A story about Jeremy, the rock-star banquet server

One of the many subtleties underlying impeccable customer service is responding vs. reacting. At first glance, there seems to be little difference between the two, but the following story illustrates how profound that difference can be and how it can affect your relationship with your customer.

The Dilemma . . .

As the trainer for my client’s events booked at a local hotel, I arrived early on the appointed day, a Friday morning at 7:30 am, because one never knows what last-minute issues might need attention. But the one I found facing me on this particular morning was a whopper.

Jeremy, a hotel employee whom I had met and worked with before, was the lone banquet server on staff, and he’d just prepared all four of the banquet rooms for a series of events that – collectively – over 200 guests would be attending. Jeremy was in charge of all service elements—everything from audio/video requirements to food and beverage, and some of the guests had already begun filtering in. My client – a group of about 50 people – was scheduled to be seated in one of these rooms … or so I’d expected.

After greeting Jeremy, I asked him: “I didn’t see my client’s company name on any of the wall placards, so I wonder which room we’re in today?” Jeremy looked surprised, paused for a brief moment, and said, “I can double-check the contract, but we weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

Reacting vs. Responding = Emotions vs. Logic

Uh oh! I began to panic, my mind racing as emotion took over. I felt myself reddening and beginning to perspire. In short, I reacted.

But Jeremy remained calm. He needed all of about five seconds to begin offering solutions, responding by jumping immediately into a “can-do” mode. “Well, that room around the corner is actually already set up for you guys in anticipation of tomorrow,” he said. “Our hotel was going to hold a team meeting in there at 1:00 pm, but obviously your event takes priority over that. There’s just one thing I’ll need to check, and that’s whether the chef can have your breakfast buffet food ready on time. I’ll find out now and be right back.”

Jeremy’s recovery was so logical, and so seamless, that to this day there are only three of us (on the client side) who even became aware of this scheduling miscommunication. It caused not even a ripple of distraction for our 50 attendees because Jeremy responded swiftly and confidently, reminding me a little of a duck—graceful above the water, where all could see him, but moving forward at a million miles a minute with powerful and determined feet just below the surface.

So Whose Fault Was It?

Fact is, it didn’t matter to me and it certainly didn’t matter to Jeremy. What mattered was that Jeremy responded to the need that 50 people expected to have a comfortable and equipped space . . . and he made it happen. And Jeremy teaches us a valuable lesson: that responding to a crisis with logical problem solving is far more effective than reacting emotionally. Your customers, clients, guests, members, patients, users, etc. do not expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to work with them to make things right, to reach resolution, to recover quickly. (And you are likely to receive major bonus points when do this without any finger pointing or even a hint of defensiveness.)

As we wrapped up our half-day training, I asked to see both the hotel’s general manager and the president of the hotel group to express our gratitude for Jeremy’s solution-oriented attitude and responsive approach. Although I already knew and liked Jeremy, this episode turned me—an average customer—into an enthusiastic promoter for the hotel and its services.

Bottom Line

By responding to your clients instead of merely reacting, you too are promoting your business. And promotion translates into profit!

Your Turn

When have you witnessed — or been a part of — reacting vs. responding? Please comment below…

Enabling and Empowering Employees to Think on Their Feet

Nearly 20 years ago, I embarked on what would become an 11-year sales career with Rosenthal Acura. It was the mid-1990s and I felt I’d lucked out. You see, after having spent the previous 8 years in the hospitality industry, I was now working for a luxury auto dealer that genuinely focused on … hospitality. We would eventually become the “poster child” for Acura in the United States – not based on our high volume of sales, though. It was based largely on receiving high marks from clients. Our fanatical, dealership-wide attention to the client experience consistently earned us top C.S.I. (Customer Satisfaction Index) rankings.

Within my first 18 months with the organization, David, our general manager, rolled out an employee empowerment program. Simply put, this meant that every staff member – from the janitor to the courtesy shuttle driver to the service manager – could spend up to $100 to fix a customer problem and reach resolution. No approval needed. No questions asked. Just make it right. What did that mean for the client? If you were the client and …

• Got tire-shine on your pants while standing too close to a display car, we paid for your dry cleaning
• Discovered a scratch on your door after having the car in for an oil change, we had it buffed out (often while you waited)
• Drove an hour to purchase a rare car part that was no longer in stock, we called around, located the part, brought it in, and shipped it (next-day, at no additional charge) to your home or office

For the record, I don’t recall being given specific examples like these to draw from. We simply knew that the spirit of the program was to (quickly) make things right for the customer and create a WOW experience.

“Whatever you do, DO NOT open the elevator doors.”

I recently read the firsthand account of a hotel guest who was (1 of 12) trapped in the elevator. Instead of trying to help 12 panicked patrons, the hotel staff chose to look out for the company’s interests. You can read the entire story here, but to summarize, the guests could have easily rescued themselves by prying the doors open, but the hotel made them wait until a repairman showed up. Why? The hotel didn’t want to risk having to foot the bill if something went wrong mechanically, as a result of those guests’ efforts. Wine & cheese were later delivered as what they must have felt were appropriate “Apology Offerings.”

