The Power of Extreme Service in Cannabis
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
The challenges in differentiating your cannabis business are well known.
Forward-looking companies seek to create unique customer experiences (CX) pre, during and post purchase. However, these efforts often fall short, and end up turning into marketing gimmicks. Fact is, creating a compelling CX is a serious, long-term effort.
A winning CX is way more than solid customer service - that’s table stakes today. Many cannabis firms would be inspired by Eleven Madison Park, a New York City based, three-star Michelin restaurant.
EMP stands out in one of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets by delivering truly memorable experiences through what I call ‘extreme service.’ They understand they are in the hospitality business; the restaurant is just the vehicle for delivering the magic.
Here are but two examples:
1) One guest mentioned off hand and perhaps jokingly that they were worried about getting a parking ticket or even towed. While they ate, EMP staff found the car and paid the street parking for the balance of the evening.
2) Near the end of a meal a few dining tourists were discussing their visit when the staff overheard one of the guests say that their only regret was that they were leaving the city without having eaten a classic New York street food hot dog. The EMP CEO ran out and purchased & packaged a hot dog to-go.
What do these ES examples have in common? They are…
> Guest-centric – the EMP team put themselves in the shoes of their guest throughout the entire pre-dining, dining and post dining experience. No comment, want or need is let unattended.
> Unique – These experiences are inimitable to EMP. The restaurant constantly looks for ways to generously over-exceed expectations.
> Low cost but with high perceived value – The labour cost of an employee putting a few dollars into a parking meter is quite low but the value in terms of reduced anxiety and brand lift is high. The diner drops over a thousand bucks on dinner but raves about the $20 he saved on parking.
Every cannabis business (but especially retailers) can stand out in the market by turning ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences It helps to be creative but deploying ES could be as simple as consistently answering an email/text within 15 minutes, sending surprised personalized messages or offering snacks to clients. To compete at this level, a firm needs to truly understand their target consumer, regularly look for magical ways to astound and exceed their expectations and embed ES into their corporate culture.
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