Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: You Need a Vacation!

Here at Market Viewpoint- our co-worker, Shannon, saw a story on one of the morning news shows the other week where they profiled a sweet, sleepy little town in New England and touted the benefits of visiting. Our co-worker was in need of a change of scenery, so she packed up her two children and her husband – hit the open highway and headed North. The family was very excited about the adventure but problems loomed ahead. You see, the news program failed to mention that if you did visit, you would need advance tickets to get into all the charming and cozy venues that make this place famous. The second problem was the fact that no one told the Visitor and Tourist Center that the story about their town was going to air on national TV. They were unprepared to deal with the onslaught of people who were excited to spend time and money in this great little town.

Here’s what happened when Shannon arrived in New England. She went directly to the Visitor and Tourist Information Center as any smart, savvy tourist would. She approached the information desk and was greeted by a gentlemen who probably shouldn’t have been dealing with customers that day. Some thing tells me that gentleman shouldn’t be dealing with the public at all, but that’s a topic for another post. She was told there was nothing to do, despite her pleas to get information on at least some form of lodging and entertainment, since she and her family had already driven three hours to get there. The agent turned her away without so much as a suggestion for things to do even in the neighboring towns.

Here’s the customer service lesson for all of us. Consumers are beginning to take “get-away weekends” again. With some areas of the country improving economically, renewed consumer confidence is beginning to make us restless for the activities and things we did in more prosperous times. Travel is one of those things for many consumers.

Bloomberg, a trusted source for business news and financial information, is reporting that consumer confidence in the United States is at its highest level since June. This is an indicator that an improving job market, higher wages and higher stock prices may increase spending. Are you prepared?

Should Shannon have done a little more checking before packing up two toddlers and her husband? Probably – but isn’t half the fun of “get-away weekends” the spontaneity?

Should the Visitor and Tourist Center have been better prepared for visitors? Definitely!!

How do you ramp up for an increase in traffic in your business?