Would your service change if you were the customer? Sometimes the best way to find ways to improve is to try being your own customer.
I recently rented a car from a rental agency at an airport in upstate New York. In many many ways the experience was wonderful. The line to rent was short and moved quickly. The car was clean. It was parked close to the door. One of the agents was walking to the area and assisted me with getting luggage to the car. Returning the car was easy and timely. I felt valued.
Two days after I returned the car, I received a call.
“On a scale of 1 to 5, how would your rate your vehicle?”
“Five”
“On a scale of 1 to 5, how would your rate our agents?”
“Five”
“On a scale of 1 to 5, how would your rate your experience?”
“Three”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Wait a minute, you called me. Don’t you want to know why I gave you a three?”
“Sure if you are willing to share that.”
“I rented a car in January in upstate New York. It snowed 6 inches one night and there was nothing in the car to help me clear the snow. You need to include an ice scraper with a brush during the winter in New York.” We then proceeded to have a short discussion about what that is like for a female business woman in HEELS.
The cost to do add this feature is minimal. And, if I’d found an ice scraper in the the car, I would have told others, “Rent from this company – they really understand what drivers need.”
And the bigger picture take-away: Think about how your product or service is going to be used. Are there little things that you can do to make the experience better?