By Ali
My oldest friend in the world and her husband had their first baby in November 2012. Naturally, I booked a trip to Seattle to meet the little guy. They live about two and a half hours north of Seattle and so I would be renting a car for the weekend. Though I was born in Massachusetts, Seattle is where I grew up and as my family no longer resides in the city, the Seattle Tacoma Airport (SeaTac) feels like home every time I pass through. This was no exception. I was, however, greeted with a treat upon this adventure.
My flight arrived in the early evening. After six hours I was ready to stretch my legs. As Seattle was home, I was not practiced at renting a car and so was unsure where to go. My rental car memories at various locations consist of sitting for long periods of time with the bags and my younger siblings as my parents dealt with whatever counter had invariably run out of cars big enough for our crew of five and our (over-packed) luggage. Though it was just me and two small bags this time, I was still not looking forward to the transaction. I had reserved ahead with Enterprise and followed the signs dutifully to the rental car area. What I found was a shuttle that would take me to the off-site location. I was slightly confused that the shuttle was for ALL of the rental car companies and almost missed it, looking for a green, Enterprise specific ride. I sat on the very quiet, seemingly eco-friendly bus and waited for the frustrating experience to begin, hoping I wouldn’t lose too much time before getting on the road.
What greeted me was one of the most memorable customer experiences of my life. I was delivered to a huge, five-story, shining, state of the art building. Surely this is not just for me and my rental car, I mused. Even if it was, Enterprise must be buried in a maze somewhere inside. As I was about to exit the shuttle a horizontal, brightly colored sign above the door lit up and caught my eye, showing me very clearly that Enterprise was located in the center of a line of desks I would easily find upon entering the building. Still slightly wary, I walked through the center doors and my jaw dropped. In front of me were a bank of desks, branded for every rental car company I had ever heard of, and several I had not. Looking to my left and my right, the desks seemed to go on forever – shiny, easy to spot, with low hanging, clearly labeled signs and plenty of room for families to wait while business is conducted. I walked, with my jaw still hanging, straight ahead to the Enterprise desk where I was greeted with such cheer and customer service that I felt like a VIP.
The man at the desk took care of my reservation at lightning speed, didn’t pressure me with extra insurance, and gave me clear directions to the Enterprise level of the garage. “Walk to the end of the desks, through the door, and down to the second floor. An Enterprise employee will greet you as you come off the escalator,” he promised. I walked in a daze through the glass doors and saw clearly that, indeed, Enterprise was on the second floor (its brand was located at the top of the escalator, during the ride, and on the actual second floor – all to alert me of its location).
Stepping off of the two-story escalator, an Enterprise-jacket wearing employee greeted me holding an iPad, called me by my name, shook my hand, and directed me to a bank of vehicles to choose from. Though he (obviously) attempted to up-sell me (who can fault him), I chose a fantastic VW Beetle Sport in black, signed the iPad contract, hopped in, and was on my way. I exited by handing the man at the gate my pink form and was out of the establishment and on my way. This whole interaction took eleven minutes. ELEVEN! To RENT a CAR! Amazing!
Beyond Philosophy published an article that caught my attention entitled, “Jump-starting Your Customer Experience Strategy” by Chief Operating and Consulting Officer Qaalfa Dibeehi. Viewing this $400 million rental car hub through the lens of Dibeehi’s perspective, strategically SeaTac seemed to take a hybrid approach of an outside in and inside out customer experience strategy. An outside in approach would have focused solely on customer needs first and then acted upon by the company. An inside out approach would have been designed by the business and then rolled out to customers.
Outside In: Though I could not find secondary data about any customer interviews or focus groups, it is clear that once I arrived at the facility, I was the superstar in the process. I have never felt more attended to. The map on the bus got me ready for my arrival. The clear signage outside and inside the building led me directly to the desk. The one and two story escalators and their very clear, stacked signage in order of the actual floors got me to my destination quickly and accurately. The iPad with all of my information, my signed contract, and my emailed receipt cut down on transaction time. This time savings was largely due to the mobility of the iPad and the Enterprise rep. All of my business was conducted as we walked to my car. Believe me, it still makes me chuckle that renting a car made my whole day (until I met my four year old pseudo-nephew, that is).
Inside Out: Not only does this make customers’ lives easier, but it is more environmentally friendly, clears up congestion at the airport, and offers more on-site parking for travelers. As SeaTac deals with 32 million passengers annually – 20% of whom will rent a car – this investment 14 years in the making will definitely pay off. Most importantly, it will not bring any burden to locals who will most likely not use the facility, further extending the realm of this customer experience to non-customers. New legislation allows for SeaTac to charge a $6/day fee for rental cars which will help to pay back the 30-year bonds used to finance the project instead of taxing locals.
This hybrid approach has anchored this facility, and SeaTac Airport as a whole, within the “Enlightened” to “Natural” realms of Dibeehi’s “Naïve to Natural Model”. As an extremely satisfied customer, I am certain that the company took my emotions into account when planning this journey and, as a result, made my own journey that much better.
*All images are not my own and are linked to their original content. Thank you for the insight!
