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.
Courting With A Chiropractor
Twelve days ago I attended a Lunch ‘N Learn event at Old National Bank that featured free chair massages, manicures, and a presentation from various image consultants/stylists. When signing up for the free chair massage, I was offered a complimentary examination with a local chiropractor that shall remain nameless. I’d never been to a chiropractor before, so I figured that 30 minutes of one day would be worth learning if there are any potential health problems I should monitor or address.
I was so impressed by the organization of the Lunch ‘N Learn event that my impressions automatically transferred onto the chiropractor. It was a wonderful marketing tool that engaged me and encouraged me to explore certain needs I wasn’t even certain that I had. There aren’t very many marketing tactics—especially for expensive service providers—that make me want to take time out of my incredibly hectic schedule and consider investing in what they have to offer. This made me very excited to find out more about their business and how they might be able to enhance my life and health.
First Impressions
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 this afternoon. 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.
Another good first impression that I had was a poster hanging on the door. It was titled “How To Refer Us” and had multiple categories of different things that current customers should look out for in their friends, colleagues, or loved ones.
They also had an entire wall covered with pictures. Unfortunately there was no explanation for who the people in the pictures were, but it led me to believe that these were all sent in by previous customers. This acted as a visual display of satisfaction and personal recommendations, and led me to believe that all of these people trusted the establishment that I was currently sitting in.
The business strategy behind all of these different 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 My 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. Apparently there was a lack of communication between the person at the Lunch ‘N Learn that was scheduling the appointments and the front desk of the office. I was irritated before I ever actually talked to a single person because I was told that it would take less than 30 minutes. And once I finally did talk to someone, I was even further irritated because they had no clue who I was or how I had gotten there.
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. I stared at the form for a few minutes trying to figure out how to answer any of the questions or use the diagrams, but I eventually scribbled out the majority of the page and wrote something in my own words. My frustration automatically caused my irritation to come back, and this time with a vengeance.
After handing in the “form”, I sat and waited for another 10-15 minutes before anyone called my name. By this time they had already consumed more than the promised 30 minutes, and I was hesitant to even follow them. But I did anyway. I expected to be taken back to an examination room or something along those lines, but I was taken to basically a small conference room with a standard small conference table and more magazines. If you have magazines sitting on a table, that communicates “you’ll be here a while”. Especially if you’ve already been there a while.
After another 10 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, just as I still don’t know if I need a chiropractor. If you reach out and connect with them in an unexpected way, your chances of getting them through your door significantly increase.
Or, they might be someone you know personally and see on even a weekly basis that is aware of what you have to offer. Even if they know what you have to offer, they might not understand how it can be used to benefit their own lives. Or, they might be afraid of the commitment to the price or an extended fee structure. Again, if you reach out to them in an unexpected way, they will be more likely to be engaged. Naturally, engagement will spark curiosity for more information and they will reach back to you and a connection will be made.
Having brochures and other visual communication solutions that address your audience’s “pain” gives them a reason for why they might need your product or service. Instead of your audience with your product or service, verbalizing or demonstrating the solution that you can provide will register in their minds more quickly and effectively.
Keep your promises. If you tell someone you will only take so much of their time, take less than what you tell them. At the very least, not a minute more. I realize that a chiropractor is supposedly a doctor (yet to be proven to me), and we all love to hate being victims of doctor’s poor schedule keeping. But, why do we accept this? When we look for a new doctor, do we ask what their average patient waiting time is? We don’t hold them to the same criteria as other service providers because they spent years in medical school and even longer paying off that debt to provide something for us that not just anyone can. However, there are plenty of doctors and especially chiropractors in the area to go around and I would much rather consult with one that appreciates the value of my time.
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.
Though this experience was with a chiropractor, there are take-aways that any business can benefit from whether they are service or product providers. A few are noted here; if you have your own to add, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.