How these Three Podcast Episodes Changed my Business Worldview (Part 3)

This is part 3 of podcasts that have inspired me.

The podcasts are:

• Part 1: The Tim Ferriss Show: A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath (Jim Collins)
• Part 2: The Investors Podcast: The Power of Moments - W/ Dan Heath
• Part 3: Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman: Airbnb's Brian Chesky in Handcrafted

This podcast series is a masterpiece, created by Reid Hoffman (PayPal, LinkedIn etc), It has recently been nominated for a Webby (the podcast Oscars). It is very well produced, and feels like a story/documentary. I recommend the whole series, but this episode stood out.

Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman: Airbnb's Brian Chesky in Handcrafted

It is an interview with Brain Chesky from Airbnb. He talks about doing things that don't scale early on in a business, to learn about your customer. But what really stuck with me is how he redefined customer experience. Airbnb developed the 11-Star Experience Design to wrap their head around how customers experience a stay at one of their listings. These levels are:

• 1-Star Experience: You arrive at the Airbnb and nobody is there. No-one opens the door when you knock. You are pissed off and never use Airbnb again.
• 3-Star Experience: They don’t open and you have to wait 20 mins for host to arrive.
• 5-Star Experience: You knock on the door, they open the door and let you in. It’s no big deal, you will not tell your friends. “I used Airbnb, it worked”. It checks all the boxes.
• 6-Star Experience: Host opens the door, welcomes you and shows you around. On the table there is a welcome gift, maybe a bottle of wine. You open the fridge, there is water. You go to the toilet and find basic toiletries. “I love this more than a hotel. I’ll definitely use this again.”
• 7-Star Experience: “Welcome. Here’s my full kitchen. I know you like surfing. There’s a surfboard waiting for you. I’ve booked lessons for you. It’s going to be an amazing experience. By the way, here’s my car. You can use my car. And I also want to surprise you. There’s this best restaurant in the city of San Francisco. I got you a table there.” And you’re like, “Whoa. This is way beyond.”
• 8-Star Experience: I would land at the airport. I would show up, and there would be a limousine waiting for me. The limousine would know all my preferences. It would take me to the house, and it would be a total surprise.
• 9-Star Experience: A nine-star check-in, I would show up at the airport, and there’d be a parade in my honor. And I would probably have an elephant waiting for me as the traditional Indian ceremony. I would ride on the elephant, and there’d be this parade taking me to the house.
• 10-Star Experience: A ten-star check-in would be the Beatles in 1964. I’d get off the plane, and there’d be five thousand high school kids cheering my name with cars welcoming me to the country. I’d get to the front yard of your house, and there’d be a press conference for me, and it would be just a mindf–k experience.
• 11-Star Experience: I would show up at the airport, and you’d be there with Elon Musk, and you’re saying, “You’re going to space.”

Even though Airbnb normally operate at level 7/8, it is a great exercise to go through to really understand what your customer values. I recommend any business completes an exercise like this. It will help your team become more customer-centric and create alignment.

Those are my top picks. Let me know what you think.