Customer satisfaction has always been our driving priority, so we investigated the small details that can make a real difference to the customer’s experience. One of these areas is the entry to the store.
Our customers are many and varied, a mix of ages and different backgrounds. Some have disabilities and mobility challenges, while others have their hands full looking after small children. We noticed that the manual door that we used to have interrupted the customer flow and, for some, even denied them access.
Why did we make the change?
Our old manual door was heavy. It required the use of both hands to push, and its closure mechanism was designed to keep the indoor temperature comfortable. That means it often closed prematurely as customers were traversing the threshold unless they wedged it open.
Since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed customers trying to open it with their elbows or hips. This made access even more challenging and risked them hurting themselves. We contemplated installing automatic door openers to the existing door, but, having weighed up the cost of auto door installation, we decided to invest in a custom solution.
What we’ve learned
Mostly, we’ve learned that we should have changed our front door sooner! In investing in an automatic door opener for commercial premises such as ours see footfall increase and, in our case, the customer demographic has widened. Our business now feels more welcoming than ever. Customers from all walks of life can easily step inside and browse to their heart’s content, no longer needing to negotiate an unwieldy entrance door first.
The three main areas in which we’ve seen a staggering change are accessibility, customer flow and hygiene:
1. Accessibility
As we touched upon above, our old manual door was heavy and needed two hands to open it. This meant that customers in wheelchairs or those using mobility devices or pushing strollers could not easily gain access. They had to call a member of staff to come and hold the door open for them.
In stark contrast, our new automatic doors use sensors to detect people approaching and open automatically. They remain open until customers are safely across the threshold, and stop by themselves should they detect a blockage when trying to close. This has vastly improved customer safety and allows our staff to focus on helping in-store customers rather than watching for potential customers.
We feel that automatic doors have increased our ability to comply with accessibility legislation, and we are proud to welcome the whole of our community into our store.
2. Customer flow
Before, during peak times or in inclement weather, customers would crowd at the doorway as they attempted to pass through one at a time without bumping into each other. Now, our automatic doors open as people approach and remain open until the last person has crossed the threshold without any intervention. It means that customers can enter and exit seamlessly.
An unexpected benefit of improved customer flow is that our front door is never left propped open anymore. So our ventilation system is working more effectively, and we have seen a drop in our energy bills. It has been very pleasing, especially as costs continue to rise!
3. Hygiene
The COVID-19 pandemic brought hygiene to the front of everyone’s minds. We all started to unconsciously avoid public touchpoints for fear of contracting a disease from a contaminated surface. This is why we noticed customers trying to open our manual door with their elbows and hips.
Installing an automatic door opener in commercial activity has benefited from the complete removal of the hygiene risk, as no members of the public ever need to touch the door now. In fact, the only people who touch the door are those members of staff responsible for opening the store or locking it up at the end of the day. By eliminating a common touchpoint, we feel that our customers are more relaxed and better able to enjoy their shopping experience.
A worthwhile investment
We are so pleased that we have booked an automatic door installer to fit a new automatic door to our commercial premises. Although the initial cost of purchase and installation was significant. Our investment has more than paid off in terms of increased footfall, higher sales and enhanced levels of customer satisfaction.
What’s next?
We are continuing to look at ways of improving the customer experience and using analytics and customer feedback to widen aisles, improve layouts and implement other accessibility improvements. By focusing on the needs and preferences of our customers, we are certain that the changes we make will pay dividends.
In conclusion, we recommend automatic doors to all Canadian business owners as the benefits far outweigh the initial costs.