Just look at yourself!
By Dawn Gibbins MBE - published by Real Business Magazine
Remember that salutary experience the first time a grown up said "Just look at yourself!" What they didn't realise was that at that tender age you were probably not able to make the mind-shift needed to take a different perspective: looking at ourselves as others see us.
Sadly, as we grow up, most of us never learn how to 'externalise' - and that can have really adverse consequences for our business. We become so obsessed with our own corporate message: a case of "listen while I speak at you!"
This really came home to me last month when I attended a fascinating two day workshop run by architects Howard Choy and Gyda Anders. The title of the workshop was "Transforming the Built Environment" and it was a practical, hands-on assessment of a flagship UK enterprise, the St Pancras International Train Station - home of the Eurostar.
Remember the glitzy announcements around this £800 million refurbishment? "Europe's Destination Station", "Redefining the Railway for the 21st Century", " St Pancras International is much more than just a station. It is a place to meet, eat, and shop till you drop."
It's just a shame that the architects lost sight of their customers
OK, there is lots to shout about and some of the Victorian Gothic renovation has been stunningly executed. It's just a shame that the architects lost sight of their customers somewhere along the way. Did they ever ask "What is the first impression European visitors have of us? How do they feel? Do we embrace them?"
Things at St Pancras start off well, thanks to Victorian engineer William Barlow, Engineer in Chief to the Midland Railway Company. The creation of the "Barlow" shed was one of the great feats of Victorian engineering. The roof is 689 ft long by 100 ft high and with a 243 ft span it was the largest enclosed space in the world. It really is a cathedral of light.
Then things go downhill. The shopping area known as the Circle does not really link up with the
Arcade shopping street. The signage through the station is very poor; it is difficult for a newcomer to find their way around. The exit point for the Eurostar passengers is most unfriendly and unwelcoming and lacks any sense of identity.
The Arrivals zone is a mind-numbingly dull grey, sign-less wall. What signs there are around the place, are all in English. So that's what we think about Johnny Foreigner! Just shout at them and they will understand.
If only the architects and planners had tried to think like a visitor, think like a tourist arriving on foot, by taxi, by car, by underground train. Inspiring them to think "Wow this is the UK. I have arrived!"
Every one of us should view our own company 'from the outside'
I could go on and on, but my real purpose is not to discuss St Pancras Station. It's to suggest that every one of us should view our own company 'from the outside'. That might be the physical buildings, the reception areas and so on. It might be our virtual building - the company website. How friendly is it? How easy to navigate? Our printed material - is it talking at people, rather than inviting them to join us? When people phone, what do we sound like? If you still find it difficult to externalise, to 'think like a customer, feel like a customer', get someone else - an acquaintance perhaps, or a professional - to do it for you. That's what retail chains call 'mystery shoppers'; people dropping in, unannounced, behaving like a customer but really assessing the customer experience objectively. Another salutary experience!
So, come on. Just look at yourself! |
