Think about the bathroom much? You should!

How often do you talk about bathrooms?

Probably not too much.  In fact, most of us would rather NOT talk about them.  Why not?  Because the subject usually only comes up when something goes wrong.

If we're lucky, it's just a lack of toilet paper.  Or someone neglected their turn to clean the bathroom.  Or the toilet isn't flushing or is backed up.  (A circumstance most of us pray will never, ever happen when we're at someone else's house!)

But have you ever thought about how much a bathroom influences our perception of a place?

At my very first job, as a restaurant hostess, our manager pulled us aside on the very first day to say, "One of the most important parts of your job is making sure that the bathroom is clean."

According to him, people judge restaurants on the shape of their bathrooms.  If the bathroom isn't up to snuff, who knows what other corners the restaurant is cutting?

A group of bloggers just did a really fascinating series on bathrooms and customer service called the Bathroom Blogfest. 

They wrote about the fabulous extra touches in a bathroom that make customers feel appreciated, how businesses ruin their image with bad bathroom experiences, how brands are moving into bathrooms, and about bathrooms that are just so cool that they're almost a destination themselves.

I promised a post as well, but my focus is more on creative ideas than the the customer experience.

But why not innovate to improve customer experiences?  That sounds like a great idea for me.

When I was traveling around Germany this summer, we spent hours on the autobahn.  So, of course, we also went to many roadside gas stations and rest-stops.

Ouch, right?  There's just something about freeway bathroom breaks that make us want to cringe.

Not in Germany though.  Those autobahn rest stops were actually pretty cool.

Why?  First of all, they solved the non-customer issue.

Gas stations and restaurants provide bathrooms for their customers.  But what about the non-customers, or the ones who buy pack of gum to reduce their guilt?  The store loses money on them.

The bathroom rest stops on the German autobahn solved this by installing a turnstile.   It cost 50 euro cents to get in.

The smart thing about this though, was that each customer received a receipt for their money that was also a voucher for the adjoining store.

So, even though the bathroom cost 50 cents, it was free for people who wanted to buy something else.

In my opinion, that's very fair and a creative solution to the problem.

The store still has a free bathroom for their paying customers, but is also providing a service for people who only want the bathroom.

Secondly, they made sure that customers had a good experience.

Of course, paying for a bathroom is only tolerated when that bathroom is clean and stocked.

Here, the German autobahn bathrooms also hit a home run.  All the bathrooms were spotless.  They had motion operated sinks and soap dispensers.  They had hand dryers.

But, the toilets were the real highlight. (I can't believe I'm actually writing that, but it's true. Watch.)

That was a motion-triggered, self-cleaning toilet!  Every time it flushes, the seat is sterilized automatically.

Laugh at my enthusiasm all you want, but I think it's a great innovation!

The absolute most important thing in a public bathroom is cleanliness.  The fact that someone spent time figuring out how to achieve this automatically so that a high-traffic rest stop bathroom stays clean... well, lets just say it made my day.

Bathrooms are not exactly the most exciting place for innovation, but they're a pretty important part of our lives.  And sometimes a simple innovation can make a big difference.

It's a good reminder that a lot of great ideas happen because someone spends time focusing on an area that most people overlook.

****

 

If you want to learn some more about the Bathroom Blogfest, head over to the Bathroom Blogfest blog, or visit the authors directly:

• Kate Rutter—Adaptive Path
• Laurence Helene Borel—Blog Till You Drop
• Iris Shreve Garrott—checking out and checking in
• Susan Abbott—Customer Experience Crossroads
• Maria Palma—Customers Are Always
• Becky Carroll—Customers Rock!
• Toby Bloomberg—Diva Marketing
• Stephanie Weaver—Experienceology
• Linda Tischler—Fast Company Now
• C.B. Whittemore—Flooring the Consumer
• Ed Pell—K+B DeltaVee
• Helene Blowers—Library Bytes
• Claudia Schiepers—Life and its little pleasures
• Katie Clark—Practical Katie
• Sandra Renshaw—Purple Wren
• Reshma Anand—Qualitative Research
• Marianna Hayes—Results Revolution
• Carolyn Townes—Spirit Women
• Sara Cantor—The Curious Shopper
• Anna Farmery—The Engaging Brand
• Dee McCrorey—The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur
• Katia S. Adams—Transcultural

Comments

[C.B.Whittemore]

Katie, great post! Amazing video, too. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

[Nick Bush]

Absolutely spot on! Great customer service comes from putting all the basic things together and doing them well. Rotating toilet seats make it even better...

[James Todhunter]

Hi Katie, Don't know where you stand on the age old complaint about guys how always leave the seat up, but a nine year old boy has come up with a nifty idea to solve that problem. Taking a cue from dust bins with foot pedals to open the lid, he has desived a foot operated toilet seat so that guys can more reliably leave the seat in the down position.

[usedtowander]

I went to a big conference recently. It seems that the most important thing to remember about bathrooms is that someone may be listening to your comments about others.

[Lolita]

Great video! Do you have more?

[isabella mori]

bathrooms are super important! apart from the obvious, it's usually the only place in a public area where you can go for a moment of privacy.

there's a cactus club here in vancouver that my daughter and i visit once in a while simply because we love the bathroom there.