[4] All Green Lights – How late night cab rides emulate the optimal customer experience

I recently discovered a business-applicable secret during my time living in Manhattan and staying out way too late: the cab ride home experience. Ride up or down a long avenue deep in the night and you’ll experience the optimal timing of traffic lights. Each light will turn green as you approach and you can often cross more than 20 consecutive streets without stopping. These situations gave me an intimate connection with the city, as if the traffic system was unlocking the road home just for me.

The broader application here is that this encounter represents the ideal customer experience. As you work with clients or colleagues, numerous “red lights” can slow you both down. Ask yourself, “Am I taking the role of cab driver and yielding to whatever arises, or am I the city itself, able to see upcoming hurdles and proactively addressing them so that they never come up?”.

To align with the latter, identify the next potential “red light” your customer may soon face and take action to “turn it green”. Additionally, leverage your team and resources to collectively anticipate and resolve potential problems; just as with linked traffic lights, an integrated network always outperforms uncoordinated individual actions.

Getting ahead of future obstacles avoids compounding issues and allows you to address them on your own terms. This will also bolster your reputation as someone who is situationally aware and reliable which will have customers singing your praises and returning for future business.