This year, we celebrated my wife Susan's birthday at Gold Class Cinema in South Barrington, Illinois. Gold Class offers dinner served while you watch a movie in a plush, comfortable theater with overstuffed recliners and lots of decedent ambiance.
Susan looked forward to this. She even enrolled in the Gold Class Members Club. The enrollment process included providing her date of birth.
When I made reservations, Susan reminded me to mention her Members Club status and that we would be visiting on her birthday. The operator informed me that though the company asked for date of birth, they did not have a program in place to recognize a member who was celebrating a birthday. However, she added that we could tell our host or hostess that it was Susan's birthday when we arrived.
And that's just what we did. Again, the hostess informed us that there was no birthday program in place. "So, why do you ask for date of birth?" I asked. "Oh," she replied. "The company uses this for demographics."
Wow. Basically the company asks for information about its customers for its own purposes, and blatantly admits this. Asking for date of birth during a member enrollment process sets up an expectation in the mind of the customer -- especially if your company touts a "gold class experience" and charges $25 for a movie ticket.
To be clear, our expectations weren't high. How about a genuine birthday greeting when we arrived? Yet during the entire exchange with the hostess, she didn't say anything approaching, "We're glad you chose to celebrate your birthday with us," or simply, "Happy Birthday."
After check in, we were taken to a lounge while our theater was "prepared." And Gold Class missed its second opportunity to stage an experience.
Our waiter asked if we had been to Gold Class before. We replied, "No." This set up another expectation. We hoped to learn what to expect. When did we order our food? Where did we receive our meal? What did the waiter recommend on the menu? We received none of this information.
Later, when we asked about the special popcorn noted on the menu, our waiter admitted that he was new and didn't know for sure what flavors were offered, but that he would check and let us know. He may have checked, but he never let us know.
Our dinner and movie cost about $300. While we agreed it was a good time, it wasn't a great time. A little more attention to detail and some "theater" provided by the staff in the form of a brief conversation about what to expect as first time guests, along with an authentic "happy birthday" greeting may have made our evening feel more like a "gold class" experience.
Two lessons I walked away with from that night at the theater:
- If your company asks for information that means something to your customers, like their birthday, use that information to extend your relationship with them, not just for your own purposes.
- If you know you have a new customer who is curious about your business or the service or experience they are about to receive, have your staff trained to deliver a brief, friendly orientation that informs and excites.
Gold Class has a beautiful theater, delicious food, and an attractive, upscale environment. But it's the people who deliver the experience. Consistent, authentic customer engagement goes a long way toward making the experience not just good, but great.
