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My Twitter pal @Tarynp posted this photo on Friday.  It's a menu disclaimer at a restaurant called 'Noodle" on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA.   She almost left when she saw the middle section:


This reads (sorry - fixing quote issue in style sheet!):

"Noodle has a no return policy on our menu items. As we are confident you will enjoy all of our dishes in the way they are prepared and trying new foods an flavors is exciting, some of our food and drink may have unique flavors or be prepared in a manner that you may not be accustomed to. Please ask your server any questions you might have about our menu and ingredients before making your selection. Noodle is not responsible if you misordered or do not understand your selection. Simply put, if you order it, but just don't like it, you still have to pay for it."

Now, without question, the policy is rude and a bit audacious.  It would seem to be either an outcome of arrogance and confidence - or ignorance.... but perhaps it's both.   In any case, it's going to alienate some people -- but  maybe that's not a bad thing for a high-demand, busy restaurant.  Consider this (based on real life!) example:



Now, I'm not talking about the arrogance or abuse as a gimmick or a part of the 'schtick" of the business, which can be in some cases, mildly entertaining.  Many of us have been to restaurants that pride themselves in snark and customer "abuse" and even foul language.  Head over to Disney's Prime Time 50's cafe - and your server will employ old school discipline on you if you don't clean your plate.  
  
I'm talking about real indifference -- real arrogance at the expense of the customer.  Can companies really afford to handle customer experience this way? Possibly! Only the company itself can decide whether the trade off is worth it ... but I'm thinking care is in order!

The fact remains that when surveyed recently, 56% of customers say that they would "always or often" pay more for a good experience - even in a down economy.  Further we hear from Fred Reicheld that a 5% reduction in customer attrition can drive a 20% upside in profit.

If we take data like this seriously, we sure as heck OUGHT to be operating wisely with an eye toward the experiences we offer and facilitate.  So, starting really simply, here are five things we know about CX:
1.  It’s hard to beat a first impression - Get off on a bad foot and you may never recover. That's why in every channel, you must lower barriers to interaction and engagement, and clearly mark the path that leads customers to a desired end.  Demonstrating care and guiding people through the experience with care are important -- and timing and context are key!

Compare the impact, a new patron of  Noodle, of seeing that menu disclaimer immediately upon seating.  As a first-time visitor, like Taryn, you may be appalled -- you might walk out.  If this isn't your first experience with Noodle - but you are instead greeted by a warm hostess, a friendly, helpful server - the impact of that disclaimer may be slightly different. 



2. Negative experiences often carry more “weight”than positive ones - Screw up once, and people may be talking about what you did wrong instead of what you've done right in the past.  Turn someone off, even after a number of of good experiences, and they may not come back for more.  But if you meet detractors with a high sense of ownership and stewardship for the customer experience you can turn negatives into positives.

Noodle's policy provides no outlet for turning a negative experience into a positive one. There's also (seemingly) no exception for human error on the restaurant's part. If Noodle screws up, it seems the customer pays - and it's fair to say that this may result in the customer not returning to this restaurant.  The message is pretty clear -- and only Noodle can decide if this is an "acceptable loss."
3.  Customers usually remember “what you’ve done for me lately” - Sadly, for the most part, people are innately selfish.  They tend to remember best what you did recently to show you care.  People become brand evangelists, often for selfish reasons:  praising brands that make them feel better about themselves.  What have you done to make people feel valuable, wanted, needed, special or empowered lately?  If the answer is "not much" you may be off the radar.

Noodle's disclaimer seems to demonstrate a genuine lack of care for people. There's no offer to help people choose a menu option - the impetus is put on the customer to chose wisely and ask questions. Again, if people are left to rely on the menu for help, this creates a sad experience.



4.  Thresholds for negative experience vary.   If you have a monopoly on a product or service, people will tend have a higher threshold for poor customer experience. Further, if you have very vocal, active and loyal following, the thresholds and tolerances within the crowd can be higher for missteps.  (Try critiquing Apple in your spare time to catch my drift).  In contrast -- if you are in a competitive market, with products and services that are not particularly unique, with a quiet following - people's thresholds for negative experience will be lower.

In the case of the Soup Nazi - the soup was worth experiencing rudeness, acrobatics and rules.  In parallel, for some people, the iPhone was worth a six hour wait in line. In fact, many Apple fanatics considered waiting in line to buy the iPhone a badge of honor!  This turned into a positive story for Apple and AT&T.  We don't see people doing this for Motorola and Verizon. If there were six hour lines for a Droid,  it wouldn't be a positive thing.  Simply put -- if can buy your product anywhere else with a better experience, "Buh Bye!"

If Noodle has outstanding food, few competitors and a monopoly on location/real estate, they can afford to have this policy. Perhaps they even use it to "weed out" picky eaters and those who are not serious about this type of cuisine. After all, they can only serve so many - and their best customer knows this food, and loves it.  Only Noodle itself can determine whether the trade off is worth it.


5.  Positive experiences will generally drive positive outcomes.   We must take the ego offline and concentrate on the notion that our brand name is an outcome of the customer experience we deliver over time.  If we focus on being consistently positive, demonstrate care for people, manage our missteps carefully, assume a high level of ownership and a dedication to "doing the right thing" we don't need policies like the one above. Because people will come back -- at least the ones that matter.  Shoot for being "remarkably good" and use the word-of-mouth leverage to build a loyal and loving following. That means 4-5 stars out of 4 stars - not three.

