In a 2009 study (published in the academic journal Anthrozoos), involving 516 dairy farmers in the UK, Dr. Catherine Douglas and Dr. Peter Rowlinson at Newcastle University found if cows were treated with a "personal touch" (an interaction), it increased their production (the amount of the transaction).
The average amount of milk produced by a cow over its annual 10 month lactation period is 13,198 pints. Those cows with names had an average higher milk yield of 454 pints!
Dr. Douglas, from Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development: "Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one attention. ... Placing more importance on knowing the individual animals and calling them by name can - at no extra cost to the farmer - also significantly increase milk production."
Allow me to paraphrase Dr. Douglas's message ... "Farmers, if you engage your cows in a WOWEDFactor (humanizing, engaging or connecting) interaction, it will add to the value of your transaction."
So, do we share this with our bovine cousins -- being called by name adds value to a transaction?
I came across the following 20 years ago and it has stayed with me: William Wilsted, an adviser to Ernst & Young, the accounting and consulting firm, surveyed customers from different industries: banking, high-tech as well as manufacturing companies. He found that consumers considered ''the personal touch'' -- which includes how committed a company representative is to a client and whether he or she remembers a customer's name -- to be the most important element of service. It is more important than convenience, speed of delivery, and how well the product works, among other factors.
This rings so true for me. A few years ago, I traveled to San Diego for a series of speaking engagements spaced two months apart. I stayed at the Doubletree. I distinctly remember when I would arrive after the first time, one particular bell hop always remembered my name and thanked me for coming back. It was a WOWEDSighting for me. Because of his "interaction," the value of my Doubletree experience was enhanced. The first time I returned when he welcomed me, I walked up and handed him a $5 bill. "What's this for?" he asked. My reply, "It's for remembering my name."
In sum, knowing and using a customer names results in a WOWEDFactor experience: a humanizing/engaging/connecting interaction that can add significant value to the transaction.
What do you think? If a company representative remembers and uses your name (at no extra cost to them, by the way), does it add value to the transaction? Do we have something in common with cows? Weigh in on our Facebook page.
Firestone
firestone@wowedamerica.com
314-863-4000
