Tesco understood the job! Almost.

Understanding small jobs can make a huge difference in how customer perceive you.

There are of course ways that this customer journey could have been better. However, there was a point which accelerated the experience from frustrating to good. And this small change may cause more frequent visits to Tesco which I generally have NEVER liked.

First of all, why have I never liked Tesco? Reason 1: when I went into Tesco for the very first time in Highgate, i thought the smell of the baked goods was revolting. I have no idea what the smell was but to me it was overwhelming and awful. Perhaps a few years in France had affected my olfactory system? Reason 2: After making some purchases at Tesco in Colney Hatch, I was deeply disappointed by the quality of items I had bought. Mind you, this was the same way I felt about the cheap private label Champion brand in France! And I hated the scents that wafted in the air at stores like H&M in those days.

Negative experiences can have an enduring impact.

However, I have since found myself dashing into a Tesco Express when in certain areas out of convenience or a much advantageous prices over competitors. This meant I needed to get a Tesco Clubcard because otherwise i’d be willingly throwing away money. As I’d done at other supermarkets, in different countries, I took a brochure, completed the info and handed it to a cashier. At some places I was sent a card. At tesco I was sent an email with a number to add to the app. Unfortunately, Tesco like many companies has chosen to restrict some of their apps from being being available to people with mobile phones that have their app stores set in different countries. Here either Tesco and others do not understand their customer diversity OR they simply choose to ignore their needs because they don’t value this segment of people enough.

I avoided Tesco a few times. One day I was racing through on a Sunday when all the other shops were closed to purchase a bottle of wine - without the Clubcard it would be a few pounds more. So at the checkout I showed the email with the number. The cashier entered it which took way too long and then told me I could ask for a card. A week later, on a Saturday morning I remembered to do this. I went back to the email to find contact info to request a card - there was none. I went to tesco.com and searched around the site for who to contact and soon my frustration shifted!

I picked up my mobile, opened my camera and scanned the QR code. This brought me to an automated chat which asked questions to find my customer record. I entered my name and clubcard. Presumably the system can verify my phone on my WhatsApp account. I stated that I wanted a physical card. I was told that business hours were closed and my message was passed on to be followed-up on. Fair enough. I want back to whatever I was doing.

A short time later I received an email from Tesco (below) that a card was being shipped! Yay! Just before I was about to post this I saw an email from Tesco with the subject “We’re getting your new Clubcard ready”. I opened it and thought and look, it’s contrary to my situation. I CANNOT USE THE APP. That’s why I’m requesting a card.

So the final moral of story is, you can never test too much. There are always ‘jobs’ someone is trying to do that you’ve not yet understood.