If A Worse Experience Is Possible…

I wrote last year about attending the 2023 NRL Grand Final, where the tickets I purchased were premium in price but were lacking considerably in experience.

You can read that article here.

And last night, twelve months later, my family attended the 2024 NRL Grand Final and I purchased the same “elite” ticket package.

Unfortunately, when I thought that the NRL couldn’t get much more wrong with their inability to create an experience for their customers, they have exceeded themselves by further lowering the bar of excellence.

So here’s what we received this year:

• Same great seats
• Access to the same “elite” bar area
• Same $50.00 voucher towards food and beverages
• No voucher towards merchandise
• A heavy fabric baseball cap and a very small flag to wave
• No bag

Key to this year’s disappointment was that unlike in previous years, beverages purchased in the elite bar had to be consumed in the elite bar, and could not be taken back to your stadium seat to enjoy while watching the game live.

In essence, consumers who purchased an elite experience package became hostages to the elite bar area which was located well away from direct viewing of the game.

[Apparently this is because the elite bar sells full strength beer which is unavailable in the regular part of the stadium…. but there are other NRL venues where full strength beer is sold in all bars, and can be consumed in all areas, without causing social disruptions…]

Like I said last year, truth be told, I would have paid the price for the seats alone without all the window dressing of an elite experience. But since the elite experience food beverages and merchandise was all part of the package, the NRL and Accor Stadium need to stop dressing up catfishes and telling me they’re selling me lobster and caviar.

In your dental practice…

In your dental practice, if you’re going to gift someone something, make that gift is something of value, rather something that looks as though you don’t really care at all.

Years ago Qantas used to give their business class travellers a toiletries bag each time they travelled.

Sadly, over the years, the contents of these bags diminished in quality and also in the number of items being gifted to travellers.

Which reflected poorly on the airline because regular customers of that airline notice when the cost of travel rises, but at the same time the associated benefits of travel diminish.

At present in Western Sydney, the private owners of a major orbital toll road are widening the motorway from four lanes to six lanes.

While this work is going on, the speed limit on that tollway has been reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h, and the lanes have been narrowed.

So the drivers’ journeys are taking longer.

But at the same time, the owners of the tollway are increasing the price that drivers pay [electronically] for using these slower motorways.

How does that work out as being fair for the consumer?

In your business…

In your business, are you overcharging and under-delivering?

Because if you are, your customers will march with their feet and they will take their business elsewhere…

That’s a given.

Make sure that your gifts to clients are well thought out, and are appreciated.

Because if those gifts are anything less, your perceived lack of generosity will be more harmful than good for your business.

[P.S. The mighty Penrith Panthers beat the Melbourne Storm 14-6 in the 2024 Grand Final]

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Dr. David Moffet BDS FPFA CSP is a certified CX Experience coach. David works with his wife Jayne Bandy to help SME businesses improve their Customer Service Systems to create memorable World Class experiences for their valued clients and customers. Click here to find out how David and Jayne can help your business

https://ultimatecxexperience.info/about-us/