Everything’s same yet different – Don’t lose your overall service identity!
Art teaches us! Is your brand special? Is it still special now? These mannequin’s legs are all posed the same but in simple ways, they all appear different. Your customers have changed. Some want safety, some don’t. Some want new and interesting, some don’t. They all want great service. I had a washer delivered and the guys did not have masks or gloves on and did not offer to put them on. I obviously wasn’t going to turn them away but I will quietly not order from them again. Think about what you can do to reassess the entire experience from the new services, to new layouts and how to make it REALLY interesting to customers that have also changed. Those brands that maintain their previous great service identity and then make it just a little bit better will win!
Let’s talk about
- Bonaveri and his unique mannequins
- New things to try to recreate an identifiable service image
- Service tailored to a completely new customer
Boneaveri Mannequins
Italian businessman Bonaveri is known worldwide for his high value mannequin designs. As explained in the New York Times February 18th, 2011 article by Elisabetta Povoledo “Making a Fashion Statement, With or Without Clothes” Bonaveri mannequins don’t just show off the clothes, the also catch your eye. He has an identifiable style. Make sure you don’t lose yours either as you piece together your new customer experience.
New Stuff To Create An Identifiable Image – Get People Talking!
Bring In Art
Bring in art, even on consignment, to fill in the blank spaces or to give them something to see while they maintain social distance/long lines.
Tasteful Mannequins – If fine dining, bring in high end mannequins for the empty tables and partner with boutiques for the clothing. Keep changing them out and create a space where people will want to see what you have done this week. If a more casual place, partner with a sporting goods store. What’s making the news now are the plastic blow up mannequins which would only work in casual settings. Match the quality of this mannequin concept with your customer service identity.
Partner with Partners – Reach out to partners, and set up a cohesive but interesting display of wines, have a flower vendor display in a coffee shop, etc… Make it eye catching and interesting. Partner with a furniture store for a display. AND, make sure you swap it out a lot. Do not have brochures, maybe just one tent card. Keep it simple.
Entertaining – Is there way to leverage technology to create specialized spots in your place, maybe interesting but super short videos related to your brand instead of empty space? I always thought that restaurants could create theme tables leveraging videos as a back drops creating new conversations at the tables. Maybe hire someone to entertain with distancing.
Bonaveri’s mannequins do more than just show off clothes, they make the designer’s clothes stand out as special. Do the same. Integrate a special feeling with the new space and actually improve your service identity.
Customers have changed – Tailor to that!
Yep, it’s all changed. Short tempers, overall safety concerns for some and not others.
Specialized team members/Extra Care areas – Maybe in retail or dining, have areas set up for customers that want specialized attention to safety standards above and beyond any guidelines. We used to have smoking/non-smoking sections. Can you have sections for customers that want a higher degree of care and safety than even the law allows. Can they become the new smoking section? Why not? It might even keep the peace between customers.
Find out during the greeting – Find out during the greeting. If my washer delivery guys would have asked me, I would have told them to please wear masks and gloves. But they never even asked. It’s a silent long term loss of business.
Keep refining – Some customers will not wear masks or distance. Expect this and do your best to mitigate and separate them that would find that offensive. Do whatever you can to keep your service identity in tact now that all your customers have change right before your eyes. Mary Furrie, CEO, Furrie Consulting, helping clients create consistent service!