Case Study

RSS

Because of the popularity of Izzy's products, they had a chronic problem of unmet customer expectations. Lines snake out the door in the peak summer season, meaning Izzy's often ran out of favored flavors before a customer reached the front of the line. Izzy's has only 32 spots in their dipping cabinet, yet produces over 120 different varieties each year, so the flavor changes can be frequent. During busy periods, staff wasn't always able to accurately maintain the flavor description displays, and the limited space in front of the cabinet to make a visual choice further impacted the problem. Co-owner Jeff Sommer says he was beginning to sense a tipping point in customer frustration; frustration that developed before he'd even had the chance to sell them a single scoop. He tried to address the problem by taking down customer's names and calling them when their preferred flavor became available. But often by the time the customer arrived, that flavor was already gone, redoubling the customer's frustration.