Coming into spring, I needed to reset and replenish my creative batteries. But I also had a mission to complete: to research whether a great customer experience still drives business growth at a time when digital tools are transforming the landscape.
Ever the marketing strategist, I was curious if technology is changing the needle on personalisation and the kinds of interactions a business needs to focus on to improve customer satisfaction. Basically, I wanted to know if it’s still true that a strong in-real-life customer experience is still one of your strongest tools in creating unpaid brand advocates beyond the sale.
Every business owner knows that satisfied customers influence others through reviews, testimonials and word-of-mouth, enhancing a business’ reputation organically. It’s long been one of my fabulous marketing with no money strategies. Heading into 2025, I decided to give it a fresh road test.
My mission was driven by one question: is it really still so important heading into 2025 that businesses’ deliver a top-tier customer experience to stand out in a crowded marketplace?
To find out, I teamed up with another business owner and we headed to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula for a 24-hour business retreat that would act as a brainstorming session, relaxing getaway and the research mission.
We realised we could knock all three on the head in one go by visiting Alba Thermal Springs & Spa. Alba opened two years ago in October 2022, the luxe rival to the popular 27-year-old Peninsula Hot Springs in the area’s lucrative mineral hot springs industry.
One is a tried and tested, slightly faded favourite that markets itself as Victoria’s first natural thermal mineral springs and day spa. The is shiny and upmarket, pitched as a contemporary ‘destination’. I wanted to see how the two would differentiate themselves in real life using customer experience to validate their premium positioning.
Before heading off to Alba, we kicked off with lunch and a debrief about work schedules, pipelines and current challenges. By the time we drove up to the complex, we were really ready to recharge. A visit to Alba comes at a premium price so it needed instant kerb appeal to pass the test of first impressions.
The building is architecturally impressive. So much so that it felt almost out of place on the coastal peninsula, where everyone’s beach house dream is low-key luxury, the kind where sandy feet are welcome. Alba was more like checking into a five-star hotel, with all the staff wearing formal black blazers.
We were greeted warmly by a team member who checked us in for an unlimited bathing session in the outdoor mineral spring pools. She led us in, showed us where we’d find everything we needed, and told us how to preserve our towels and robes.
My customer experience radar was focused immediately. What were they doing well? Tick to our first staff contact—personable and helpful. Tick to the luxurious quality of the robe. Big tick to the Dyson hair dryers and elephant stamp to the special spinning thing to rinse out your bathers before you go home.
That big point of difference was impressive. It demonstrated a really deep knowledge of the customer experience and how to make things easier for customers. It said ‘we go above and beyond to give people something they don’t even know they want’. I liked it a lot.
There were lots of little touches too that added up. The complex has a lifeguard stationed out in the grounds in case of emergency. Discreet medical emergency buttons were located at each pool, in another thoughtful point of difference.
But. The Alba customer experience wasn’t perfect. I’m including where it was let down for a reason—and it’s not to be picky. It’s so all businesses can see the importance of identifying and addressing challenges, big or small, which could stop repeat business and great word-of-mouth referrals.
Noise: next door, accommodation villas are being built. The sound of an excavator doesn’t feel serene and it impacted our experience. Yes, building works can’t exactly be scheduled outside of daytime operating hours but Alba’s marketing team should take steps to get ahead of this problem. Put a warning on the website about what to expect. Tell customers who book by phone. Even offer refunds for those who arrive and decide they don’t want to go ahead with the noisy session.
Vegetation: because the complex is relatively new, its landscaping is immature. The pools and facilities feel quite exposed and a little stark for a wellness centre. No privacy. I’d be surprised if the cost of investing in more mature plantings outstripped the return for the business in terms of positive customer experience.
Size of sauna and steam room: we were at Alba on a quiet Monday yet the sauna and steam room felt cramped with six of us in there. During peak season I imagine this would feel very squishy. The grounds aren’t small so it’s strange that more space wasn’t allocated to a drawcard facility. The design itself is lovely, looking out onto garden.
Smell: the too-small sauna and steam room areas had a ponky smell. People’s body odour. Not aspirational. Not in line with a premium pricetag. This needs to be addressed.
Anyone who’s seen me speak may know my Disneyland Day Two story. In a nutshell, day one at Disneyland with my family was fantastic. Walked straight in, got our Mickey Mouse ears from merchandise, had fast passes to the awesome rides, the place was clean, welcoming and yeah, iconic.
Day two was a different story. Despite the fast passes, we waited up to four hours for rides. And it was so busy it felt like we were leaving the MCG on Grand Final day.
The point is you can have a ton of things going really, really well for your business and just a couple that do damage and impact the overall experience. Guess which one your customers will remember and talk about?
The verdict: while both my colleague and I enjoyed the Alba experience we preferred the established Peninsula Hot Springs across the road. The bells and whistles of Alba weren’t enough when lined up with value and more privacy.
What does my research roadie mean for your business? That you need to consider every interaction someone has with your brand and service offering. Work out what you do well. Where you could improve to avoid marring your overall customer experience.
Hone in on fixing these and watch your sales improve as your customers become brand advocates spruiking your customer experience in word-of-mouth marketing. Yes, a great customer experience still drives business growth.