Sometime last week I stepped out for lunch near our office. I decided to grab some grub at the diner on the corner. If you walked into this place you wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from every other greasy spoon you’ve ever been to. There are some booths, some tables, white plates with a blue trim, and all the usual diner menu options. When I went to pay for my lunch the lady at the counter asked if id like to sign up for their diner rewards program. I said sure expecting to receive a flimsy punch card i’d toss in my wallet. She then pulled out a card with a QRcode which she scanned on an iPad that was setup by the register. I was instructed to enter my information on the screen and that was it! I immediately started looking at this little diner on the corner in a whole new light for three main reasons
They helped enhance my experience – This experience made me feel like the diner actually cared about improving their users’ experience at their restaurant. A lot of brands get too comfortable with their audience and never shake things up. Even something as simple as setting up a social network can help your audience feel more connected to your brand. Embracing technology in a small ways can make a huge difference in user experience.
They used a solution that made sense to their business – In this technology rich world we live in everyday there is a new must have app, software, or social network. A lot of companies jump the gun and sign up for whatever is in right now without taking time to decide whether it works for them and their brand. The loyalty program software is a great fit with this restaurant because it promotes frequent visits. Taking a few moments to determine the right exploration path will make your journey a whole lot smoother.
It showed commitment on their brand: So many brands get comfortable in their popularity or success. As we have seen in the past few years a stale brand is a forgotten brand. This cafe has many regulars but instead of being satisfied and complacent with their current customers and process they took a risk to show that they care about evolving the business for their target audience.
With all the new and exciting opportunities to integrate technology into your business there is no excuse to be stuck in the past. A small step in the right direction is all you will need to catch your audiences attention. This year feed your organization some new technology and watch your target audience eat it up.