#26. The Keys of Power
An Unexpected Business Instrument in The Netherlands
A melody, soft and hesitant, spills out from a seemingly hidden location within the vast corridors of Maastricht’s central train station. Played from an unseen piano, the notes dance effortlessly, carried aloft by the vast ceilings. They weave through the bustling crowd of businesspeople, finding their way into every corner of the station.
In my current traveller’s lifestyle, I have the temporary power of boundless free time and no commitments, so I took residence at the piano and watched as people followed my sound trail. Sunlight streams through the station's lofty ceiling, spotlighting the grand piano with a golden glow and adding to the apparent spellbinding enchantment. For a fleeting moment, the world outside ceases to exist, replaced by a harmonious universe where worries melt away with each note.
But what brought these pianos here?
The Unexpected Antidote: Pianos and Spontaneous Connections
For many locals, the inherent charm of Dutch train stations isn't enough to soothe the daily disruptions associated with public transport. Renovations and infrastructure repairs are a constant source of frustration, leading to delays, cancellations and congestion of the trains that remain on the tracks.
In September 2014, Nederlandse Spoorwegen - NS (Dutch Railways), in collaboration with various partners, began placing pianos in stations undergoing renovations (1). The initial goal of this project was to inject a dose of elation into travelers impacted by these temporary interruptions. The pianos of course were distractions but equally they became catalysts for human connection (2). Passengers, young and old, are drawn to the music. Some take a momentary break from their journeys to play a familiar tune, while others are captivated by impromptu performances from fellow travelers. Stories abound of strangers meeting over a shared love of music, forging connections that transcend language and background (2).
Although not related to my time in Netherlands, I have recently worked in a restaurant in France and witness the peak hour surge in pizza orders that were coming in a rate faster than I could cook. Using what I learnt in Netherlands it was time to remove myself from the kitchen and start to play Ludovico Einaudi on the outdoor piano to calm the crowd. It’s safe to say that the Dutch and French both responsible in the same positive way.
The Truth of the Pianos: Beyond Connections
Dutch Railway is familiar with high complaint volumes when they make changes to their train schedules or publish delays, mostly from train break downs and signal failures (3). In 2022, when they published a new timetable, they received 7000 complaints alone and in 2017 it was reported that there were ‘200 to 350 complaints per month, but the number of complaint grew to 1667’ (4).
While the Dutch railway website offers disruption data it doesn't offer complaint data beyond the current year. It is difficult to use data to support the success of the piano initiative, however knowing the pilot project was expanded to 14 other sites the intuitive answer is that they have a positive effect (1).
The melody may not erase the delay in reality, but it offers respite and suppression of the frustration while passengers wait for the revised service announcement or the replacement public transport option. The same can be said about my impromptu concert while people were waiting for the pizza orders. We had a 40-minute delay, so I played for 1 hour to slow down the number of complaints coming to the bar, and instead, people were asking if live music was now part of the regular Wednesday setup.
Business Impact: Stabilising Operations and Customer Sentiment
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the strategic placement of pianos in high-traffic, disruption-prone environments present a compelling business case. By serving as a focal point for positive engagement with customers, pianos can mitigate the negative impacts of operational challenges. The dotted line in Figure 1 highlights that in instances where there is a drop in supply (train breakdowns or signal failures) or spike in demand (surge of pizza orders during my restaurant experience) the piano can act as a stabiliser to customer sentiment. You can see the solid grey line has a flattened customer sentiment relative to the solid blue line. The music does not solve the problem, but it buys time to identify the bottleneck of the system and resolve any operational problems before they arise again. These two examples in the train station and restaurant are perfect examples of behavioural economics in action.
Figure 1 - Customer Sentiment in Response to Variation in Supply or Demand
A Harmonious Future: Music For All
The seemingly simple act of placing pianos in train stations has evolved to become a strategy for enhancing customer experience and mitigating the impact of operational disruptions. By creating unexpected moments of joy and connection, these musical interventions have the potential to transform stressful situations into positive experiences, like it did for me and the people around me.
Key Takeaways and Opportunities:
Creative solutions can mitigate operational challenges. The Dutch Railways' use of pianos is a prime example of how creative solutions can be used to mitigate operational challenges. By providing a calming and distracting influence during disruptions, the pianos helped to reduce customer frustration and improve the overall customer experience. Other organizations may apply this concept to address common operational challenges, such as long wait times or service outages.
Human connection can improve customer sentiment. Pianos in the train stations served as a focal point for interaction and connection among strangers and calming atmosphere in the restaurant. Organizations can create opportunities for human connection by fostering a sense of community among customers, encouraging interaction between customers to solve their problems collectively, which is what we commonly see in customer forums.
Additional Photos from my Travels:
Links and References:
Installation of the pianos became during the 2014 Amsterdam station renovations and upgrades
https://nieuws.ns.nl/deze-stations-hebben-een-stationspiano/Public pianos increase human connection and people enjoy the space even if waiting for delayed trains
https://www.nrc.nl/piano/Stat on the incident data for Dutch rail
Complaints increase as train services reduce
https://dutchreview.com/news/packed-ns-trains-complaints-rise-as-number-of-trains-drop/
All this about piano. Imagine what calming emotions a violin or a clarinet could conjure up . . . whilst the clarinet would be problematic if trying to start a conversation. :)
Interesting article, thank you.
For a fleeting moment, the world outside ceases to exist, replaced by a harmonious universe where worries melt away with each note <3