Sunday, 4 May 2008
Managing Customer Expectations - Lessons from a festival
| Every year for the past 7 years I have taken my kids into the annual Buddha's Birthday celebrations at South Bank in Brisbane. This was our favourite festival in Brisbane, with great cultural displays, exhibits, fabulous vegetarian food and a strong experience of the Buddhist faith. Every year the kids made wishes, took part in candle offerings and bathed baby Buddha to help them experience and understand different faiths. Each year the festival grew in size - with a greater range of experiences on offer to match the increasing numbers of people through the festival. This year we noticed something different from the moment we walked in - only a fraction of the usual glowing orange lanterns decorated South Bank and the main entry arch was missing. The cultural aspects were down to a few token sections with very limited interaction (and the fireworks moved nights without announcement from a Saturday to a Sunday night). The festival felt flat - not just for us but for other festival goers. Most people who attend go every year and have expectations on what the festival is all about. We still have no idea what happened this year to cause it to shrink by half. This is similar to any business. Customers are happy when their expectations are exceeded, but when there are sudden changes without warning, and a decreased level of service then you lose your regular customers. Some things you can do if you have to cut back on your service, product range or other offering is to communicate these changes clearly and openly to your customers. As long as you explain "why" people will generally accept the changes. It is only when there is silence there is a problem. We will still check out the festival next year, but with much lower enthusiasm on the part of the kids. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: customer expectations, customer service |
I agree, communication is the key. I have also been disappointed when something is less than what I was expecting.
Hope your festival gets back on track next year!