I was recently in the market for a pair of eyeglasses.  I was actually pretty excited to shop for them because it was an opportunity for a new look. But I needed them quickly, because my new puppy ate my old pair.  This limited me a bit.

Like apartment communities, shopping for a pair of glasses is pretty customer experience driven.  You think about how each will make you look and feel, but also ask yourself if it is practical. And you depend on the sales person for feedback and information.

When you wear something on your face the emotional factors weigh a little heavier, so the first store I selected definitely had the “cool” factor. They’re trendy, their branding is fantastic, they share a great story about the company and their employees, they’re affordable, and they give back to those in need. Sounds like a perfect storm, right?

Wrong. The in-store experience was awful. The store design continued their brand, and they hired really hip and attractive people to work there.  But that is where it all ended.  Those hip and attractive people were shells. They didn’t make an effort to have conversations about what I needed or desired.  There wasn’t even a sincere welcome, or an effort to help me find the right frames.

After 5 or 10 minutes of frustration, I walked out empty handed without so much as a good bye from the employees. 

The point of this story is to remind all of us that having an amazing brand and touting our focus on the customer and desire to do good for the community only gets us so far.  Our teams must believe it, live it, and share it. That means hiring the right people and keeping them educated and engaged.  You can’t hire a fancy ad agency to do that for you.