Confidence v’s Control

I recently bought a book at a well known chain of bookstores in Manchester.  Handing it over the cashier asked if I had read any others by the author. “What a great read, wonderful writer” she beamed, enthused – almost.

A few weeks later and same thing happened again, the only difference the location, Chiswick, London. Surely nothing wrong with having staff who are friendly, share your passion for books and are interested to find out what you think? If it were true then  nothing at all. The problem was I didn’t believe it. On both occasions I had the uneasy feeling of having just stepped into an episode of the Stepford Wives.

Perhaps all the staff had been chipped. Programmed to respond according to, and in alignment with, the latest tranche of market research on how to make customers feel wanted, welcome, dare I say it; loved.

Intrigued I decided to do a bit of impromptu market research and hung out around the gift card section, next to the cash desk. Although hardly a reliable piece of research it did seem to confirm my worst fears. “John Grisham. He’s such a good read. Have you read…”  While the book and customer were interchangeable the dialogue remained much the same.

For most companies being ‘professional’ is all about presenting a consistent experience. According to conventional wisdom this should leave the customer feeling that the staff have been friendly, helpful and welcoming. Always wear a smile – I remember that one from my ‘Uni’ shelf-packing days at Safeway. Needless to say we always did wear a smile as soon as we got through the front door and headed for home.

The trouble with the professional approach is that it robs us of the one thing that can make a brand really sticky – people. According to this school of branding not only does the burger you eat need to be consistent from one store and one town to the next the staff who serve it need to be equally consistent.

This ‘prescriptive approach’ to customer service which is an integral part of the brand comes from a desire to control environments rather than create them. There is little room for intuition, creativity or mistakes. The desire for control effectively removes any spontaneity and freedom. The result is for the most part consistent inauthenticity.

Spaces that are created from the desire to pass on the brands vision are quite different from those created from the desire to control. The first invites customer to participate in the companies sense of purpose. The offer is clear, nothing hidden, take it or leave it. You know what’s on offer when you walk into an Apple shop or an Abercrombie and Fitch. The second, far from achieving the desired effect of comfort and safety, can often leave customers feeling guarded. In this space, one that is controlled rather than created, the best that can be hoped for is a truly forgettable experience.

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