The Burger King Revolution

In the 70′s it was impossible to miss the Burger King  jingle (this is my favorite version of this song).  At the time, Burger King was trying to show the difference in service with McDonald’s.  The ads touted the glory of a fresh hamburger that could be had….. without onions!  Want extra pickles?  Okay.   This marketing campaign was the first warning of a trend that impacts businesses today.  We have become a nation of consumers that desires maximized personalization of goods and services.

Maximized personalization describes the desire for every purchase no matter how small to be customized to meet our desires.  This trend occurs daily in millions of Starbucks around the globe.  “I’d like a grande half caf, latte, skinny with one pump of vanilla”.  Starbucks offers over 87,000 possible customizations using the standard ingredients of ice, coffee, tea, flavor and dairy products. 

The desire for maximized personalization creates significant pressure on customer service efforts.  In order to meet the demand for customized service, businesses need to know their customers.  Knowing your customers means knowing them by name when possible, but it also requires knowing more about how and when they want to shop, do they need a concierge level of service or do they prefer 100% self serve.

Leslie Clark

Advertisement