Having read the remarkable hotel elevator story…

You might agree that instead of being empowered to do the right thing for their guests, this hotel’s staff was more focused on operating costs.

I can only imagine their “Make-it-right chart” looking something like this:

• Your kid loses his teddy bear; we’ll give him a grape soda. If we happen to be out of grape soda, your kid gets an oatmeal raisin cookie.
• We gave away your reservation; we’ll give you a couple of free oatmeal raisin cookies. If you’re still upset, we’ll throw in a shuttle ride to nearest Motel6.
• You get trapped in our elevator; we’ll bring some wine and cheese up to your room (but not our high-end stuff). Don’t drink? Lactose intolerant? We have plenty of oatmeal raisin cookies.

Had those hotel employees been empowered to make decisions that put their guests’ well-being, interests, and personal safety before anything else, the outcome (and the stories that followed) would likely be more – shall we say – flattering.

Bottom Line: Define It

It’s not enough to declare that you provide world-class customer service. It’s not enough to have your staff sign off on a formal employee manual and job description. It’s not even enough to have thoughtful hiring standards in place. These aren’t bad ideas, but the rubber doesn’t meet the road until you have effective communication, employee empowerment, and an implementation plan to put your policies to work.

You must have regular conversations that encourage and invite your staff to define impeccable customer service. You must discuss scenarios – real or made-up – that force your employees to think critically and shape solutions. And this must all take place with a spirit of humanity and genuine concern for the customer.

Remember: Your ultimate goal is to make every customer feel 1) taken care of, and; 2) as if you’ve thought of everything. This can only result from regular trainings and conversations on the topic. Remarkable, impeccable, noteworthy, world-class customer service isn’t an initiative, it’s a quest; a relentless pursuit.

Your Turn

Have you seen or been part of a situation where the company clearly acted only in its own best interest? Share your stories in the comment section below…

Meeting the Needs of Your Customers Isn’t Enough

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” –Steve Jobs

You probably own a cooler, but you’ve likely never heard of Ryan Grepper before now. Ryan is an inventor who engineered a much-needed refresh for portable coolers.

Aside from the addition of tires, cup holders, and telescoping handles, coolers have remained about the same for nearly 50 years. If I asked you how to improve this popular household item, you’d probably say you’d never given it much thought – (after all, we’ve just lived with the same general design for as long as most of us can remember).

After a moment, you might request a bottle opener or suggest better overall workmanship to avoid the broken hinges and cracked drain caps that result from normal wear and tear. Ryan found a way to address those concerns and so much more. In fact he took the concept of anticipating customer needs to a place no one has ever gone before.

The Coolest of the Coolers

The Coolest, which recently debuted on Kickstarter.com, has it all — much of it built right in: a bungee cord to stack and secure additional items while on the go, a removable divider, and integrated storage. It’s also clever enough to incorporate extra-wide tires, which make it more beach-ready than leading models.

That’s not all, though. The Coolest uses a powerful rechargeable battery, the latest lighting advancements, and even wireless technology:

Under the lid, you’ll find:

• A waterproof LED light strip that lets you see your contents in the dark
• Reusable serving plates that double as cutting boards
• A rust-proof ceramic knife

On the outside, you’ll discover:

• There’s a USB port to charge your smartphone
• A small recessed shelf to rest your smartphone
• A gear tie-down
• A detachable waterproof Bluetooth speaker, and;
• The pièce de résistance, an 18-volt rechargeable full-size blender!

Now that’s innovation.

Meeting Customer Needs Isn’t Enough

The modern automobile was born in 1886. In those early years, manufacturing was focused on functionality and not necessarily on creature comforts. But I imagine people got thirsty while driving way back then, just as we do today, and brought along a beverage from time to time. Some 70 years later, cup holders were just beginning to make their way into mass-produced vehicles.

The origami-inspired, white Chinese food container was introduced in the late 1800s. And, although the residential counter-top microwave oven was introduced in 1967, it would be a few decades before we’d see the removal of those metal wire handles from our Chinese food containers (allowing us to place those boxes in the microwave without blowing it up).

What do cars and take-out have in common? Both examples show how those industries responded (decades later) to a common customer need. Responding to needs is important, but what if there were a way to anticipate them instead?

Anticipating your customers’ needs trumps meeting their needs

There is a difference between meeting needs and anticipating those needs. (Hint: Anticipating often requires innovation.) Here are two ways to understand and appreciate that difference:

1. If you incorporate intuitive features into a product or service from the start, you’re anticipating needs. (Ex: If car makers had thought about our desire to have a beverage handy — and safely stored — they might have built cup holders into the earliest models.)

