This festive season, it’s not just high streets and shopping centres making merry to get visitors into the Christmas spirit. The evolution of ‘space as a service’ has seen the creation of vibrant commercial business spaces that foster and enhance a strong sense of community. So this Christmas, how can we make the lives of the people using our spaces on a daily basis easy, convenient and pleasant, while also providing moments that surprise and delight?

I’ll give you a hint: a bottle of champagne sent to a handful of VIP customer-occupiers isn’t going to be hugely effective. We need to understand our customers’ needs first and foremost: how delivering convenience and ease of use (for example, how your online Christmas deliveries are handled) can be way more satisfying than seeing the boss receive yet another gifted bottle of fizz.

We also need to consider the multi-functionality of space and the places we use daily as central to the concept of space as a service. We need spaces that are designed to meet the needs of a business community which is busier than ever, but also more demanding than ever. So if the lifts don’t work or your visitors have a negative experience, don’t think that a bit of glitter at Christmas is going to mask a weak customer experience strategy.

Additionally, this is a time of the year where both positive and negative emotions can be amplified by the experiences customers have. So at our end, ensuring there are plans and procedures in place for everything from the increase in parcels delivered to work to the positive experience of a visitor at reception over this busy period, can go a very long way.

The ‘activation’ of business spaces to cater for relevant experiences for your customer is also important. Why not ask what they would like to see and be a part of at this festive time of year; perhaps they would be more interested in donations or support to a charity than they would be with extravagant decorations or free mince pies?  

So while the season is well and truly underway with festive lights displays and winter grottos, often it’s the small things that count, like making a difference for children with autism by having Makaton trained staff who are SEN aware, as we did recently at Westwood Cross Shopping Centre. Or even a bit of sweat with 800 people recently taking on the UK’s highest stair climb at The Leadenhall Building to raise money for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.

Your customers' experience should not just be garlanded with wreaths and tinsel at Christmas: it is a year-round process, with two-way conversations, and as much a subject to change as the lives of the people who experience it. So let’s try and make it consistently great, year round.

Further information

Contact Savills Commercial Property Management