EATING YOUR OWN COOKING—PART 3
Sometimes I am amazed at the customer experience of some companies. That amazement is from the positive side but unfortunately, it is sometimes from the negative side. When I encounter an amazingly good customer experience, the first thought that comes to mind is that this company knows what it is doing. When I encounter an amazingly bad customer experience, the first question that comes to mind is do these people ever eat their own cooking?
Granted, you don’t necessarily have to eat your own cooking (not that that is a bad idea at all, per my “Part 1” and “Part 2” posts), but you must at least think vicariously enough to put yourself into the customer’s shoes. You have to be able to imagine what the customer will experience as he or she does business with your company. Some of these opportunities are so obvious yet so many companies miss them completely.
For example, perhaps when you put yourself into the customer’s shoes, you realize that what you are serving on your menu is not what is in demand. Please do not tell me that never happens, because we all know it does. If what you are serving up is not what your customers want, then soon you will have no customers.
My wife and I were at a new restaurant recently. It was not a pleasant experience. Multiple minor catastrophes—some planned, some unplanned—colluded to produce a horrible customer experience. All these minor catastrophes were within the control of the restaurant staff. We knew at the end of our dining experience that we were never going back to that restaurant. Too many things were simply dead wrong.
If your business has too many things that are simply dead wrong for your customers, then soon they will no longer be your customers. This is another reason why you should eat your own cooking occasionally. Unless you put yourself into your customers’ shoes, then one day your customers may be gone and you are left alone to wonder why.
Don’t wait for that day to arrive. Eat your own cooking today.
