I recently stayed with a friend overnight in a hospital (nothing serious, thanks for asking). Usually, this experience is awful. I think all of us can tell stories of trying to sleep in tiny room, in a hard plastic chair, with nurses coming in and turning the lights on every thirty minutes. Not here. This hospital felt like a hotel. The rooms were large. They had big TV’s with On Demand movies. They had a mini-fridge. They had a big sofa that pulled out into a bed. Really. At night, the nurses made their rounds quietly, working by the soft night-light that stayed on above the bed. The lobby was hotel-like, decorated in modern furniture, tasteful art, and live foliage. It was almost a pleasant experience.

You may have noticed strange new dentists’ offices popping up, advertising spa-like environments. Look at this copy from spadent.com:

SPADENT Dental and Day Spa

Imagine a place… where your life could be enriched, your health enhanced, your body and soul encouraged to embark on a peaceful transformation…

Upon entering the doorway, you will hear whisperings of cascading waters. A timeless elegance and a tranquil décor will unfold before your eyes. Fresh baked cookies will be your pleasant reminder that you are in a different, uniquely special place. A concierge will greet you and offer you a cheerful, friendly welcome. She is our ambassador. And, we want to serve your spa, dental and salon needs with grace, elegance and with your best interests always our first and highest priority. You are a valued and treasured guest. Welcome to SPADENT! It is our honor and privilege to serve you.

That’s a dentist?!

Well, why not? Why is it that when we think of hospital stays and dental appointments, we think of miserable experiences? Is there some law that says it must be this way? Of course not, that’s just the way it is.

Until it wasn’t. One day, someone decided they didn’t have to model their office after every other dentist out there. They modeled their business after industries that people actually liked.

It’s a great exercise for your company. Instead of modeling your business after others in your industry, model it after another one altogether. Here’s how: Instead of thinking about how you do business with your customers, think about how your customers do business with you. Put yourself in their shoes and walk through the customer experience, start to finish. Think about how the experience is similar to other customer experiences. For the dentist, it looks something like this:

The customer walks in and checks-in with a receptionist. They sit and wait in a lobby. Then they are moved to a back room where they are seated in a chair. The technician does some initial work. The dentist comes in and does some touch-up. The customer is escorted to a counter, where they pay and book their follow-up appointment.

What are some industries that people actually love that take similar steps? (After some brain squeezing, you come up with the answer.) Of course, a masseuse!

You can do this exercise with your business. I bet you’ll come up with some great, game-changing results.

Categories: Perspective ~ Trackback