A couple of things that confer competitive advantage on a service provider could be referred to as intangibles, even though they are. These intangibles are not soft variables. They are commercial variables. Businesses that understand this build a layer of competitive advantage that their competitors cannot easily replicate, because most of their competitors are not even looking at this level.
There is a dimension of the physical customer experience that separates the memorable from the forgettable: ambience. The feel of the space, the quality of the light, the temperature of the room, the arrangement of furniture, and the cleanliness of surfaces, floors, and facilities. Ambience should not be confused with luxury. The two are not the same. Ambience is not about expensive fittings or elaborate interior design. It is about intentionality, the evidence that someone has thought carefully about what it feels like to be in this space.
Some years back, my wife was admitted to one of the leading hospitals in Nigeria. During this period, I was going to the office from the hospital. The room she was admitted to was like a hotel room. Except for the medical equipment in the room, the room could go for a 4-star hotel room. I said humourously to a friend that if not for the absurdity, it would be a good place to stay permanently. Of course, we laughed it off. However, there are some salient and serious points from that funny statement. The level of comfortability experienced by customers when they come to your office environment determines if they will come back or not. Having an office environment that turns people off makes you lose customers to your competitors.
