As mentioned earlier this week, I am once again participating in the annual Bathroom Blogfest - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us. What, you might wonder, is that all about? As you know, here at Customers Rock! there is a strong focus on looking at your business from the customer’s perspective. Sometimes, that perspective takes place in the restroom, and this blogfest focuses on exactly that.
The customer experience travels everywhere with your customers, even into those forgotten spaces! Some of my fellow Bathroom Blogfesters have included other forgotten spaces in this year’s festival photos; I have chosen to stick with the main event, the restroom.
Hawaiian:
Last year, I spent time blogging about restroom signs. Some can be very confusing, and some can be amusing. These signs on the restrooms at the Kahului Airport on Maui make it very clear which room is for which people. I love it.
Customers Rock! tip: Having clear signs at your business makes for a simplified customer experience. Don’t try to be too “cute”, especially when it comes to signs on restroom doors! Customers don’t want to be embarassed if they can’t figure them out.
Venetian Restroom
I was recently in the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas during my time at BlogWorld; it is very upscale. I was impressed by my surroundings, and the ambiance carried over to the public ladies room as well (this one was by the Blue Man Group’s theater). Having my Flip Mino video camera in my purse (you never know when you might need it!), I took this tasteful video in the restroom to show off the beautiful fixtures. (Note: Don’t blink when you watch the video. I did it rather quickly so as not to be taping when another customer came in. It might have been difficult to explain!)
Customers Rock! tip: Try and keep your “forgotten spaces” consistent with the rest of your customer experience. Every interaction with your brand counts, even the bathroom!
Bathroom Blogfest ‘08
If you would like to see more perspectives on the bathroom experience and other forgotten spaces, be sure to check out the posts from this past week at these other Blogfest participants below! You can see all my posts from last year’s Bathroom Blogfest regarding: DisneyBathrooms as well as Door Signs.
Just a short post to let you know about a few great things that are going on around here at Customers Rock! More posts on customer experience, social media, and a few videos coming soon.
First things first: I have been a busy lately with my new job. I just accepted and started in my role as Director of Social Media at Brickfish. Brickfish is a social media advertising network, and they focus on helping brands reach their customers via the social web and viral marketing. This is a great position for me as it marries my two key areas of interest: social media and customer loyalty (you couldn’t have guessed that, could you?). I will definitely report back more on this company and role as I get my feet firmly planted there! I will still be writing my Customers Rock! blog and will also continue my gig at UCSD Extension teaching the Marketing via New Media class. Consulting projects are being put on the back burner at the moment, but do let me know if I can help you via my great network!
In other news…
I just returned from the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer, and I had a great time speaking, learning a lot, and connecting with bloggers I had met online but not yet in person. Write-ups, video, and photos to come soon!
Bathroom Blogfest ‘08 is happening now! I participated in this last year with my blog posts on the customer experience and the restroom, highlighting bathrooms at Disney theme parks. I will post my bathroom customer experiences later this week, towards the end of the blogfest, but I wanted to highlight the other bloggers who are taking part in this annual event. Here they are:
Last year, I participated in a great project to write a book with over 100 other bloggers, the Age of Conversation. This year, we are doing it again with the Age of Conversation 2: Why Don’t They Get It? It launches shortly (tomorrow); stay tuned for details!
An important part of crafting a great customer experience is attention to detail. Today I am sharing some very creative signs which indicate the location of the bathroom door. They all align with the theming of the establishment or area in which they are found. Which one do you like best?
Disney doors:
Disney’s California Adventure: This is the door sign that went with my earlier post on the Route 66 bathroom. It is shaped like a USA highway sign.
Disneyland at Space Mountain: This sign is found on the women’s room door which is at the exit to the Space Mountain rollercoaster. As the coaster has outer-space themes, so does the door. Good for large and small aliens to use.
DisneyWorld at EPCOT World Showcase: In case you haven’t been to this Disney theme park, EPCOT in Orlando, Florida has two main areas. The first is FutureWorld, and the second is the World Showcase. Several countries are represented there. These two signs come from the Norwegian pavilion and the USA pavilion, respectively.
Non-Disney:
Samba Room, Orlando, Florida
This restaurant serves Cuban cuisine in an Asian-fusion style. I couldn’t resist taking pictures of the doors to their men’s and women’s rooms (respectively). Clever!
The Bathroom Experience
Have you considered how even the smallest of details can speak volumes about your establishment? I hope this blogfest has given you some ideas to consider. Who knows; maybe I will feature your bathroom in next year’s blogfest! Feel free to send me pictures throughout the year, and I will credit you and your establishment.
Visit the Bathroom Blogfest group blog, as well as the other Blogfest bloggers:
Why are we looking at bathrooms this week? The customer experience truly spans all customer touchpoints, including the bathroom! If the experience is great throughout an establishment but the washroom is dirty, lacks supplies, or is unappealing, a customer’s impression of your brand will be affected. Disney has a very strong brand, and its bathrooms are generally kept very clean and tidy. Today I will show you a few pictures of exceptional bathrooms - luxury Disney.
