Helsingin
Sanomat recently wrote about the newest cat-café, opened in Helsinki,
Kamppi, to attract people to have a cup of coffee while watching and playing
with live kittens. As such, cat cafés in Finland are a miracle due to the
strict health policies, but the café in Helsinki is not even the first one in
Finland.
Having humorously
suggested cat-cafés to Finland 5 years ago, I now have to come back to the service
approach this trend is paving way for.
While some cafés may be barely surviving due to big capital
investments or hobbies or side-businesses of their owners, cat-cafés have
raised a lot of interest and ended in even recommendation to book a
time slot beforehand.
What attracts people to these cafés? Apparently something
that Starbucks invented already years ago, the cafés can be much more than a
place to have a cup of coffee. They are a place to experience, socialize,
share, even tell your secrets to a little kitten.
What is important in a service setting is the concept of who
else is included in your service experience. Regardless of if you really
interact or socialize with somebody, the profile or behaviour of others may
influence what services you end up paying for. In a cat-café, it may not even
be people´s general love for animals, but possibility to show care or be cared
for.
In “Responses to other similar customers in a serviced setting
– analyzing the moderating role of perceived performance risk” (Journal of
Services Marketing volume 28 issue 2, 2014), the concept of “other customers”
is a useful thing to know as it appears that individuals are not only more
attracted to others who share similar attitudes, but are also more influenced
by them. Previous researchers have suggested that service firms should not be
afraid to establish, communicate and enforce codes of conduct for customers (Journal
of Services Marketing volume 28 issue 2, 2014).
In the newest cat-café, according to Helsingin Sanomat, “the
kittens are not to be lifted nor patted if the kitten is sleeping”. Customers
who enter are given rules to obey, which they even pay for since they feel they
are getting a return.
The code of conduct is an interesting service concept, which
may sound limiting, yet on the other hand it may provide a feeling of security:
you know the rules, and you may be happy once they are clearly spelled out,
leaving no possibility of guessing nor feeling insecure.
Apparently the cats, reported by Helsingin Sanomat, as well as summer holiday (?), have
made me to re-launch the blog on service management.