In the end, Noodle's disclaimer is one tiny, printed piece of its overall customer experience.  Perhaps in all other areas - food, ambiance, service... etc. the experience is so positive it outweighs the disclaimer on the menu.  I'm not so certain.  I'm not in Atlanta, and I haven't been to Noodle. So, this isn't about my opinion.  Perhaps it's enough to refer to the opinions of the myriad of other people who have eaten there.  Based on the Yelp! reviews  -- which equate to 3.5 out of 5 stars... perhaps Noodle ought to be more careful.

In general, people's thresholds for bad customer experience are directly proportionate to the benefits and up-side they derive from that experience.  How should a company know whether they are driving the kind of experience that will win the hearts and minds of the people?   Listen.   As Taryn's tweet demonstrates -- the great thing about the social grid is that customers are already out there talking.  If we listen, we can use their  feedback to make things better and drive positively remarkable customer experience.

Last night before "meet the teacher" night at my daughter's school, we took the family to Ruby Tuesday. I hadn't been there in awhile. As we waited for our waiter, one of the things that jumped out at me on the table was a tent card, which listed featured drinks. The first item was a "Handcrafted Drafts". "Funny....I thought... handcrafted? Since when is Sam Adams hard to find, and made by hand?"

I shrugged off my own critique as nit picky...until, that is, we got the menu. I noticed immediately that they also featured Handcrafted Steaks and Handcrafted Burgers. My daughter and husband rolled their eyes. Looking deeper, I also noticed on their beverages page that they also feature "Handcrafted Martinis" and their bottled beers were labeled "Handcrafted Bottles." In fact, the word "handcrafted" was so grossly
overused, it was somewhat unbelievable:


Thus began the jokes, as we sat at our "handcrafted table" looking at our "handcrafted menus" and "hand-crafted" napkin/utensil set... Our chuckling increased after the waiter offered to take our drink orders and suggested a handcrafted drink. It was all pretty kinda silly!

To the folks at Ruby Tuesday,

We understand that people may confuse you with Applebees. We understand that you do not want to be viewed as "fast food", but rather "Simple Fresh American Dining."

We also understand that, to the extent you can change these market perceptions, you can up your price to $10 for a burger and $15 for a steak.

We aren't dummies, so please do not insult our intelligence or attempt to brainwash us with far-reaching marketing copy.

...And please do find a thesaurus!

Love,
LivePath

The truth is this: No matter how much we spend on getting our copy nailed (and a lot of Ruby's copy is written quite well), it's still the window dressing of the experience. When we go too far with copy and over bill the brand, we find ourselves teetering on the edge of ridiculous!

Selecting words is important. Personally, when I think of the word "handcrafted", I think of my brother-in-law, who is a carpenter and a true craftsman. I think of my husband, who builds truly hand-constructed engines that go very, very fast. I also think of Etsy, a site that sells handmade items that are truly unique and special.

When I think of handcrafted, I also think of one of my small, local clients, Rug & Relic (link forthcoming, site in development). This client is a combination of an art gallery, a showroom for totally exquisite rugs a hand an import house for fascinating Turkish antiques.

Everything they sell is totally unique...from handmade bird houses that were used to keep Partridges, to huge hand-carved wooden yogurt churns, designed to swing from trees. I love listening to the owners tell the unique story of each individual piece. They've got gigantic, hand-thrown ceramic vases that are hundreds of years old, sitting upon hand-wrought iron stands, and hand-hammered antique copper cauldrons big enough to bathe in. From the art to the custom-made lighting....everything they sell is truly hand-constructed. Because most of it is recycled, it's also green. The place is just cool!

With Rug & Relic, the product, the interface, the customer interaction drive the experience. They never over bill themselves ... they are driven by word-of-mouth, and they don't mind being an exclusive, best-kept secret. Their customers are their greatest evangelists.

Going back to Ruby's... I think it's very possible to find new language and still communicate a message of craftsmanship without wearing it out. Our experience was otherwise good. My turkey burger was great. The service was very good, and the environment was pleasant. The experience was solid enough to stand on its own without the marketeers pounding us with over-reaching messages.

Like I've said before. Sometimes it's just better not to push things too far.

Guess where I am: Here's a hint. It's a restaurant you have probably visited at least once in your life.

I walk in to the sound of water running down glass panels. There is a sculpture of a crane on one side - a coi fish on the other. The room is light and airy with colors in earth tones and accents of red. Bamboo plants grace the scene. I am intrigued by textured walls patterned to resemble the ocean and the asymmetrical tiling. The seating is leather and lounge like. It's comfortable and very Zen.

If you guessed a sushi restaurant, sorry! Thank you for playing.

Nope, believe it or not, I'm in McDonald's in Hacienda Heights, California. Just one of several restaurants in the chain who are rethinking brick and mortar experience and putting the Chinese art of Feng Shui in practice. You can read about this here.

I am a big supporter of brand reinvention...and this is an interesting twist on the Mc Donald's I grew up with. I can't wait to see how this plays out over time.

I understand they've even adjusted door placement to block out evil spirits! Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder what magic they may be doing to block the artery clogging fat and cholesterol found in their food? Alas, until this happens, McDonald's will be unable to lure me as a customer.

In the day of third-place thinking... it will be interesting to see how this drives increased revenue in the future - and whether this trend continues.