Not sure about you, but I think there are some industries where good experiences are the norm and a bad experience jolts your sense of reality. And conversely there are industries where bad experiences are the norm, and a good experience can also jolt your sense of reality. Let me explain through an example, and perhaps give some perspective on the heirachy of experience-based industries.
When good experiences go bad
First lets look at those industries who against my Disintermediation Matrix – those businesses that are able to maintain both their obsession with customer service, and embrace the new world of technology will survive this post GFC world – are likely to make it good. Retail, hospitality, personal services, etc. These are the industries that in some ways have it made, and in others are doomed to a lifetime of maintaining high standards. And when things go bad, we all hear about it – a small error by a cleaning maid in the biggest and best hotels; a slight glitch in a new mercedes creates a stir; an Apple laptop has a pixel out right in the middle of the screen.
When bad experiences go good
There are those businesses who create low expectations – like banks, telcos, insurance companies – and as such, customers go in knowing that in general, things will go average at best, best on average. So sometimes, when things go well, there is a surprise, and as the saying goes, a delight. A phone call back from the bank within 10 minutes; an easy and quick close to an outstanding credit card; a stress free move of your telcos accounts from your old house to your new one. These seem like simple, obvious things, but for companies like these, they’re difficult to achieve, and when they happen, everyone seems pleased.
So, the question is, really – which company can change from being generally bad to generally good? Or is there more opportunity in being bad, or just average, and surprising people every now and then?