2. If you’re developing a solution to a problem that people have simply lived with (because they’ve never seen it as a problem), you’re also anticipating a need. And you’re innovating. The Coolest is a wonderful example.

Why you must value and embrace innovation

When you think of some of the world’s most innovative brands, what companies come to mind? Amazon.com, Starbucks, Google, Apple, and Nintendo have all made the Forbes top 100 list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies. Companies like these have made the practice of anticipating customer needs (innovation) a part of their culture.

Many companies have even appointed a Chief Innovation Officer, while others have chosen to make this sort of ideation and creativity a required part of everyone’s role. Either way, there’s real value here. Encouraging a culture of innovation, particularly as it pertains to anticipating customer needs can be a real differentiator.

Companies like the ones listed above are typically held in high regard, attract some of the most talented employees, make a positive difference in the business world, and often realize tremendous financial success.

The bottom line: Innovation does more than equate to anticipating customer needs. Innovation generates buzz and drives profitability.

Small-but-important Details in the Customer Experience

Until recently, my wife and I had been housing much of my best friend’s furniture for the previous three years (long story). One Saturday morning, a moving company spent two hours removing all the large pieces from our home. The three movers were great. They showed up on time and worked hard. They were polite and did a careful job.

What could they have done better? At first glance … [Read more…]

The most important interview question you’re (not) asking

Have you ever been excited about a new employee, only to be unpleasantly surprised when you later discovered that person’s true colors? They appeared to have a high aptitude for customer service, but – as it turned out – your favorable impression was inaccurate. You’re not alone. It happens to all of us.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average cost of a bad hiring decision can equal 30% of the first year’s potential earnings. By now, you’ve probably seen similar stats, or perhaps even more alarming numbers. Numbers aside, the costly effects of a bad hire are more than monetary. The ramifications on your internal culture and your external brand can cut deep.

The power of one

Your front-line people are the “face” of your business. Your company’s image and its reputation are made up of countless “moments of truth.” Whether that next customer has a positive or negative experience with that one person on the front line, customers walk away feeling something, and sharing about their experience. And they’re using words like, “they/them/those people.” For that customer, your entire enterprise is represented by the person they just interacted with. This is the power of one.

Many leaders would rather [Read more…]

The most effective (1-question) customer survey

When I ask business owners and customers alike what they believe the ultimate 1-question customer survey might be, the response is often the same: “Would you do business with us again?” How about a deeper question though; one that puts more at stake; more on the line (i.e., your good name and personal reputation)? You see, I believe we’re willing to suffer through more than we’d be willing to put a friend or colleague through. Enter The Ultimate Question, as defined by business strategist Fred Reichheld in his book by the same name:

What is the ultimate question?

“On a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend [our company] to a friend or colleague?”

Lots of companies have already adopted it, so if it hasn’t yet been asked of you, you will likely begin to notice it soon.

I find it difficult to discuss the customer experience, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty without referring to Reichheld’s work. Don’t waste your time developing – an albeit thoughtful – customer survey with lots of marvelous questions. Chances are good that only a certain “type” of customer will take the time to complete your lengthy survey anyhow. And if that’s the case, [Read more…]

Addressing 4 Key Areas Designed to Turn Prospects into Advocates

What if you knew the exact formula required to create advocates, raving fans, walking billboards, brand champions and evangelicals for you and your company? That would be one valuable formula, wouldn’t it? Well, by reading First Break All the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman you would discover that, according to Gallup research, there are four levels of customer expectations. Thoughtfully – and consistently – meeting these expectations can deliver a WOW factor that will convert potential customers and clients into raving fans.

Let’s get right to it. Here are levels 1 through 4, in ascending order of importance:

1) Accuracy; 2) Availability; 3) Partnership; 4) Advice/Learning

I’ll unpack them for you and illustrate what each level might look like from the customer’s point of view.

This information can apply to any industry and since it’s safe to assume we’ve all been out to eat at a restaurant, I’ll use dining experiences as the example. Suppose you owned a restaurant and committed to [Read more…]

3 Ways to Create Ownership (not “Buy-in”)

I recently posted a daily quick tip including the timeless phrase, “It’s hard to be a prophet in your own land.” I was referring to the inherent challenges of sharing your world-class customer service vision with your staff … in such a way that they might make it their own. As a result of that blog post, Jennifer asked the following question:

Jennifer says:

“I am the Trainer in the corporate office at my company. I have heard many comments relating to the notion that “how can you train us…you don’t do the job.” When I have actually ‘done the job’ for years before I became the Trainer. Also, I have heard comments such as “what makes you the expert?” I suppose these are all well and valid points, but how do you get that ‘buy in?’ I work for a busy call center, and train everyone from new hires to veteran employees, on new processes, to refresher classes. Some people think they are doing a great job, when in fact their “exceptional” is not the equivalent of my/the company’s definition of “exceptional.” I welcome your thoughts… Thank you.”

 

What’s beneath the surface?

It seems Jennifer is facing a [Read more…]