Propelled by intuition and a passion for literature, I once again sought out Joe Pine, an American theorist who coined the term \u201ccustomer experience\u201d in the 1990s. The author of The Experience Economy<\/em> and Authenticity<\/em> is also a Hemingway fan, whom he calls a genius of experiential description, supporting my suspicion that literature has the power to unlock new opportunities for the design of customer experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My intuition was confirmed by current trends: customers want much more than an experience, they want a transformation of their state \u2013 physical, psychological, etc. \u2013 in the aim of achieving self-fulfilment. And for this, literature is a source of inspiration.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Some of the greatest experiences occur in the pages penned by authors. Stefan Zweig, Zola, Maupassant, Hemingway, and many others have studied individual behaviours, life in society, interpersonal relations, etc. And all this in the service of literature, dreams and fantasies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If we consider that customer experience is the entirety of emotions and feelings felt by a customer throughout their relationship with a brand then it all depends on the writer\u2019s agility to describe it in a semantic reality<\/strong>. Who better than the wordsmiths of pen and ink to translate such perceptions?\u00a0 Transcribing the customer\u2019s emotions as accurately as possible during an interaction with a brand means giving reality to their perceptions, eventually leading to a better understanding of them. And therefore better serving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writers translate the best sensations and experiences. <\/p>Customer experience expert Joe Pine<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In fact, classic and contemporary literature inspired the beginnings of customer experience strategy, and I believe they continue to produce the ultimate offering for companies in the Transformation Era. For example: In the novel A Moveable Feast<\/strong><\/em>, Hemingway depicts an idyllic city full of broke artists who, like him, haunted the cafes of Saint-Germain and Montparnasse in the roaring twenties. People who read this book and want to go to Caf\u00e9 de Flore certainly want to meet with literary enthusiasts (social), experience the feelings described by the author (psychological) and see, feel and smell what they read in the book (physical).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If companies were to stage their experiences as an author writes a play, literature could help to render these experiences more authentic, and thus produce great impressions. \u201cImpressions are \u2018the takeaways\u2019 of the experience,\u201d according to Joe Pine. This is what should remain in your customers\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before sponsored posts and paid influencers , literature was the one responsible for creating a number of experiences. Let us take for example the case of Le Bon March\u00e9 in Paris. This store, founded in the 19th century, was described by one of the finest pens of the time: \u00c9mile Zola<\/strong>. A veritable researcher, he recounts innovations in the field of customer experience in The Ladies\u2019 Paradise<\/em>. It was these very ladies who contributed to the great reputation of a brand that still has loyal customers to this day. In his work, Zola bears witness to a new paradigm in customer relations and a new way of selling merchandise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he can still inspire us today thanks to his detailed descriptions of sales techniques and the boom in modern marketing. Zola could almost be considered one of the pioneers of customer experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a few passages from Maupassant\u2019s famous novel, Bel-Ami<\/em><\/strong>, there is also a description of a scene of contented customers in a store. A little later in the book, the famous French novelist details the sensory perceptions of all-consuming thirst. There is no shortage of such refined lessons throughout the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands like Big Mama – a chain of trendy Italian restaurants – are still playing the Bel-Ami card almost 250 years after the book\u2019s publication. In these restaurants, the customer experience is based on creating an authentic menu and moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Big Mama, the kitchen is open, placed in the centre of the restaurant. Customers can see the chefs and their activities at all times. It is a genuine spectacle to enjoy before you even taste the food. Restaurant employees take part in this spectacle and accentuate the traditional, authentic aspect of the cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaders must therefore excel at inspiring their employees in designing and promoting customer experience within the organisation<\/mark>. It is the sine qua non<\/em> for a strong corporate culture, which in turn nurtures excellent customer service. Literature can be a good source of inspiration here, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Baudelaire reminds us, \u201cNever despise a person\u2019s sensitivity. His sensitivity is his genius.\u201d\u00a0Intimate Journals (1887), XVIII.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most customers go to Caf\u00e9 de Flore <\/em>in Paris<\/strong> to live the experience they have read about so many times in books described by writers since the 19th <\/sup>century. Every detail counts, psychological, physical and social. And they are ready to pay for the experience, beyond the price of a coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Hemingway](\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/thechoice\/wp-content\/uploads\/hemingway-in-paris-1930s-1024x556.jpg\")
How literature can help us in designing experiences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n