The Customer Experience Lesson from a Walk Along the Canal

From the small town of Marple, where I live, to the centre of Manchester is 14 miles if you follow the Peak Forest Canal, which joins the Ashton Canal on its way into the city. The route winds along the contours of the land, passing through a succession of locks, beautiful nature reserves, areas of suburban regeneration and the remnants of Manchester’s industrial past.

It’s an interesting journey, with plenty to see, and surprisingly few people on the towpath. My plan was to walk all the way into Manchester and catch the train home to Marple.

I’ve done this walk several times before, and each time I discover something different. But on this occasion, I decided to look at it through the eyes of a visitor to Britain. What would impress them? What would delight them? And what might disappoint them?

My overall verdict? Six out of ten.

There is so much to enjoy: the changing scenery, the history of a canal system that is around 200 years old, and the interesting characters you encounter along the way. Yet one persistent problem knocked four points off my score.

Litter!

A wonderful asset let down by the little things

It struck me that there are virtually no litter bins along the canal towpath. The result is all too predictable: piles of crushed beer cans, discarded food cartons and sweet wrappers scattered along the route.

I imagine the Canal & River Trust, which manages the waterway, might argue that it cannot afford the staff needed to maintain litter bins. But I would find that an unacceptable excuse.

Canals have a very different role today from the one they played during the Industrial Revolution. Once vital commercial arteries, they are now largely places for leisure, recreation and enjoyment. That makes the quality of the environment an essential part of the experience. A beautiful stretch of water loses much of its appeal when the banks are strewn with rubbish.

Could the Trust do more? Perhaps its maintenance boats could make regular journeys along the canals, collecting litter and keeping the waterway clear of weeds. These would be practical improvements to the experience of both walkers and boaters. Excessive weed growth can impede boats, while rubbish on the towpath detracts from the enjoyment of everyone who uses it.

Of course, maintenance costs money. But surely the expense of keeping the canals clean should be considered alongside the substantial sums spent on major civil engineering works, including the upkeep of the 16 locks on the Marple flight.

What are we asking people to support?

I was reminded of all this at the end of my walk, when I encountered two young men collecting donations for the Canal & River Trust.

I was happy to contribute. The canals are a wonderful part of our heritage, and I want to see them preserved. But I couldn't resist suggesting that the Trust should make litter management a higher priority. After all, what is the point of encouraging people to enjoy and support our waterways if the experience itself is being undermined by something as avoidable as discarded rubbish?

It was a small encounter, but it left me thinking about a much bigger issue: customer satisfaction.

The customer experience trap

In a sense, I am a customer of the Canal & River Trust. I use an asset that it manages, and my satisfaction depends on the experience it provides.

I imagine that, at board level, the Trust has to worry about major issues: the structural integrity of its locks, the condition of its embankments and the considerable engineering challenges involved in maintaining a historic canal network.

These are undoubtedly important. But there is a danger that, while management concentrates on the big issues, the smaller details that shape people's everyday experiences get overlooked.

Litter on canal towpaths is hardly a new problem. A quick Google search led me to figures suggesting that the Trust spends around £4 million a year clearing litter and fly-tipping, against total annual costs of approximately £250 million. That puts the litter bill at around 1.6% of the total.

The figures alone don't tell us how much more should be spent, or how effectively the existing budget is used. But they do raise an important question: are we giving enough attention to the things that directly affect the experience of the people who use our services?

It is easy to see why major repairs attract management attention. They are expensive, visible and potentially disastrous if neglected. A discarded beer can, by comparison, seems trivial. Yet thousands of small disappointments can gradually erode people's enthusiasm for an otherwise wonderful asset.

And this is just as true in business as it is on a canal towpath.

A company may invest millions in developing an excellent product, building an impressive website or creating a sophisticated customer service operation. Yet customers can still be left frustrated by a telephone call that goes unanswered, a poorly worded email, a confusing invoice or a promise that isn't kept.

Each failing may seem insignificant in isolation. Together, they shape how customers feel about the organisation and whether they want to deal with it again.

The lesson is simple: don't let the big things blind you to the little things.

Great customer experience isn't created solely by major investments or grand initiatives. It is built from the countless details that determine whether people feel that an organisation cares about them and takes pride in what it does.

The Canal & River Trust has inherited a magnificent piece of British industrial heritage. Keeping it that way requires more than repairing locks and maintaining embankments. It means paying attention to the everyday experience of the people who walk, boat and relax along its waterways.

The same principle applies to every business.

Sometimes, the difference between a customer who gives you six out of ten and one who gives you ten out of ten isn't a grand gesture. It's simply picking up the litter.