There’s been quite a buzz about the quality of the customer experience in the last several years. Both online and brick and mortar business understand that “the experience” is a critical facet of gaining and retaining customers. There is, however, one part of the customer experience that is repeatedly underserved: the restroom.
The restroom experience is one dimension of your brand experience. Positive or negative, in many cases, the restroom experience becomes a topic of conversation about the business. Have you ever heard or been in one of these conversations?
When I’m on the road, I always try to stop at that convenience store if I’ve got to use the restroom; they’re always so clean.
Oh my gosh, we took the family there last week and the bathroom stunk and had no paper towels. I told my husband, “we are never going in there again.”
Restroom Experience = Brand Experience
By focusing on resolving the most common restroom complaints, most businesses can eliminate the possibility of a negative experience tarnishing the brand experience they’ve worked to cultivate.
Naturally, odors in restrooms are common. An important point to note here is that customers repeatedly report that although they do not like foul odors, they also find the fresh floral scents often used to mask restroom odors to be as equally offensive as the underlying odor.
Can you spare a square? enough said…
Broken dispensers, empty dispensers, automatic dispensers that won’t feed, or hand dryers instead of paper, these are all excuses that don’t matter to customers. When people wash their hands, it’s quite simple; they prefer towels to dry their hands.
Over 2/3 of people wash their hands after using the restroom. When there is not soap available it reflects poorly on the business.
What is that water on the floor? Maybe it’s mop water that just didn’t dry, or maybe it’s something else… Customers don’t want to figure it out. They’ll assume the worst and they prefer dry floors and dry counters.
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. True, in busy environments it’s tough to eliminate restroom congestion, but new technology is offering relief using availability lighting and dashboard software management programs.
For obvious reasons, customers never appreciate the experience of facilities in disrepair. Damage does occur, and businesses would be best served to act with a sense of urgency and restore a positive impression.
Many customer complaints related to trash cans are due to overflowing trash or trash on the floor, however, customers also prefer trash cans with lids to hide trash and reduce odors.
Add value to the customer experience by providing restroom comfort. In the hustle and bustle it’s easy to overlook this hidden area of opportunity to strengthen brand experience.
If you’d like to speak to a representative about upgrading restroom comfort for your guests, click on the link below.