Juxtaposing Experiences: Chick-fil-A vs. Walgreens
Today my son and I took a train adventure. At two and a half years old, trucks and trains are about as great as things get. It originally started out as a family affair but my daughter woke up with a stomach bug. So instead of a family train adventure, I took my son on the train and my wife took my daughter to the pediatrician. I definitely got the better lot there.In any case, the result of these adventures is a crisp illustration of customer experience success and customer experience failure.
Chick-fil-A: Customer Experience Superstar
First the success: while the train ride was the real event of the day, we decided to make a stop at the mall to redeem some free Chick-fil-A coupons we received from the same Chick-fil-A a month or so ago. After a short walk from the MARTA station, we get to the mall, which is packed with people, we order our food and sit down. With a two and a half year old, if you're flying solo you need to make sure you have everything you need before you sit down in the mall. Otherwise, you're going to have to get up with your child, which can be an ordeal. Even if you're only walking 10 feet away from your table. Parents out there know what I'm talking about.
First the success: while the train ride was the real event of the day, we decided to make a stop at the mall to redeem some free Chick-fil-A coupons we received from the same Chick-fil-A a month or so ago. After a short walk from the MARTA station, we get to the mall, which is packed with people, we order our food and sit down. With a two and a half year old, if you're flying solo you need to make sure you have everything you need before you sit down in the mall. Otherwise, you're going to have to get up with your child, which can be an ordeal. Even if you're only walking 10 feet away from your table. Parents out there know what I'm talking about.
You know who else knows this? Chick-fil-A. To help harried parents and all their other patrons, they've got people assigned to rove the food court asking people if they need anything: drink refills, ketchup, anything. It's a small thing but as a parent it makes your meal that much more enjoyable as a parent because it takes some stress out of what can potentially be a very stressful situation. In this particular trip to Chick-fil-A, I had forgotten a fork, knife and salt, which the rover was happy to get for me. Later, she also refilled my Coke. Without her, I would have had none of these things because I would have just had to make do. With the rover, my meal was significantly more enjoyable.
So this one element is enough to earn Chick-fil-A some solid CX points, but there is so much more that they do that, when added together makes for a great experience. A short list: they offer placemats that stick to the table so the mat doesn't slide around and provides a sanitary eating surface for children, they have Purell hand sanitizing wipes (which come in handy after taking MARTA), and you can exchange your Kid's Meal toys for an ice cream cone (great for rewarding kids for eating all their fruit and nuggets). Is it any wonder that every single parent I know loves going to Chick-fil-a? It's just a really well-conceived dining experience for parents and kids alike.
Walgreens: Customer Experience Failure
On the flip side, after finding out that my daughter had some sort of stomach virus, the pediatrician called in a prescription for an anti-nausea medicine to help my daughter keep some fluids down. She called it into the Walgreens by our house at about 1:15. I go over there at about 2:30 to pick it up only to find out that not only is the order not filled, but the pharmacy doesn't even carry the liquid form, which was prescribed. The pharmacist's response: "We've been real busy and haven't had a chance to call you to let you know." Ugh, that's a pain. So I asked her to call the other Walgreens. They don't have it either. So I asked, "Well what do I do now?". Response: "I don't know."
On the flip side, after finding out that my daughter had some sort of stomach virus, the pediatrician called in a prescription for an anti-nausea medicine to help my daughter keep some fluids down. She called it into the Walgreens by our house at about 1:15. I go over there at about 2:30 to pick it up only to find out that not only is the order not filled, but the pharmacy doesn't even carry the liquid form, which was prescribed. The pharmacist's response: "We've been real busy and haven't had a chance to call you to let you know." Ugh, that's a pain. So I asked her to call the other Walgreens. They don't have it either. So I asked, "Well what do I do now?". Response: "I don't know."
Now I'm a little peeved but I have a work around since she can't come up with a solution to my problem. I asked if they had the pill form of the same medication available. She said they did. Hooray! But, she tells me, it would require the pharmacist to call the doctor back and change the prescription. Ugh. That's a pain, but understandable for safety reasons. So I ask her to ask the head pharmacist to call for me. She said she would but that it would be a while before they could do that. Why? "We're busy." I tell her the pediatrician's office is about to close and she sort of shrugs and says she'll do it as soon as she can. How long do you think that will be? "Probably thirty minutes."
I'm a little stunned and more than a little upset.
Now, I understand it's hectic, but this medicine is all that's standing in between my sick daughter and a total disaster in my house. Had the pharmacist called right when the discrepancy was discovered, we could have gotten the substitution made. Now, we're out of luck.
Needless to say, this is a very bad customer experience. A problem was made, no action was taken on the customer's behalf to correct it, the customer wasn't alerted to the issue resulting in the customer making an unnecessary trip to the pharmacy, when the customer arrived no solution was provided, after the customer offers up a solution the company refuses to act on it immediately, when action is taken on the customer's behalf it's too late to be of any benefit to the customer. This is a total failure across the board.
Of course these are just two interactions with two companies that have hundreds of thousands of daily transactions, but they were respectively memorable enough to provide fodder for this post on juxtaposing great customer experiences with very poor ones.
Chick-fil-A: Win
Walgreens: FAIL
