Thoughtful Customer Experience Design

Last week I went to one of my new favourite restaurants in Melbourne, Harriot. This was the third time I've returned, not only for the exquisite food, but for the impeccable service.
 
As I sat down at the table, excited to read the menu, I realized I'd left my glasses at home. I don't know about anybody else, but I've reached that stage of life where it's very, very difficult to read anything without them. I could have waited for my friend, who hadn't arrived yet, to read the menu to me. Instead, I briefly mentioned to our server, Liv, that I'd left my glasses at home and would have to wait.
 
Very shortly after, Liv came over with two sets of small spectacles, in two different strengths, and simply offered them so I could see the menu and find out what was on for the evening.

This is a place I keep returning to because of the service, because of the end-to-end experience, but that moment really struck me for two reasons. First, the sheer thoughtfulness of the gesture: seeing someone who needed something and, without being asked, simply delivering it. Second, the fact that this had clearly been thought about in advance, one of the minute details of the customer journey. I certainly won't have been the first or last person to turn up to dinner without glasses, and yet it had been considered all the same.
 
All the greatest customer experiences are designed with the customer in mind. They're deliberate and considered. But they also require people who serve from the heart, people who notice the moment and step in. Anticipation, heart, care: the ingredients of exceptional service, and exactly what I experienced that evening.
 
So, if you're in Melbourne, or next time you're visiting, I'd highly recommend heading to Harriot.
 
And if you forget your glasses, don't worry, they've got it covered.
 
Yours in service,
Monique