A few weeks ago, I found myself back in the bustling streets of NYC for the first time in 2024. My mission: meeting clients in both the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan and the vibrant streets of Jersey City. The catch? These were three very distinct companies located in vastly different buildings.
One belonged to a highly regulated and secure industry, housed in a charming yet older building. The other two were players in the world of consumer goods and tech, residing in the gleaming structures of Hudson Yards – some of the newest additions to the city skyline.
Now, the interesting part lies not in the diversity of the companies but in the unique experiences each visit presented. Despite meticulous planning with the individuals I was scheduled to meet, the reality of each encounter turned out to be a surprising tale in itself.
I won't drop any names here, so no need to worry. The point is to shed light on the significance of walking a mile in your visitors' shoes, as I spoke about in Episode 5 of the podcast. Often, their experience is far from what we anticipate.
Let's dive into day one in Hudson Yards.
Just a couple of hours before my scheduled arrival, at 7:43 am to be precise, an email popped into my inbox. The subject line? "Invitation: Visitor." Intriguing, right? It was sent by someone named "SV3" from the email address do-not-reply@sv3.us. A welcoming start, or so it seemed.
Now, I have no clue what "SV3" stands for or who they represent, but I know it wasn’t the person or company I intended to visit. Despite the cautionary advice constantly distributed from my company's IT security team to never open an email from an address you don't know, I bravely opened the email on my phone. What greeted me was an attachment named "barcode.pdf" accompanied by a distorted logo image with a colossal number, rendering it nearly illegible on my screen.
As I scrolled down, I found the first line in bold caps: "INVITATION FROM STEVE JOHNS…" Okay, but who is Steve Johns? He was not my intended contact. My confusion deepened as I discovered the visit details, indicating today's date and a visit time of 9 am-10 am, further confusing me as my scheduled meeting was from 10 am-12 pm.
Further scrolling revealed the standard request to show my government ID to the lobby ambassador, some handy "add to calendar" buttons, an Apple Wallet icon, and a QR code. The email even included a picturesque rendering of the building and a layout of Hudson Yards, which was actually quite helpful for someone unfamiliar with the area.
Yet, the formatting left much to be desired for a mobile-friendly invitation, with the mal-formed logo dominating my screen real estate. While functional, the experience was subpar, and the information provided was confusing.
Let's be clear: if you're in the NYC commercial real estate game, or maybe even nationwide, you're likely familiar with Hudson Yards. This invitation might make some sense to you. However, for an outsider, it could easily be mistaken for clickbait spam, lacking referenceable information, featuring the wrong contact, and providing an incorrect time.
I often highlight these experiences not to point fingers but to emphasize that, as an industry, we have a long way to go, especially in the realm of digital experiences for corporate real estate. These issues are not insurmountable; they just require a bit of attention to detail.
We invest substantial sums in creating incredible spaces for people to collaborate, yet too often the first impression visitors receive is an inaccurate, poorly formatted email that, frankly, my 11-year-old could have assembled better. It's time we allocate a small effort to address these front-door issues.
In my opinion, shared in "Your Workplace Guest Experience is Broken and Why You Should Fix It Now," the problem lies in the fact that no one inside the company experiences the visitor process. CEOs, Heads of Brand, Chief Sales Officers – none of them go through what a typical visitor does, and I’d take a guess, not even you. Consequently, the flaws often go unnoticed.
Your visitor process is important; it’s the front door to your organization and it should be something that sets the bar for the activities and experience that the person receiving it will have once you greet them. Fixing these issues isn't rocket science; it merely requires a fresh perspective, a willingness to address them and many a little bit of technical know-how.
This is why I'm passionate about what I do – I get to be the outsider, asking the seemingly obvious questions and helping organizations see the bigger picture amid the trees.
So what's your visitor experience like? Is it something you're in control of, or something you leave up to your landlord?
Either way, when was the last time you took a walk in your future visitors' shoes and experienced the potential first impression your future customers, employees and partners get before they even step foot into the amazing spaces you've built for them to enjoy?
If you haven't done this for a while, I'd encourage you to do so. It should only take you 5 minutes and you'll learn a great deal. This I promise you.
