There is often a certain stigma associated with being labeled as a “yes-man”. Many people may see “yes-men” as pushovers, suck-ups, or even worse because of their eagerness to please and comply with their bosses. But what about when it comes to providing customer service? Almost all great customer service experiences originate from a "yes-man" Isn’t this the best time to be a “yes-man”? After all, the customer is essentially your boss – they spend the money that eventually comes back to you in the form of a paycheck. Wouldn’t your organization rise to new heights if everyone tried to be more of a “yes-man” when it came to customer service?
This philosophy and dedication to customer service is such a strong part of the organizations culture that it has become a way of life at all its restaurants. Nearly all employees actively try to excel in coming up with ways to exceed the customer’s expectations. Mitchell has even come up with a genius metaphor to illustrate his organization’s philosophy towards customer service. That metaphor is the milkshake. While at a restaurant with his family, Mitchell’s son asked the server if he could have a milkshake. Her response was “no”. Knowing that the restaurant had milk, ice cream, and a blender at their disposal, Mitchell simply couldn’t understand why the server wouldn’t accommodate to her guest when it would be so easy to do so. Essentially what the server was saying was “I don’t care about your experience here – milkshakes are not on the menu so we don’t make them.” The milkshake has become a powerful metaphor for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants that reminds everyone in the organization to find a way to say, “yes” to the customer. In fact every company meeting starts out with a milkshake toast and the presentation of a Milkshake Award to employees who exemplified superior customer service by going above and beyond the call of duty. Naturally there will be occasions where accommodating to the customer’s wishes is just not possible. This is just part of doing business, but one still has options. For starters, think about all the possible situations that might arise where it is simply not possible to say yes. Now consider some creative solutions to the problem which will make your customer satisfied and feel as if their request was in some way granted. Discuss these options with your employees or organization as a group. You will be surprised with the number of creative solutions you can come up with. The most important thing here is that employees are empowered to do whatever it takes to deliver genuine customer service. Perhaps offering milkshakes on the menu is not in you company’s best interest, but make sure that your employees are willing and able to make the occasional milkshake when the guest requests it. Your hard work and dedication to customer service will far outweigh any minor inconveniences at the time and will be reworded with loyal repeat customers. Now go Maximize Possibility! Other blog posts you may be interested in: Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today! Copyright 2008, Chris Young - The Rainmaker Group, Inc.
One organization that exemplifies this “yes-man” philosophy towards customer service is Cameron Mitchell Restaurants based in Columbus, Ohio. Cameron Mitchell operates 27 upscale restaurants in 7 states and has one of the best customer service strategies in the business. Their motto: “The answer’s yes, now what’s the question?” This is not just your typical lip service plastered around the workplace as feel-good eye candy; this company truly delivers the goods.
This sends a clear and powerful message to the guest – you are not important to me. The scary thing is that it reflects most poorly on the restaurant. Every other server might have complied with the request, but this one didn’t and it reflects poorly on what type of values the restaurant holds. You will probably soon forget the servers name, but will never forget the restaurant where you received poor customer service. 
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