I was having dinner with my husband and kids. While sipping our drinks, one of the children spilled their milk. We flagged down the closest server to ask for napkins. The server grabbed a few and gave them to us. When one of the kids asked for more milk, he responded in a way that sadly came as no surprise. “I’m not your server.”
Now, I graduated from high school, college, and am currently in a master’s program. My husband is currently working on his second masters. Surely we could tell the difference between our tall, engaging, original server, and the shorter, curt, mad because his parents made him get a job secondary server. Did he honestly think we needed to be reminded that our table was outside of his designated zone? Did that fact supersede our child’s need for milk?
Someway, somehow, quality service did not make it into the new millennium. Some would say it was lost way back in the 80’s, probably packed away with a pair of parachute pants, Jane Fonda Workout tapes, and leg warmers. No matter how out of style it may seem, there is absolutely no substitute for good old-fashioned customer service. Do you want your business to stand apart from your competitors? Does your business thrive on the revenue of repeat customers? Is new business driven by the referral of a satisfied customer? If so, I would like to introduce you to Fred.
Fred was a mail carrier. He noticed that mail at a certain house on his route was piling up. In today’s world Fred might have continued adding to the pile until it was spilling out of the box. He might have thrown the excess mail away, or stuffed it in his chimney. He may have even put in another person’s mailbox. Instead, Fred knocked on his customer’s door, greeted him by name, and asked about his line of work.
His customer, Mark, was a professional speaker. He told Fred that he traveled 160 to 200 days a year. Fred could have turned this conversation into an argument over the mail’s condition. He could have asked Mark if he thought his job was more important than his. Instead, Fred said this, “if you just give me a copy of your schedule, I’ll hold your mail and bundle it. I’ll only deliver it on days that you are at home to receive it.” Do you think Fred lived up to his promise? Absolutely, and for the next ten years, Fred provided remarkable customer service consistent to his very first encounter with Mark. Don’t believe me? Pick up a copy of the National Best Seller (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week), “The Fred Factor,” by Mark Sanborn.
Now back to my dinner. My waiter could have done one of three things. 1) He could have brought the milk to the table. 2) He could have simply taken our request, left to find our original server, who could have magically returned with the milk. Or, 3) He could have told us that he would find our server to ask her to return to the table. Instead, he told us a fact we already knew, which did nothing to help our situation. It was not about tip; it was not about zones. It was about the need for server B to be introduced to Fred.
This week’s question: How much attention are you paying to customer service? Do you greet your regulars by name? Are new customers welcomed as enthusiastically as returning patrons? Does your new employee training include an emphasis on customer service? Walk into your business as a customer, and find out if you and/or your staff need to meet Fred.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Great Expectations
My husband and I went out for coffee last Wednesday night. We went to a local “star” coffee shop. John, the man working behind the counter, was more than friendly. He gave us many interesting options for our evening cup of java. John almost sold me on something new, but I decided to maintain my loyalty to a delicious cup of chai tea latte.
My chai is the same every time I have it: medium, skim milk, and two sugar substitutes. John made the perfect drink. The spicy aroma rose through the steam. I could already taste it. I opened the sweetener packets and poured, adding the finishing touches. All I needed was a stirrer, and I could take my first flavorful sip. I looked. I looked again. I looked once more. There were no stirrers. “Hmmm, this is odd,” I thought. “I’m sure it must be someone’s responsibility to keep an eye on these things.” I decided to let friendly John know. I knew he would get right on top of the situation.
“We don’t have any,” John said apologetically. My countenance dropped. “Excuse me?” John answered again, “Yes, that’s correct, we do not have any stirrers.” “Wow,” I said a bit puzzled. Thinking I could probably joke with him a little after our opening conversation, I asked the obvious question. “Isn’t this the ‘star’ of coffee shops? What do you mean you don’t have any stirrers?” Then he said something even more amazing. “We haven’t had any for two days.” I wanted to sip my chai to bring some comfort to this unbelievable situation, but everything in my cup was still improperly blended! I decided that I owed it to the coffee drinking public to dig deeper into this mystery.
“So, mister friendly man behind the counter,” John smiled knowing more questions were coming. “How is it that the ‘star’ of coffee shops can be out of stirrers? Stirrers are just a given. We don’t even think about them. They just exist. Like air, and taxes. What happened?” He started laughing. “Well, our regulars take two or three at a time, and we ran out sooner than anticipated.” I thought I could get away with one more question. “If this is a regular occurrence, shouldn’t the person ordering account for it?” John nodded in agreement. “You would think, ma’am, but the upper echelon is all new, and they don’t know how to order. We’ll have more on Friday.”
I decided he had had enough of my polite inquisition. Friday??? I could not get it out of my mind. A coffee shop out of stirrers for one week, how does that affect business? I am only a once or twice a month customer. Will the once or twice a day customers still come in after a five-day stirrer shortage? As I considered these questions, a stirrer suddenly appeared before my eyes. John smiled. “Here you go, ma’am, we are supposed to save these for our oatmeal, but I had to give you one.”
They had oatmeal, but no stirrers? Go figure!
This Week’s Question: What expectations do your customers have? Do you take for granted things like an updated menu, clean restrooms, or being open during posted hours of operation? What intangible expectations do they have, such as eye contact, a smile, or prompt service? Walk in to your business as a customer, and see if your business meets your expectations.
