Your Client Journey Should Not Rely On Memory

Have you ever had an amazing experience at a restaurant, then gone back hoping for the same thing? But when you go back, it is a different chef, waiter and bartender. and it's not the same. It's disappointing.

I know this has happened to me. It's most likely happened to you too. Here's the thing - one inconsistent experience can undo the goodwill built by the ten good ones before it. And inconsistency is one of the reasons your clients leave you.

I often talk about the McDonald's experience. Tay Kroc is famous for systemising the product and the experience. Every Big Mac has the same amount of lettuce, the same size patty, cooked to the same level, with the same amount of sauce. Discrepancies are rare, because the system doesn't allow for them. I'm not a consumer of Big Macs but I respect the systems behind them. Systems reduce the inconsistency in a product or service. And that builds and maintains trust.

Trust takes a long time to build and a moment to lose.

So what can you actually do about that risk?

You minimise the chance of a client getting an inconsistent experience. And you do that with the boring stuff - the team training and the documented systems and processes.

Always remember that comprises of inputs in, labour added, outputs out. If you want consistency, you need to systemise the bit in the middle. The middle part is your clients journey. It will make or break your business.