It’s amazing how the way in which you are greeted during a customer service interaction can affect the whole tone and outcome of the customer experience. This is especially true when face-to-face contact is absent from the equation. There is no opportunity for communication through body language; what is said and how it is said are the only means for communication. You are only given one chance to make a good first impression…Don’t Ruin It!!!
For me personally the fast food drive thru is one of the best examples of how initial interaction and greeting can affect the entire customer experience. Over the past year I have noticed a marked difference between two fast food establishment in the way they great their customers. These restaurants are McDonalds and Taco Bell, and the difference couldn’t be more pronounced. Before I examine the difference in philosophies of these restaurants, let’s take a look at how they are similar.
These restaurants may serve entirely different lines of fast food, but they are actually fierce competitors for your fast food dollar. Both restaurants seek to fulfill basic needs of consumers: hunger and convenience. Taco Bell and McDonalds are both able to adequately fulfill these needs with relative ease, and customers know and expect this. Therefore it becomes more an issue of how the fulfillment of these needs is carried out.
Think about it…if the quality of food is about equal – “Fast food is fast food”, a basic need is fulfilled – “Mmmm I’m full”, and the speed of service is similar – “That didn’t take long” are all comparable, it doesn’t leave much to compete on.
In this situation the way in which these restaurants, and all businesses for that matter, are able to stand out is the way in which they provide customer service. In my opinion, McDonalds and Taco Bell couldn’t be more different in their approach to drive thru service. Taco Bell over the past year or two appears to have taken an active approach to improving customer experience in the drive thru, while at the same time McDonalds seems to have put this issue on the back burner.
The differences in approach to customer service are apparent the moment your car stops at the ordering intercom. The standard greeting at the McDonalds I have visited lately is a quick and sharp “Can I help you?” Say it as fast as you can “Can I help you?” Now say it even faster. Words don’t do justice to the abrupt and hurried greetings I have received at McDonalds lately. If my ears could blink I think I would miss it. Seriously.
Add to this a complete lack of sincerity in the employee’s voice, and a seeming sense of annoyance, and things haven’t started well. I pause for a second, taken back by the greeting I have just received, and before I can even consider my food selection I hear, “Order when ready”. Just as quick, just as cold. I deliver my order, it appears on the screen and I hear, “anything else?” “No” I respond coldly (people are like mirrors you know!) and I am directed to the, “First window.” At this point I am pretty much turned off by the whole experience and can only hope that I get the food I ordered correctly.
I arrive at the first window to finally get a glimpse of this slayer of customer experience and am greeted by her extended, robot-like hand to get my money. She sighs as I find the correct bill in my wallet and takes my money. I am reassured that she is in fact human by the touch of her cold, indifferent hand as we exchange money. I receive my change and little to nothing is said. There is no need for me question my next move. As I look ahead I see another machine-like arm protrude from the window with my bag of food hanging from it. I proceed and actually manage to get my food without stopping my truck or speaking to the person the arm belongs to, happy to get out of drive thru and return home.
The scariest thing about this whole experience is that it isn’t an isolated event, but rather occurs almost every time I eat at McDonalds. And it isn’t just apathetic high school students working for spending money, but also more than one member of management that has delivered this kind of service. Sure it is great to receive my food in such an expedited manner, but at the same time nobody wants to feel as if one is a nuisance to the people they are served by.
The service at Taco Bell couldn’t more different. About two years ago I noticed a difference in approach to greeting drive thru customers at Taco Bell. Every Taco Bell that I have been to in recent memory, I received the same friendly greeting. “Thank you for stopping at Taco Bell. How are you today?” This greeting is not delivered rushed, impatient, or indifferent, but rather with a real sense of caring. What a disarming question, “How are you today?”
Certainly the greeting originated in some corporate boardroom, with orders to implement it sent down through the ranks, but I always get the feeling that the order taker really does care how I am today. So I respond, “Quite well, how are you?” To my surprise I get a genuine response “I’m great, thanks for asking. Go ahead and order when you are ready.” In a matter of 15 seconds the entire tone for the rest of the transaction has been established and is carried through.
It should come as no surprise then, that if these restaurants were across the street from each other, the majority of the time I will choose Taco Bell based on the quality of customer service I receive. With the quality of food and speed of delivery about the same, service is the primary difference between restaurants. Clearly I do choose McDonalds sometimes or I wouldn’t be writing this piece today. What can I say; sometime I just crave a Big Mac. The point is that it is important for customers to choose you because of the way you treat them, not because they have a craving for a Big Mac once in a blue moon. Anyone can provide food quickly and conveniently, they key is to do it with a high level of caring and customer service.
The lessons of this story are true for all industries. Take a good look at your organization. Why would someone choose you over the competitors, most things being equal?
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
- Exceeding Expectations Key to Creating Great Customer Service
- Papa's Pumpkin Patch - It's Not About the Pumpkins
- The Worst F-Word: FINE
- Cultural Change Begins with Personal Accountability
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
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