Reading the table

Wall Street Journal reported recently on some strategies about how a waiter might "read" a table, i.e., learn from the mannerisms of the customers about how best to serve them.  I found the interactive picture pretty revealing:


 


I think this is a good example of how a service process can be very different from a manufacturing process.  In a traditional manufacturing process you have to train a person to do the same thing all day every day:  put the bolt into the hole over and over again on the assembly line.  In a service, the production worker must be able to react to the changes in the process, most notably the differences of customers. Treating all customers the same way may lead to the wrong experience for some customers.  Customers must be treated individually.  



Here's a good sesame street clip that shows what might happen if the wrong message is given to the wrong customer:

 

Singapore Airlines Sensory Branding

On my reading list is "Sensory Branding" by Martin Lindstrom.    From Farnam Street:

"Singapore airlines is the pinnacle of sensory branding and offers a full scale assault on our brains. Like any other airline, Singapore airlines employs common consistent visual themes. Unlike other airlines the company incorporates the same scent, Stefan Floridian Waters, in the perfume worn by flight attendants, in their hot towels, and other elements of their service. Flight attendants must be physically attractive and wear uniforms made from fine silk which incorporates elements of the cabin decor. The airline strives to make every customer interaction both appealing, and, equally important, consistent from encounter to encounter. It's no wonder the airline is perennially at the top of travelers' preference rankings."

 What marketing people like Lindstrim might consider "branding", operations management might consider "design" and service design.