EW Facility Services, together with its associates, puts customer experience in the spotlight at knowledge event
Knowledge event
4 February 2015 - For the almost 200 guests at the EW Facility Services knowledge event, the afternoon of Tuesday 3 February was all about experience. In the Recital Hall of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, EW Facility Services – together with renowned speakers – examined the theme of customer experience in detail. Everything around us has an effect on our experience, but to what extent can you deliberately influence experience?
Bas Haagen, Marketing and Sales Director at EW Facility Services, explains why the multi-service facility services provider organised this event: “One of our aims is to further develop and disseminate our expert role in the field of customer experience. An event like this is a great tool for this. The hotel sector is often held up as a shining example of the development of experiential concepts in the facility market. Because we’ve been operating in the hotel sector for many years, we have an unrivalled ability to connect the knowledge and experience of the hotel world with the facility market. And as far as we’re concerned, that makes an event like this extra special.”
Attention means truly seeing someone
Désirée Struijk, a specialist in multisensory customer experience, opened the event as the first of three speakers. She gave the visitors a glimpse of Facility Management 3.0. She sees the facility manager, in interaction with the marketing manager, as responsible for the journey customers make within an organisation. Her advice is above all to make contact with the emotional half of the brain during this customer journey. According to Struijk, customer satisfaction is now often seen as the key issue, but we are increasingly moving in the direction of customer experience, and with it customer loyalty. You don’t make the difference by only offering good quality; for customers this merely forms the basis that falls within their expectations. You can’t do without it, but you can specifically influence experience through personal attention for the customer. Struijk: “And that goes further than simply greeting someone. It means that we truly see someone.”
Linguistic difference
Stephan van Gelder, director of Integron and responsible for a major annual survey of experience within the facility sector, endorsed this view. He emphasised the ‘linguistic difference’ between facility managers and end users, pointing out the difference between measuring satisfaction and measuring experience. “Whereas measuring satisfaction has to do with functionalities and output, it’s more important to look at the way in which users experience the facilities”, said Van Gelder. Drawing another link with Désirée Struijk’s presentation, he confirmed that sensory perceptions have a major influence on this process.
A place where guests can feel at home
The last of the trio of speakers was Michael Levie, CEO of citizenM. With its innovative hotel concept, citizenM focuses on the ‘mobile citizens of the world’ – a highly specific target group among hotel guests – with the ambition to offer guests a place where they can feel at home. According to Levie, it’s all about daring to be different and daring to focus on a niche, and then ensuring that within this niche you offer experiences that meet and surpass the guests’ expectations. This doesn’t mean ‘scripted hospitality’, it means becoming a part of the guest’s lifestyle.
What would the Royal Concertgebouw be without music?
Naturally music had to form part of the programme. Simon Reinink, managing director of the Royal Concertgebouw, welcomed the guests to his ‘home’. Then it was the turn of Nikola Meeuwsen – a 12-year-old piano prodigy and winner of the Royal Concertgebouw Competition 2014 – to take the stage. He presented a breathtaking musical performance that moved the audience’s hearts.
25 years of hospitality
The event was also the moment for EW Facility Services to launch the celebrations of its jubilee year. The facility service provider is marking its 25th anniversary this year, and that means 25 years of hospitality. So of course the jubilee cannot go by unnoticed. A host of unexpected events for employees, clients and other associates are scheduled throughout the year. And there is also a special jubilee website, full of discount offers on products and experiences and explorations of trends and innovations in the fields of hospitality and experience. Everyone can come and join the jubilee celebrations at www.foryourhospitality.nl.
Photo, from left to right
Stephan van Gelder, director of Integron
Désirée Struijk, director of Senta Multisensory Concepting
Sander Allegro, director of Allegro INNovations
Michael Levie, CEO of citizenM
