught the same lessons in voice and body language that actors are taught to help them create a better customer experience.\r\n\r\nThe first thing I thought when I heard this is that they are teaching employees how to engage with customers by acting out a scripted response. However, there is a different form of acting that is very appropriate for anyone who interacts with their customers\u2026 and fellow employees.\r\n\r\nIn an interview with The Guardian<\/em>, Simon Tavener said, \u201cSelling requires you to have a sort of script in your head. Not one you recite, but one you tailor to your own voice \u2026 a form of improv, if you like.\u201d\r\n\r\nImprov<\/a> is a unique form of acting. There is no script. It\u2019s about being so focused on the other person, that you can engage and respond appropriately, without a script. And, in this case, the other person is a customer.\r\n\r\nWhen the employee gets to work, it\u2019s time to put on the show. Step up and be your best. Regardless of what\u2019s happening outside of the store, it\u2019s time to block it out and focus on the customer. That\u2019s what great stage actors do. Richard Burton, the famous actor who was recognized for his amazing performance in Hamlet, felt the same way. He was known to say something like, \u201cI want to be so good tonight that I cheat the audience that was here last night.\u201d In other words, be better today than yesterday.\r\n\r\nWhen employees come to work, they get into character and deliver the best performance they can give. Each day, they come to work with the goal of being even better than yesterday. The company provides training \u2013 and in the case of the John Lewis stores \u2013 even acting lessons. They rehearse, practice, and get direction.\r\n\r\nThe ability to communicate is paramount in any type of business and for any type of employee. Teaching acting and improv techniques to employees can create confidence and help their ability to sell and service their audience, also known as their customers.\r\n