Best Retail in Romania...Hard Rock?

Best Retail in Romania...Hard Rock?
Tags: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Hiring and Retention, Marketing, Retail - General, Specialty Stores
April 24, 2010

I was in Romania last week through the volcanic ash cloud incident and noticed how little personal connection there is in retail. Smiles, gentle yet informative questions that lead sales associates to the information they need to deliver a great experience, and friendly eye contact are all but missing at the places I visited.

Contrast that with Hard Rock. I've been to seven different Hard Rock Cafes in the last two years, three of them overseas. Each one a different experience, yet each one delivered exactly what I expected.

Last Monday, in Bucharest, Romania, I walked to the Hard Rock to pick up a t-shirt for my son as a souvenir. The funky hair-styled brunette at the in-restaurant store met my eyes with an authentic smile and a friendly "Hello". She said I looked like I had been walking (she knows the closest hotels are 5km away) and asked if I wanted something to eat or drink too. Even though we are from two different cultures, her tone and approach translated caring, not cross selling. I told her "No, just the shirt please." After we got the right size and style, she showed me some pins and told me about the local legends (Dracula's castle, etc.) they represented. Again, it didn't feel like cross selling, just like another human being was proudly sharing some of her country's traditions and history with me. My Hard Rock customer experiences in Lisbon, Portugal and Boston, Massachusetts, were on-brand and identical with regard to tone and feel.

Hard Rock manages to keep its service standards on-brand, delivering the same emotional outcomes from country to country without losing the unique charm and flavor of each location. I imagine the employees are exposed to the different-than-what-you-expect-in-your-country needs and expectations of a Hard Rock customer and that they are well aware of the experience they are offering.

From Boston to Bucharest, if you're a brand, you offer an experience. If you're an aspiring brand, customer experience is important. If you're a global icon, customer experience is everything. The pinnacle of success is to keep an international standard emotionally consistent and locally unique at the same time. Well done, Hard Rock! You rock.