Have you heard about that crazy Australian dentist Dr Paddi Lund who coined the phrase ‘Non Critical Essentials’? I hadn’t until this week when I was listening to digital marketing expert, Matt Lambert talk about operational speeds of content management systems which he described it as a ‘non critical essential’.
Basically he explained it’s not a deal breaker but one of those many little niggles that differentiates users from having a ‘satisfactory ‘experience to one that delights them enough to become a loyal customer and brand champion.
But back to the fascinating dentist story …basically Paddi was frustrated. He felt undervalued because he realised that patients couldn’t know that his work was superior; after all who inspects their fillings or even knows what a good one looks like? So he took action and introduced numerous small touches that differentiated his business from the other dentists around. These small touches on their own weren’t particularly significant, but collectively they made a huge impact on the whole dental experience. He made it feel far superior to an ordinary dentist. Paddi used bone china to serve refreshments; offered freshly baked buns in a waiting area that looked like a chic coffee shop; he hung original art on the walls; he introduced a ‘stop’ button for patients; TVs on the ceiling; private waiting rooms for those that didn’t want to wait with others; a nurse that was the patient’s sole point of contact from making the booking, to welcoming them on arrival and then looking after them during their ‘stay’.
He also raised his prices significantly and naturally lost a whole bunch of price sensitive patients along the way, but he kept those that valued his superior services and were willing to pay for them. He could thus work less and earn more and he wasn’t a frustrated dentist anymore, that is before taking his new found business turnaround skills and selling them worldwide (including to the coach Clive Woodward).
I love this story as a Services Marketeer, because it beautifully encapsulates the idea of making the intangible tangible. It also moves away from the idea of unique selling point and focuses on how to make your services stand out by getting the detail right. I believe it is worth spending time and energy thinking about how you can be great at all the ‘Non Critical Essentials’ that make up ‘the customer experience’. Because it is here that the battle for customer loyalty is lost or won.
