Service Transparency

By Erick Mohr

A few months ago a fire ruined a small but charming restaurant situated in my neighbourhood. As soon as the owners started to get the place back in shape, I noticed that they were constantly leaving update notes on the window.

Keeping in touch with customers

By reading these notes, I became connected to what was happening in the restaurant. Its owners could have left a simple sign saying: We’ll reopen on June 11th. But the decision to be open and transparent resonated with customers like me. It made us feel like part of ‘the gang’.

Being transparent is a crucial step in making an emotional connection between service users and providers. It makes businesses seem more human and closer to their customers. It also helps to make customers feel more valued and trusted, which in turn leads to enhanced customer loyalty and advocacy.

Take UPS or FedEx as an example. These companies offer a fair degree of service transparency by allowing customers to track their packages in real time, leading to an extra level of reassurance and peace of mind.

In Brazil restaurants have to display a sign saying “please visit our kitchen” to comply with health and safety regulations. Although I haven’t met anyone who has asked for a kitchen tour, the offer surely makes the service provided by restaurants more transparent. As a result, restaurants seem more trustworthy and customers feel more comfortable.

However, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. In order for transparency to work, businesses need to ensure that not only the customer facing aspects of a service - but also the infrastructure enabling service delivery - are well designed. You probably wouldn’t recommend a restaurant with a dirty and messy kitchen, would you?

Good service is about trust, and being transparent is a certain way of gaining the trust of customers.