KQ Article

The best customer experiences come from people who can separate what matters from what does not, and who focus on those things they can control. Such awareness allows for targeted, efficient use of limited resources. It also makes for happy customers.

The commercial cruise industry has this concept nailed.

It is embarkation day — day one— of my weeklong Caribbean cruise. I’m surrounded not by the calm cerulean waters of my imaginings, but a massive parking lot. We stand in yet another line as slightly friendly (at best) workers separate the herd from its luggage. These workers’ uniforms reveal no branding, and it is not clear if they work for the cruise line. I’m sure this ambiguity is intentional.

One final ID check and I enter the Official Guest Experience onboard. This couldn’t be a starker contrast to what I experienced up to this point. All surfaces are clean and gleaming. Cruise line branding adorns everything,  including the glass of bubbly that I am handed with a smile.

I am now in an environment of pure relaxation — a bastion that is beyond the reach of regulations and other buzz-killing complexities of the world.

Or is it?

Looks so easy
The crew members I encounter are relaxed and friendly — very impressive considering they just spent the last two hours disembarking 2,200 passengers and 5,000 pieces of luggage, followed by the surgical cleaning of 1,466 staterooms. Now it’s all smiles as the crew attends to thousands of new passengers and their belongings. These people are pros.

Food preparation and management is another Sisyphean task. Mischa, the ship’s Executive Chef, must satisfy the culinary expectations of every guest, along with 616 employees from 87 countries. Since his kitchen floats and he can’t run to the grocery store, Mischa must plan for all of this in advance.

How do I know this? Because I asked. And asked. And finally, reluctantly, Mischa gave me the inside scoop. So did James, the Environmental Officer, who ultimately assured me that the ship adheres to the world’s most stringent and complex wastewater regulations. I also learned that Barry, the ship’s HR Director, must abide by the employment regulations of all 87 nations present in his workforce. Most guests aboard were not aware of the painstaking adherence to regulation happening all around them. They only knew that the mood was light, the food was great and they were having a wonderful time.

Lessons to bring ashore
As I reflected on the crew’s graceful acceptance of and adherence to the strict policies and regulations to which they were held, it struck me that I was envious. I longed for the day when banking turns its attention back to customers, and when both bankers and consumers are surrounded by a sense of assurance that all regulations are being successfully adhered to behind the scenes.

Imagine a future financial services industry where rules are present but don’t rule. Where complexity is managed but not dramatized. Where employees talk about improving their customers’ experiences instead of the difficulty of their jobs. Where entering a branch provides a noticeable and welcoming contrast to the bustling world outside.

That would be an experience worth remembering. And you wouldn’t have to leave shore to find it.