Though time has passed since Magento Imagine ended, the lessons and experiences had there still remain. That’s what happens when you create a real, empowering experience. That’s what Magento Imagine is all about – empowering our ecosystem of innovators, and doing so together.
People remember moments. A good keynote speaker, of which there were plenty at Imagine, can provide tons of memorable moments. Introduced by Jamie Clarke as the “architect of modern Las Vegas” and the “current heavyweight defending champion of casino culture,” attendees were privy to a keynote speech from the man who lives, breathes, and builds guest experience, Mr. Steve Wynn.
These are the stories he told us and these are the lessons we take away from that experience:
At the Wynn Resorts, they operate under a simple idea – the only thing that causes their enterprise to prosper & excel is guest experience. As managers of this business, they understand that and know that all of the technology, the hand-woven carpets, the onyx & marble, the crystal chandeliers, all of it is subordinated by those two words: guest experience.
“I always, in my world, start with simple truths, and proceed from there.”
If the simple truth is that guest experience is the business, then the question is who creates guest experience? People – people make people happy. People make a huge difference in guest experience. It’s human resource engineering. A big part of that guest experience is the human part of it, “the people of this place.” Building a workplace culture that is dedicated to delighting the guest is paramount to a positive guest experience.
So, how do you create a culture, instead of where people just come to get a paycheck?
In the workplace, the most powerful force in human nature is our self-esteem. We want to feel good about ourselves and anything that enhances self-esteem will be repeated over and over again; this is one of the most powerful energies to latch on to when trying to get a result.
Cultures are the most powerful thing. If it is true that a single employee acting alone with a single guest can change the history of an enterprise, then that is the basis for a culture, not just the foundation for a company.
An example Steve Wynn brought up was:
Every day before work starts, the manager will ask their colleagues if anyone has a story and then everyone listens. Mr. Wynn, shared a bellhop’s story:
An elderly couple had come to stay and the bellhop was riding in the elevator with them, bringing their luggage to their room. The elderly woman turns to her husband and says she left their medical kit in the foyer of their house. Her husband has diabetes and is dependent on regular injections of insulin, so she is very frantic. Hearing all of this, the bellhop asks them where they live. Then, has them call the housekeeper to confirm that the kit is in the foyer; he tells them his brother lives nearby and to let the housekeeper know he’ll be stopping by to pick it up. He tells the couple not to worry and assures them that they will have their medical kit in time.
Once the bellhop is finished helping the couple settle in to their room, he goes to his boss, explains the situation, gets the day off to go get the medical kit from his brother and bring it back in time for the husband’s next injection. The bellhop makes it back with the medical kit and ensures it gets to the couple in time.
“For that couple, this was no longer a hotel, this was wonderland.”
There are stories like that all the time, says Steve, fifty to eighty times a week – because it’s part of the culture.
After the boss listens attentively to the story, they publicly praise the person who told it and congratulate them on a job well done – the entire room hears this, sees it, and wants it. The boss then calls the storytelling department, gets the photographer and the bellhop in the studio, and they take a picture of this employee. They blow up that picture and feature it in the house for employees, his story is published on the in-company internet – they make a hero out of that employee to create a spotlight program that works!
In most spotlight programs, it’s all about timing; the right person has to be in the right place at the right time to see what’s happening. The timing is provided with this program, the employee is self-nominated, the company practically makes a hero out of them, and now there are more than ten thousand employees walking around and watching the guests to see if anything goes wrong because that is where they have a chance to shine.
“Leadership is about making ordinary people perform in extraordinary ways.”
You can either use the stick to punish or a carrot for rewards. In terms of motivational tools, the stick doesn’t even make the top ten – it doesn’t work. Rewards, however, do. Part of creating a culture is rewarding socially beneficial behavior.
Then, take it to your store. Use positive reinforcement to influence behavior. Focus on creating a culture that is all about making the best guest experience possible. Make people feel good about themselves and they’ll want to repeat the action. Think like a customer and move through your store like a customer.
If you think about customers’ needs, wants, and potential pain points before they even land on your site, you can solve many more of their problems before they happen and keep them from experiencing those problems in the first place. The result? An experience on your store that makes your customers feel good about your site, about your brand, about themselves, and that is an experience they’ll want to come back to you to have again and again.