Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2015 | Page 49

CONSUMER MARKETING

Millennials
Are You Ready To Deliver?
Operations is the new customer experience
BY ADAM PIERNO

P

eople walk in, not yet customers… and what do they see? Your
brand and marketing efforts got
them to the door, but now that they’re
in, what do you want them to see first?
What do you want them to feel?
Too often, the operations team is
challenged to make decisions based on
a variety of critical factors independent
of this moment of truth—price, timing,
availability across the system, etc. There
are so many logistical elements it is difficult to keep the customer, especially the
first-time customer, top of mind when
choosing furniture, finishes, vendors, and
suppliers—never mind the way products
and packages are developed and trained
into the system with store-level personnel. Here are three ways to make sure
your operations are delivering the best
experience for your customers, Millennials or otherwise.
1. Practice makes perfect. If you’re
providing party or event services, timing
that experience as carefully as possible
is critical. Concepts like Pump It Up do
this fluidly with children’s parties. They
have honed the specifics of that timing to
near-perfection, allowing them to maximize the number of possible
bookings, all while obscuring
this from guests who aren’t
paying careful attention. Hosts
move party guests from one
room to another just as the
kids tire of one group of inflatables. Then they bring in
the next party from another
door, seamlessly.
Managing guests through
that level of complexity (especially large groups of kids and
anxious parents), to a great experience doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of careful
refinement, communication,
and training. The only snag in
the operation for some units
is the entry, where groups can

pile up anxious to play and see parties
exiting or moving through the store.
This is likely something the ops team
is improving today.
2. Line it up. You’ve invested carefully in marketing efforts, measuring the
results of specific campaigns and partnerships to determine effectiveness. Great!
You’ve finally found the perfect mix that
is driving people to the doors with a mes-

The messages
and brand image
promoted in your
advertising are a
promise. Does your
advertising promise
great service? If so,
make sure you’ve
trained your staff to
over-deliver
on service.

sage promising something amazing once
they come inside. But do the choices you
make on the operations side align with
your marketing? Whether intentional or
not, the messages and brand im