Posted Thursday, September 11th, 2008 by Randall
In theater, breaking the fourth wall refers to addressing the audience directly. Recently I had an experience where the customer service rep “broke the fourth wall” making me a fan for life. How can you apply this breakthrough strategy to your business?
I found myself alone with my daughter, Shi, and did what most dads do in this situation: went out for pizza. My daughter is two years old and taking her anywhere requires a multitude of items including toys, diaper bag and the kid herself. We went to the local Round Table Pizza where I ordered a King Arthur and then had fun wandering with Shi until the order was ready. While eating, an amazing thing happened — the young woman behind the counter came around to see how we were doing.
Now I would expect this at a more expensive sit-down style restaurant. But at Pizza it was startling. In that moment I went from quietly enjoying my meal to becoming a grateful parent.
Most businesses that have a counter between the customer and the employees use that counter as a barrier. The unspoken message is clear as you walk up: this is my side, that is your side. Most employees would never think to cross that divide.
This got me thinking about the “forth walls” we put up between ourselves and our customers. From phone systems to email there is an invisible divide that keeps us on our side and them on theirs. Being Incluesive means bringing the two together.
It’s time to bring out the wrecking ball and knock down those walls!