Hello, my name is Mark Bussell, and I have an addiction to diet Pepsi. It's a fact: that rarely do I not have a Diet Pepsi within reach. I fuel that addiction in a couple of basic ways:
Office fridge for the workday.
Downstairs mini fridge when I am working at home and everyday life.
Upstairs fridge for my morning pick me up and hanging at home.
I have my standards too... I need to have it in a plastic bottle, preferably 20 oz. Very cold but no ice. Not a fan of cans or from a 2 liter. I know, weird. Unhealthy. All of the above.
I will only stop at certain places to purchase my supply. Yes, I have my favorites. I have a favorite big store near my home for the primary stockpile. I have a couple of regular gas stations if I need a quick fix.
But occasionally, especially when I am traveling, I may need to utilize a pop vending machine. I have no issues with pop vending machines; they often saved me from more significant acts of desperation.
Pre covid, I was attending an offsite meeting, and I was at Diet Pepsi free location. For me, a bad dream. Luckily across the parking lot, there was an outdoor Pepsi vending machine that I could regularly visit until I could secure a larger supply.
It made me think... Have I ever had just a wonderful experience when transacting with a pop machine? There have been times where the pop machine has been very convenient. But I am not sure I have ever had what I would call a wonderful transactional experience.
Usually, I swipe my card or insert small change or maybe dollars, and it dispenses the beverage, and I am on my way. The price is often a little higher, sometimes much higher than I would typically pay, but it served its purpose. The experience met a minimum standard. It wasn't a bad experience, it did what it was supposed to, and I moved on.
Sometimes the way the bottle was dispensed was interesting; you know the mini elevator that goes to the proper row and then delivers to the outlet? Entertaining the first few times, but again fulfilled the minimum standard precisely as it was designed to do.
I have had some bad experiences, and maybe you have too. A vending machine that is down, or empty, or worse yet, ate your money or malfunctioned and failed to deliver from spot E3 when directed.
Don't get me wrong; I understand that the vending machine mentality is all that is required in some cases. Low cost, highly efficient, and it serves its purpose.
But again, it has made me think... what are the experiences we deliver every day? At our work, with our customers, coworkers, at home, with our friends and family. As an organization with clients, are we delivering an experience that is above minimum standard? I think we all aspire to be something more significant than the minimum expectation.
Are we aiming to delight and create something memorable? Be a partner? Create a win-win? Care? Listen? Solve issues? Walk beside, not just in and out?
What is the value and experience we deliver, and from a grander perspective, what can it be? A timely question here, "how can I help you," followed by actively listening and being engaged.
No doubt, we are in challenging times, but the exciting part is every day is an opportunity to deliver a memorable interaction and experience to others. Let's work together to rise to the next level.
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