Customer Value Added. Helping the customer get more value out of using your product.

When we think of process improvement, our minds often jump immediately to what the business is doing to fill a customer’s needs.

We are not as good at looking at the steps the user takes. Is customer value added every time the product is used?

A case in point. I saw this kiosk at the airport recently.

Customer Value Added: On Demand Electricity

I think it is a great idea. It is a quick charging station for electronic devices. Very handy for when you forget your charger, or don’t have access to an outlet. At peak times in the airport, finding a free electrical socket can be harder than spotting the Loch Ness Monster. The company that built this kiosk got the need right. Access to electricity = customer value added.

What is missing, though, is a thought of how the customer will use this station. Nobody is going to stray far from an iPhone or a Blackberry that is plugged in at a public place. So, for the entire twenty or thirty minutes of charging time, the customers get to stand by the station.

A few chairs would help. Or adding secure compartments that the user can unlock with a swipe of their credit card. Or a detachable battery pack that is rented, but covered with a deposit in case the customer doesn’t return it. Any of those, and probably a whole lot of other options would be more appealing to a customer than standing their post on guard duty.

Remember-the value added to a customer doesn’t just come from what a product delivers. It also comes from how easy it is to use.