By Scott Hoffpauir, Managing Partner

As you may know, we at True North Advisory, have been focused in the customer experience space. We were happy to see that it was the highlight at the recent Enterprise Connect conference. Customer experience is a broad area with many different facets such as contact center, analytics, engagement channels, self service, employee productivity, and field service management. Sometimes we tend to focus on just the technology aspects and the unique features of each tool, but often it’s people that matter the most.

You might be wondering what I mean by this. While technology is important, companies can sometimes lose sight of what makes a great company. Let me explain. A few weeks back, I caught up with my cousin Kim Owens. She spent years managing all the Del Frisco’s Double Eagle steakhouses around the US. After leaving, she started her own restaurant in Las Vegas during the pandemic. Starting a business is hard, and a restaurant is even harder. Kim building her own restaurant during a pandemic, and in Las Vegas, is about as hard as it gets. Her restaurant – Main St. Provisions – is a big hit and gaining traction in the competitive Las Vegas market.

In the restaurant industry, you must have a great chef who can provide really good food. You need a creative person managing the bar, who can provide a great wine and cocktail menu.

You must have a great location with a welcoming atmosphere. But the most important thing is great service. You want your guests to have an experience that they won’t forget. Experiences matter, and are the main reason customers visit again.

So what sets Kim apart from today’s cutting edge CX product? Kim sets the gold standard for customer service. Her passion and personality shine through in everything she does. She greets guests as they enter the restaurant, and goes around to every table, talking with guests, answering questions, refilling glasses, and describing the menu. Her descriptions of the menu are riveting, often described as “food porn”, with customers hanging on every word.

Her goal is to not only make guests feel welcome, but also to ensure that they come back time and time again. Customers don’t come just for good food, they come for the experience. Experience is a great product, a welcoming environment and superb service. It’s a good lesson for all of us. Technology is great, but it’s a tool. Sometimes companies can get too hung up on the latest feature or minute details of a product that the ACTUAL customer experience gets lost in the mix. What matters is creating a culture around customer experience. Kim has clearly done that.

An important takeaway is that customer experience is an ongoing process with room to make improvements and adjust to customer needs. And of course, people are important. No matter who you’re selling to, you’re going to have to interact with someone to get your message across.

If you’re in Las Vegas, make sure to go by and visit Kim at Main St. Provisions. You’re guaranteed to get a great customer experience. Make sure you share your feedback with us.