Strategy, Usability, SEO by KF Multimedia & Web, Inc.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to Las Vegas to attend a convention. I wasn’t feeling great before I got on the plane, but by the time we got to Vegas, I was sick and wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. To top it off, I had a cough that wouldn’t stop and cigarette smoke made it even worse. The doctor in Vegas suggested I stay out of areas where people smoked – even she knew that was almost impossible. For those who have never been to Las Vegas, smoking is still very prevalent.

So where am I going with this story? Well, as I said, I felt lousy and my energy level was non-existent. I decided to order room service. Yes, it would be expensive, but there were limited options. So I ordered strawberry yogurt, toast and a 5 cup pot of tea. I wish I had taken a picture so that you could get the full effect, but hopefully my artist’s concept will give you the idea.

Blogger's rendition of the room service offering

Yoplait yogurt arrived in its container along with a bowl. Now, I paid more than double for this container of yogurt, but I wouldn’t have thought twice about it if Room Service had delivered the yogurt, already in a bowl, with some sliced fruit on top. Instead, I saw that my yogurt came from a one serving container and I had to take the extra step of pouring it into the provided bowl. Not difficult, but it made me wonder why they couldn’t have done it and why I didn’t send my husband to a grocery store?

The pot of tea they delivered cost me $13.95 for hot water, but they did provide several tea bags, lemon, honey, sugars and cream. The tea cup was kind of small so you actually felt like you got more than 5 cups of hot water.

What’s the point of this story?
Perceived Value.
As a business person, you get busy and work to ensure that you get the project or service done in a timely manner. Sometimes however, you forget the little extras that are easy to do and that will make the customer feel like they’ve gotten what they’ve paid for and if you’re lucky, think they’ve gotten a bargain.

Customer experience is a basic tenant of usability. If the customer feels they received value for a product or service, they are more likely to re-buy from you or suggest you to a friend (which is the basics of  social marketing).

It’s common sense really, but as with all things, sometimes we all need reminders. Guess I should really thank room service; they gave me the topic for this blog post.

What experiences of perceived value can you share?

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