The other day I was reading about how Avaya, the enterprise communications systems and services provider, has opened a customer experience center in Galway, Ireland. The R&D facility provides Avaya customers direct access to the company's developers who can demonstrate how they can develop custom environments showcasing Avaya's systems while providing customers a glimpse into the company's future technologies and a chance to offer their feedback on them.

Creating a designated customer experience facility is a great opportunity for companies that sell commercial products that customers can touch, test, sample, and express their opinions about. For instance, Sony Electronics recently opened a 4,200 square foot store at the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles where customers can test out a range of Sony products, including PlayStation's Gran Turismo 5 PS3 game, shoot video on a range of cameras, watch 3D movies, or try out Sony headphones.