One of the most visible aspects of SXSW was "The Line" or the queue if you're from England or just want to sound fancy ;). There were huge lines for everything. Lines that went for blocks, wrapping around buildings, sidewalks and just taking over the city. There were 30 minute lines to go to the bathroom and two hour lines for pulled pork and brisket! If there is no space mountain at the end of that line than what's the point, right? Well there are tons of research about the psychology of waiting for something and it comes down to a simple formula.
S = P – E.
‘S’ stands for satisfaction,
‘P’ for perception
‘E’ for expectation.
"If you expect a certain level of service, and perceive the service to be higher, you are a satisfied client. If you perceive the same level as before, but expected higher, you are disappointed and, consequently dissatisfied."
What that means in English is that if you wait and it's not worth it you're obviously disappointed. But if it's worth it than yay!
The part that is tricky is the "worth it" piece as this is different for everyone, but when 30,000 people get together the perception of worth is skewed by the crowd mentality. The "Scennious" takes over and peoples perception is changed. This is why exclusive access to things is required and brands that innovate their experiences each year and up their game from last year continue to stand out.
As you look to continue to up your game with clients and create experiences bigger, smarter and better than before, it critical to ensure that you think of the basic principle of the line. People are satisfied with waiting if it's worth the wait, but it's critical to ensure that what they are waiting for is even better than before or something they have never seen before!
What are you doing for your clients to satisfy this basic principle?