Disney’s California Adventure Park, Ariel’s Grotto
Ariel’s Grotto is a restaurant which serves what Disney calls “character meals”. In other words, this is the place to come if you want to meet the Disney characters while you eat. This particular restaurant is focused on those popular Disney princesses, and you can get your photo taken with Ariel (from the Little Mermaid). Right across from her beautifully-themed mermaid photo spot is this ladies room. Of course, it has the “children’s sink” which is lower than the other sinks, but its most striking aspect is the lighting. In order to achieve that “under the sea” effect, there is a blue glow which is emitted from the mirrors. The bathroom in general is dimly-lit in the sink area so the blue glow can be seen. In addition, the bathroom is in shades of teals, green, and blue, and the mirrors are luxurious with gold and granite all around, fit for any little (or big) princess to use!
Disney World: EPCOT, House of Technology
Inside the Innoventions area of EPCOT at Disney World, you can take a tour of the House of Technology. This “house” shows off many futuristic ideas about how we can use technology in every day life - such as the room-darkening glass controlled by a touchscreen or the wall speakers (which are the wall!). One of the most interesting parts of the house was the bathroom. While Disney guests can’t use this bathroom, it is so visually-appealing that I had to share it!
It includes a shower with multiple shower heads that can turn on and off as desired, creating a pulsing effect. It also includes this toilet and sink area. The toilet is tankless, and water is pumped directly to the bowl. The sink is simple in its elegance, with the blue glass basin adding a nice touch of color. The overall effect is one of a very neat and tidy area which could be replicated for hotels or eating establishments. Well done, Disney! (And Kohler, as they are the ones who make these fixtures.)
Tomorrow, I will share fun bathroom signs!
Visit the Bathroom Blogfest group blog, as well as the other Blogfest bloggers:
The customer experience spans across all places a customer touches an organization: sales, marketing, customer service, and yes, even the bathroom! The Bathroom Blogfest takes place this week, and I am honored to be part of the contributing author list. As I am such a Disney fan, I decided my theme for bathroom posts this week would be Disney bathrooms. Some are themed in amazing ways, some have really fun door signs, and some are yet to come!
I will begin the week with a fun, themed bathroom from Disney’s California Adventure park. Disney takes the experience of being in California all the way into the stalls (and I don’t mean traffic stalls!). This part of the park is themed around the famous Route 66 road in the USA. To set the stage (because Disney has a strong focus on their show): Just outside this particular restroom is a McDonald’s, disguised as a giant hamburger. It is similar to some of the giant icons seen on the roadside of Route 66.
Inside, the theme is carried through all the way down the hall. The yellow lane markers guide you to the stalls, and in solid Disney fashion, you can see the lowered “kiddie” sink on the left hand side. This is great for the mom with the child who says, “I want to do it myself!” Plus, with a lower sink, the child doesn’t get their shirt all wet when mom has to lift them up to the faucet over the inevitably-wet counters. As you can also see, this bathroom is spotless.
On your way out, you see a fabulous Route 66 mural on the wall tiles! Get your kicks…
More from me in my next installment later this week. Visit the Bathroom Blogfest group blog, as well as the other Blogfest bloggers:
Last year about this time, I was preparing for my keynote speech for the British Columbia Association of Integrated Marketers. In talking about the customer experience, I wanted to mention all potential customer touchpoints that could impact how customers feel about an organization. I found Stephanie Weaver’s blog, experienceology, and asked her for permission to use some of the bathroom photos she had.
This year, I am participating in the blogfest! Bathroom Blogfest 2007 runs from Sunday, October 28 through Friday, November 2. The blogfest features 22 bloggers from around the globe, writing about the importance of bathrooms in the customer experience, including photos of both the best and the worst bathrooms. To get an idea, here is the link to the wrap-up from last year’s blogfest. Be sure to check out the group blog listed above to see all the posts, as well as some amusing videos.
I will be posting on something a little unique - Disney bathrooms. I have been doing my research, and I will be including bathrooms from Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, and hopefully, some bathrooms from Disney World (where I will be at the beginning of the blogfest).
If you would like to contribute, please send me your photos and explanation to becky at petraconsultinggroup.com, and I will link to you and include them in the festival.
Here are the links to this year’s participating bloggers:
As mentioned earlier this week, I am once again participating in the annual Bathroom Blogfest - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us. What, you might wonder, is that all about? As you know, here at Customers Rock! there is a strong focus on looking at your business from the customer’s perspective. Sometimes, that perspective takes place in the restroom, and this blogfest focuses on exactly that.
Last year, I spent time blogging about restroom signs. Some can be very confusing, and some can be amusing. These signs on the restrooms at the Kahului Airport on Maui make it very clear which room is for which people. I love it.
The customer experience spans across all places a customer touches an organization: sales, marketing, customer service, and yes, even the bathroom! The Bathroom Blogfest takes place this week, and I am honored to be part of the contributing author list. As I am such a Disney fan, I decided my theme for bathroom posts this week would be Disney bathrooms. Some are themed in amazing ways, some have really fun door signs, and some are yet to come!
