Over the past year, customers’ priorities have changed. Understandably, health and safety concerns have risen to the top.

But as with all aspects of Customer Experience, are you mindful of how wide to cast that net?

When the Covid crisis began, most businesses were quick to require face masks, add hand sanitizer stations and promote social distancing. However, that might not be the end of the story.

One particular appliance store believed they were doing as much as they could for their customers – the store’s inventory had been rearranged to promote social distancing, signs went up regarding face mask usage and limits to the number of people allowed inside at any given time, and the staff’s schedule had been tweaked to space out shifts.

It seemed as though the plan was working as sales were up. One couple felt safe enough to enter the store and make a purchase for a large appliance that would require home delivery with professional installation. Because everything in the store appeared to follow Covid protocols, the couple felt no hesitation in making the purchase and scheduling the delivery/installation.

A few months later, the appliance was in-stock and after a couple of days, the delivery truck arrived. The installers were polite, quick and all seemed well.

However, less than 24 hours later, the couple noticed water leaking from behind the appliance. When they called the store, they were informed that it was a plumbing issue and not an appliance issue. So, they contacted their plumber to arrange for an appointment to fix the leak, which by this point had ruined their hardwood floors.

A few days later, their plumber arrived at their home to assess the situation and realized that it wasn’t a plumbing issue at all – the leak was caused by a sloppy installation job.

Now, mistakes happen, this is true. And the delivery/installation people were no doubt overwhelmed with the number of orders they needed to deliver. But, in not installing the appliance correctly, this couple now had to have a plumber and a floor refinisher come to their house.

So, while the appliance store seemed safe enough to visit, this couple now had 3 separate visits into their home from workmen that should have only been 1. So much for social distancing.

That appliance store no longer looks so safe.

When it comes to thinking about the health and safety of your customers, the plan shouldn’t necessarily end the minute the customer is out of the store.

Think of the end-to-end journey. It might be longer than you realize.