Normal's nothing to write about

At times its disconcerting to see people behave differently from the way they are supposed to. Take for example my ride in the bus today. Normally, the 'front' seats in the bus fill up first as the ride's better on Indian roads if you sit up front. But to my surprise, the seats in the front were relatively empty when compared to the ones at the back. Of course, I wasn't complaining at my good fortune. In fact I can now report a journey that went super smooth.

Out-of-the-ordinary behaviour from a marketer means he's done something different from what was expected. Like when you step into a store, if you're greeted by name, you're surprised. How in the world did they know or remember, are questions that run through your mind. Now when it comes to customer service all we expect is 'indifferent' service. We know marketers really don't care. Like yesterday, I went into this Titan store at the Forum Mall. The glum stares and sour faces didn't bother me a bit. After all, that's what's expected. But if the store people had come forward with a smile and asked me how they could help, I'd been pleasantly surprised. And then I'd have remembered.

Every customer engagement has the customer expecting what's 'normal' and therefore presents an opportunity. Because normal's nothing to write about. Break that normal pattern to deliver on a pleasant experience and you would have 'disconcertingly' affected the consumer for the better. And in your favour. Because he'll remember and be back.