The kennel where we board our cat has tree time. For an extra couple of dollars a day, a boarded cat gets the run of the room alone for an hour. In the middle of the cat section surrounded by individual cat cages is a giant climbing tree wrapped in carpet with lots of tunnels and dangling toys. It is a cat’s playground, similar to the indoor play areas at many fast-food restaurants. We have peered through the glass from the kennel lobby as our cat got her tree time. There was never a moment’s hesitation. As soon as her cage door was opened, she rushed to the tree and began to play like a kid at recess.
What are ways you can provide your customers a version of free tree time? Like a half-time show in the middle of a game, customers love a break from the tedium, monotony, or just plain old normal service experience. What if there was a sheet of cartoons in the middle of a stack of required paperwork? What if you scheduled a special, unexpected visitor? Watch the faces of patients in a hospital when the person with a service dog pays them a visit?
Miller Brothers men’s clothing store in the Buckhead section of Atlanta has a giant colorful gumball machine on the entrance foyer table. Beside the machine is a dish of bright shiny pennies. Guess where Junior goes while daddy is trying on trousers? But, there is more. Miller Brothers did not simply provide comfortable seating; they provided cushy, melt-into-the-cushions comfortable seating with a wide screen TV on ESPN. The free beer is not just cold; it is super ice cold, like it was pulled right out of a barrel of ice cubes. And there is a bar stocked with premium brands.
“We wanted our store to be a great place to hang out and have a beer with the boys but also be the best store in Atlanta. The goal was a place that was sophisticated but fun,” Robby Miller remarked. “We care about customer comfort just as much as we care about the cut of a jacket or the superior quality of a dress shirt,” adds Greg Miller. Miller Brothers created a store with tree time in the middle! How can you implant a moment of merriment or whimsy in the middle of your customer’s experience?
About Chip Bell: Chip R. Bell is a highly sought after keynote speaker and the author of several best-selling books.
His newest book is The 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service.
The 9 1/2 Principles is available on Simple Truths. You can connect with Chip through his website or via Twitter (@ChipRBell) or Facebook (facebook/ChipRBell).
[…] Guest Post: Adding Tree Time to Your Customer’s Experience, by @ChipRBell […]