My chai is the same every time I have it: medium, skim milk, and two sugar substitutes. John made the perfect drink. The spicy aroma rose through the steam. I could already taste it. I opened the sweetener packets and poured, adding the finishing touches. All I needed was a stirrer, and I could take my first flavorful sip. I looked. I looked again. I looked once more. There were no stirrers. “Hmmm, this is odd,” I thought. “I’m sure it must be someone’s responsibility to keep an eye on these things.” I decided to let friendly John know. I knew he would get right on top of the situation.
“We don’t have any,” John said apologetically. My countenance dropped. “Excuse me?” John answered again, “Yes, that’s correct, we do not have any stirrers.” “Wow,” I said a bit puzzled. Thinking I could probably joke with him a little after our opening conversation, I asked the obvious question. “Isn’t this the ‘star’ of coffee shops? What do you mean you don’t have any stirrers?” Then he said something even more amazing. “We haven’t had any for two days.” I wanted to sip my chai to bring some comfort to this unbelievable situation, but everything in my cup was still improperly blended! I decided that I owed it to the coffee drinking public to dig deeper into this mystery.
“So, mister friendly man behind the counter,” John smiled knowing more questions were coming. “How is it that the ‘star’ of coffee shops can be out of stirrers? Stirrers are just a given. We don’t even think about them. They just exist. Like air, and taxes. What happened?” He started laughing. “Well, our regulars take two or three at a time, and we ran out sooner than anticipated.” I thought I could get away with one more question. “If this is a regular occurrence, shouldn’t the person ordering account for it?” John nodded in agreement. “You would think, ma’am, but the upper echelon is all new, and they don’t know how to order. We’ll have more on Friday.”
I decided he had had enough of my polite inquisition. Friday??? I could not get it out of my mind. A coffee shop out of stirrers for one week, how does that affect business? I am only a once or twice a month customer. Will the once or twice a day customers still come in after a five-day stirrer shortage? As I considered these questions, a stirrer suddenly appeared before my eyes. John smiled. “Here you go, ma’am, we are supposed to save these for our oatmeal, but I had to give you one.”
They had oatmeal, but no stirrers? Go figure!
This Week’s Question: What expectations do your customers have? Do you take for granted things like an updated menu, clean restrooms, or being open during posted hours of operation? What intangible expectations do they have, such as eye contact, a smile, or prompt service? Walk in to your business as a customer, and see if your business meets your expectations.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
How's Your Driving?
I like to drive. I like to get where I am going. Quickly. If you surveyed the amount of time I spend in the slow lane and the amount of time I spend in the fast line...well…you get the picture. I would rather drive a longer route of open road than a shorter route with lots of stops. I like to keep moving. I never leave my place of origin blindly. I factor in time of day, timing of lights, and the WTOP traffic reports every hour on the eights.
Given these facts, imagine my reaction when someone asks to follow me to a destination. Follow me? Do you know what your “following” means for me? I have to spend half of my time checking my rear view mirror to make sure you are still behind me. If I make any changes to my route, I cannot just devise my own detour. I have to let you know what I am doing – waving to you outside of my window, blinking my lights, and calling you on your cell phone hoping not to get your voice mail.
Your “following” means I have to think more, especially when I approach a light. When that happens, please anticipate what I will do and do the same. If I go through, you go through. If I do not, please do not run into me. There is one more important thing to remember. Please do not require me to slow my natural pace. I do not want to come to a complete stop just to wait for you. I like to keep moving. I like to get where I am going.
These thoughts may sound extreme, but think about it. Can you relate to my experience when considering your employees? Do you feel like getting from point A to point B is easier alone? Are you frustrated when you have to take time to explain your decisions? Do you wish your team would just anticipate what you want them to do? Do certain staff members follow too close? Do you spend time waiting around for others to catch up?
Driving and managing may not appear to be synonymous, however, they both at times require leadership. Leading often interrupts your natural pace. It is time consuming. It requires communication. It requires patience. It requires you to understand your employees as much you want them to understand you. In short, your leadership directly impacts your teams’ ability to follow.
This week’s thought: If you led your team to a distant destination by car, everyone driving solo, would you arrive together? Do not just drive when managing your employees; provide the leadership that best positions your team to follow.
Tonya
Given these facts, imagine my reaction when someone asks to follow me to a destination. Follow me? Do you know what your “following” means for me? I have to spend half of my time checking my rear view mirror to make sure you are still behind me. If I make any changes to my route, I cannot just devise my own detour. I have to let you know what I am doing – waving to you outside of my window, blinking my lights, and calling you on your cell phone hoping not to get your voice mail.
Your “following” means I have to think more, especially when I approach a light. When that happens, please anticipate what I will do and do the same. If I go through, you go through. If I do not, please do not run into me. There is one more important thing to remember. Please do not require me to slow my natural pace. I do not want to come to a complete stop just to wait for you. I like to keep moving. I like to get where I am going.
These thoughts may sound extreme, but think about it. Can you relate to my experience when considering your employees? Do you feel like getting from point A to point B is easier alone? Are you frustrated when you have to take time to explain your decisions? Do you wish your team would just anticipate what you want them to do? Do certain staff members follow too close? Do you spend time waiting around for others to catch up?
Driving and managing may not appear to be synonymous, however, they both at times require leadership. Leading often interrupts your natural pace. It is time consuming. It requires communication. It requires patience. It requires you to understand your employees as much you want them to understand you. In short, your leadership directly impacts your teams’ ability to follow.
This week’s thought: If you led your team to a distant destination by car, everyone driving solo, would you arrive together? Do not just drive when managing your employees; provide the leadership that best positions your team to follow.
Tonya
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