Think of an advertisement of an outlet showing you long customer queues, with the sales lady nonchalantly filing her nails and the cashier jabbering away on his mobile to a friend, and not to mention the phones ringing continuously with no one to attend to them. And then you see a scene in the same ad depicting a complete opposite, sales people interacting jovially with a customer who seems to be receiving an ‘out-of-this-world-experience’, the most desired experience for customers. Customers sometimes are influenced by such demonstrations and visit the particular outlet in hopes of receiving great service. Indeed, advertising and media play a great role in shaping perceptions, but how many of these companies actually work towards making a customer experience as pleasurable for customers as ‘they’ think it is? When we move away from fantasy land (a world in which companies force customers to imagine about receiving exceptional service) and face reality (a world in which more money is spent on advertising about great customer service rather than focusing on providing it!), we notice that the Golden Rule which states, treat others how you wish to be treated, has become a mere cliché today. There are very few players in the market who can put themselves into customer shoes and determine what customers really want.

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“How great would it be if 40% of your new business simply knocked on your door without you having spent a cent advertising for it?” (Smith & Wheeler, 2002). Research suggests that First Direct, a division of HSBC bank has reached this level. Companies like these prove how managing the customer experience can benefit both parties involved. The simple trick involves turning satisfied customers into loyal ones who become advocates since their satisfaction with the service makes the company the only one they would want to deal with. If you can think about any company whose logo you would tattoo on your arm, then you know that they have got it right. But how many companies can you think of?

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