The term “experience design” encompasses far more than just visual communications. The purpose of experience design is to connect businesses with the people they want to do business with in a way that consumers will be enticed and even seduced.
Creating new business relationships is much like dating after all, and today I was essentially stood up for a date with a chiropractor. At least that is how they made me feel, and how they lost the potential for a 40-60 year business relationship with me.
First Impressions
After receiving a free chair massage at a local event from them, I decided to see what this chiropractor was all about.
Even though my impressions from the Lunch ‘N Learn transferred onto the chiropractor, I still had yet to experience their environment, customer service, or services when I entered their office. When I pulled up, the windows had decals saying “Neck Pain”, “Back Pain” and other symptoms that they treat. After I signed in, I sat next to a table with multiple brochures that outlined these same symptoms. This impressed me as a design strategist because they clearly addressed the pain of their audience.
The business strategy behind all of this and many other things impressed me. It made me think to myself “Wow, if they are this successful in applying their business strategies to visual communications, no wonder this office is packed!”
How They Lost Business
I was greatly and sorely deceived. Unfortunately their customer service and processes created such a horrible experience that I left before ever making it beyond the waiting room. First, it took them 20 minutes to finally call me to the front desk and ask how I had scheduled my appointment.
Once I told them how I had come to them, I let go of my irritation while I was instructed to fill out a form with some basic information about my “pain”. This is obviously a standard process for any type of doctor and I did not expect it to be a problem, despite the fact that I didn’t have any pain and was more curious about the alignment of my spine.
I sat down and was instantly frustrated. The “form” was literally photocopied from a chiropractor’s book and was designed to be a guide for a nurse or chiropractor during an initial consult. It was completely written with the intended audience of chiropractors—not patients—and used terminology that the everyday person is not fluent in.
After another 20-45 minutes of waiting and a total of 45 wasted minutes of my life, I estimated that I would be spending anywhere between 120-145 minutes in a place for something that I wasn’t even sure I needed. As a small business owner, I have too many things on my plate to waste this kind of time and energy.
Take Aways
Someone, somewhere in your environment, is in need of your product or service. They might not even realize it. If you reach out and connect with them in an unexpected way, your chances of getting them through your door significantly increase.
Keep your promises. If you tell someone you will only take so much of their time, take less than what you tell them.
Don’t irritate, frustrate, or downright piss off your customers—potential or existing. Bad experiences with poor processes and customer service will lead to dissatisfaction and result in loss of business. Even if you already have enough customers putting up with poor service to support your business, that doesn’t guarantee that you always will.