The elevator at the hotel I was staying last week had a sign that read: “Please allow 30 minutes for check-out in order not to disrupt your schedule”. The hotel had a problem: it couldn’t check people out fast enough. But they also had a choice. They could:
a. Make it a customer’s problem
b. Turn the problem into an opportunity
They chose (a) and hanged the little sign in the elevator.
Compare that approach to what this South Florida hospital is doing about another situation where customers don’t like to wait: emergency room visits. National average emergency room wait time is about an hour, but Aventura Hospital has managed to bring it down to just a few minutes.
This compelling competitive advantage is effectively communicated through billboards that show actual, current waiting times. The information is texted directly to the billboards (and to the hospital’s website) and refreshed every 30 minutes.
This simple and relevant benefit is building the hospital’s brand. It has also increased business: since the billboards went up, emergency room visits have jumped 25%.
Problems tell you where you can add value and differentiate yourself. Next time you find a problem, find also a way to turn it into an opportunity.
This is smart. If your business has something that can be seen of as a problem, then the chances of other similar businesses having the same problem are pretty high. That said, if your problem is better addressed in comparison to competitors, then that’s an advantage.
Great reading, and hopefully other small businesses will take some it to heart. Thanks