To Charge (up) or Not to Charge: A Discussion for Businesses
The debate is a hot one. No, not the political discussions that have everyone mad at each other. This debate is whether or not a restaurant or bar should (or should not) offer a way for customers to charge their phones.
As a business, we have to make decisions that match our core values, and we have to balance those decisions with profitability. If our personal beliefs outweigh our desire to be competitive in our industry, we might find that our decisions won't pay off in the long run. On the other hand, if we choose solely from a business perspective, we run the risk of altering the culture, and credo of our brands. And anyone who knows me, knows I am passionate about brands who Start with Why, and encourage business owners and entrepreneurs to define their purpose, beyond one that is about making money - as Simon Sinek says, Money is a Result. Purpose is what drives us to do what we do every day.
So, when I suggest that businesses make decisions that take into consideration, profitability, I realize I might sound like I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth. But I am advocating for the one thing we must all value as business owners: Customer Service.
This discussion is simply about customer service.
As a business owner, we are hosts. Our guests are choosing to dine with us, or shop with us and it is our job to provide them with the same level of comfort we would provide if they were guests in our homes, because, quite frankly, they can just as easily choose not to dine with us. And once they have made a decision that "This place isn't for me..." they will probably never come back.
Most of us have been in a situation in which our cell phone was dying. We may have been traveling, or just in a bind and our options were limited. Consider this scenario: You've got an important phone call (or maybe it's not so important - it's relative and subjective, and it's not about whether anyone else thinks what you need to do with your phone is important - it's about what you need right now.) You walk into an establishment. And because you are mindful of the role of a guest, you intend to spend some money, get a meal, or a drink, so that you can spend a little time charging up your phone. You ask the hostess if there is a place near an outlet that you can charge your phone, while you grab a bite to eat.
"I am sorry," she says. "We don't allow customers to use our power outlets." It's a company policy. The owner wants our customers to enjoy their dining experience, and not spend time on their phones while they visit us."
You look outside, across the street and you see a corporate chain restaurant, and you know that you will be welcomed and assisted with your problem there. Without the judgment or criticism of an owner whose policies indicate he'd rather you go across the street than spend money in his restaurant, which is certainly well within his rights, and there's nothing wrong with his beliefs. Except when the same business owner might also be struggling to figure out why his revenue has been down consistently over the past several months - maybe there's a correlation to this decline in revenue and when he made this policy.
The fact remains that our dollars can be spent wherever we want to spend them, and we choose to spend those dollars where we feel welcomed and comfortable.
Admittedly, I have a bias here, as I do appreciate places that make charging a part of life - because it is. Say what you want about the excessive use of cell phones being a problem in our culture. If this article was about that, I would likely agree with you, and we could discuss spending quality time together, and balance, and a lot of other things that we don't like and we'd agree. But this article in this case, it's about making sound business decisions, and providing a customer experience that does not make a guest feel uncomfortable - or judged simply because they have a need that must be filled.
As epicurious writer Matt Duckor shared back in 2014 when a Vice writer came out full throttle, saying it was rude for a customer to expect a restaurant, or its staff to charge his phone, it boils down to being courteous. We don't tell our customers to pee at home, so it makes sense that we chalk this one up to one of those items we offer, if needed, when a customer makes a request. Otherwise, we are sending them to the competition - the businesses that embrace these customers, and make them feel at home, and that's not usually a sound business decision, especially for the locally owned businesses who, simply because the corporate chains have a larger budget to attract new customers, small, locally owned businesses have to be catering heavily to the desires of all customers, even when they prefer that their guests "enjoy their dining experience, and not spend time on their phones while they visit us."
It's a tough debate. One that I encourage businesses to consider carefully, and if it makes sense, go the extra mile, and add a few charging stations, or outlets that are easily accessible.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And make some money making your customers happy.