Next-Gen 5, Understanding Timing

The aspect of time and even more, the timing, has been shown to be one of the key factors to crafting a great experience. Ancient Greeks even had different names for these: Chronos, for linear time and Kairos, for the opportune time.

Chronos, of course, labels the time we can not factually effect since it flows linearly, can not be stopped, and can not flow in reverse. The question is if the experience is unfolding as intended, in which case the time is working in our favour, or if the person is perceiving the experience as negative, where the opposite is the case. We just mentioned the word "perceiving" which tells us that we can have some agency even with time itself since we can influence the perception of time, if not the time itself. Eg. when waiting in a long line for a Disneyland attraction, the whole intimidating line is never shown in full. At any given time, a guest can only see a fraction of the line and in that fraction, there are opportunities to enjoy the environment the guest is immersed in, discover small easter eggs in it, have family photos with great backdrops, etc. With a couple of these revelings of the line around the next few corners, the guests are already at the doorstep of a preshow and pumped up for the main show. In design, this is known as Progressive Disclosure and is often used in creating real-life or online experiences, to reduce the perceived wait time or the cognitive load, hence creating a better experience.

“We can have some agency even with time itself since we can affect the perception of time, if not the time itself. ”

These days however we have a great arsenal of tools for addressing the Kairos, or the opportune time. We have all experienced the importance of the right timing of an event, but also how ugly it can turn when the timing is wrong, even though the event is the same. Over the years, by using the 24/7 availability with our apps and shopping/ordering services, most of us have developed a new mental model that mimics that. That sense of being in control of our time has now become an integral part of our experiences. Today we can be even less forgiving than in the past when a server is not around to call for another round of drinks or to ask for the check. A set of technological solutions is slowly percolating into full-service space addressing the issue. The right kind of technology however is not the one that will fully overtake the ordering and paying, but the one that will augment the restaurant flows, preserve and improve meaningful guest/server interactions, improve efficiencies and speed up the events when needed, like in additional ordering or paying the check.

“The right kind of technology however is not the one that will fully overtake the ordering and paying, but the one that will augment the restaurant flows, preserve and improve meaningful guest/server interactions, improve efficiencies and speed up the events when needed, like in additional ordering or paying the check.”

Once these tools are implemented, huge opportunities open up to be very contextual and specific about offering or reminding guests of additional services. Eg. right after a successful (self)payment experience there will appear a micro-moment to ask guests to rate their experience in the same interface. If done right, a huge amount of relevant data can be collected that explains why the guest has spent as much, tipped as much, or if they have the intention to come back. We can now gather operational data in terms of WHAT is sold (like POS transactions), but also experiential data in terms of WHY they are sold. Great feedback for servers, managers and HQ for further improvements of their offerings.

Consider also when the guest is in the ordering phase if the loyalty points they can claim are presented at the same time, more items can be ordered than usual and the check size can grow accordingly. Or once a menu item is being reviewed, in that micro-moment the up-sell items can be presented, as in "goes well with". All these and many more may not only increase check size but also provide a much better customer experience. The same now applies to touchpoints even outside the restaurants, eg. email receipts.