The Bad Deli
September 28, 2009 by Rob Waldeck · Comments
- Image by nettsu via Flickr
There’s a deli I go to 2-3 times a week just around the corner from the office. People ask where I’m going for lunch and I tell them, “the bad deli.” They look at me kinda confused and usually wonder aloud why I’d ever go to a bad deli.
It’s because I really like their sandwiches.
What’s bad about the deli is the process through which my sandwich is prepared. I feel rushed in ordering and the woman who takes my money says “thank you” to me with the exact same sing-song tone and lack of eye contact that she offers to every other customer. But what really bothers me is that my sandwich is manufactured in an assembly-line process in which 3 or 4 different people touch it — or, more precisely, slap at it — the dressing, the cheese, the meat, the lettuce, the tomato. Each item is slapped in place by a different person. None of them seems to care. But the sandwich tastes good, so I eat there regularly.
My experience at the deli is not unlike many customer experiences I have. Organizations — and the people in them — seem to believe that if they deliver a good result (deliverables met, on-time and within budget) that they have succeeded; that the customer should be pleased; that they have done their job well. It’s not true. They may have a satisfied customer that day but they haven’t created a customer for life.
It’s the experience and a successful outcome that produces customers for life. It’s why the Disney teacups trump those at any carnival. It’s why Best Buy trumped Tweeter. It’s why I go to Legal over all other seafood restaurants.
So I’ll continue to go to the “bad deli” for now, but I am always on the lookout for an alternative, for a deli that makes an equally delicious sandwich with the same care and attention to detail with which they’d make their own lunch.
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Rob Waldeck's first real job was selling farm-raised scallops to restaurants door-to-door. It was an experience that taught him selling farm-raised scallops to restaurants door-to-door was no way to make a living.
Rob started The Publication Group (TPG) in 1995. In the 12 years from then to 2007, he grew the design firm with a steady hand into one of Boston’s most respected graphic design and brand identity shops, serving major clients including Mass Mutual and IHRSA.
In October of 2007 Rob made the decision to merge TPG with Holland-Mark, a full service agency that just six months earlier had re-established itself in the market. TPG was re-branded as HM Studios, the design arm of the agency. After the merger, Rob became the president of Holland-Mark, and today focuses on client satisfaction, ensuring all Holland-Mark employees have the tools and resources they need to both love and excel at their job.
Rob has been active with numerous professional organizations including the American Institute of Graphic Artists and the Future Leaders of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He has both volunteered for and supported community service organizations including the Jewish Family & Children’s Services and the Concord Housing Development Corporation.
Rob is a graduate of the University of Rochester.
