Customer Experience - The Sincera Way

Customer Service Defined by Four Little Words

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!

1-866-988-RAIN

Copyright 2008, Chris Young - The Rainmaker Group, Inc. 

Bad Customer Service - What is it Costing You???

What kind of messages are your employees sending to your customers?  This video speaks volumes as to the need for serious customer service training these days.  The end result is clear -  a lost sales opportunity, or worse the permanent loss of a customer.  How many people did this customer tell about his bad customer service experience at the magazine retailer?  In this case it could be millions.  With the current state of technology, a bad customer service experience with your company is just a click away from being broadcast to millions worldwide! This magazine shop should be thankful that its company name was not displayed during the video, the damage to the company's image could have been much worse.  Is one of your employees a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off???  Click play to see bad customer service in action.

It is clear that this employee doesn't have a clue as to why she is employed.  If you were to ask her what her job description is she would likely reply "to put away magazines".  Naturally this is part of her job duties, but in her mind it is clear that it is her job duty.  If her only job were to stock magazines, there would be no reason why she is working during store hours as she would only be in the way.  Managers put employees around customers for a reason - to provide customer service and assist them whenever possible.  Of course there are other duties such as replenishing stock levels, cleaning, setting displays, etc. but those are secondary activities that can be done when convenient.

This employee failed to see the real question that the customer was asking.  He may have said "do you have this month's Top Gear?"  But what is really being asked is "Excuse me, could you please help me find a magazine."   The employee missed a golden opportunity to truly serve the customer in this situation. 

Here is what should have happened after the question.  The employee should have put down what she was doing walked over to the gentleman and verified his question.  "You can't seem to find this month's Top Gear?  Let me try and find it for you."  As someone who apparently devotes a great deal of her time and effort to stocking magazine she is likely to have a good idea of which magazine titles the shop carries. 

Her options to help the customer at this point are numerous.  If the shop carried that particular title she would likely know where it would be located and could have found it for him.  If she was still unable to find it she could have checked the ordering catalogs or computer programs which would indicate if the title is due for delivery soon and relayed this information to the consumer. 

If the title is out of stock or not carried by the shop there are still options available to her to assist and satisfy the customer.  An excellent option would be suggest an alternative title that is similar in content to the unavailable title.  This serves several purposes.  First if the shop does not carry the requested title, there is still an opportunity to create customer value and make a sale.  Secondly if the shop did carry the title, but was simply out of stock, the opportunity still exists for a sale.  Furthermore if the employee was able to suggest a suitable alternative the customer may well decide that he likes both magazines and will return to the shop in the future to purchase both.

This is a golden example of why it is so important to have the right people in positions to create memorable customer experiences.  Bad customer experience creation can be devastating.  With a poor employee such as the one in the video the customer may well be discouraged enough to never return and take his money elsewhere.  Had the shop employed an employee devoted to customer service the results could be much different.  If the employee was able to suggest a suitable alternative the customer will likely return in the future and possibly even purchase two magazines instead of just one.

You might be thinking, "its just a couple of magazine, what difference does that make?"  The answer is a BIG DIFFERENCE.  If this customer is lost for good, no further value can come from him.  On the other hand if the customer does return to purchase say, two magazines a month at $5 a piece, that adds up to $120 in additional annual revenue.  Multiply this by 10 or 20 customers and it can really start to add up fast.  This works both ways - loose 10 or 20 customers who spend $5-10 a month and this can really hurt your bottom line.

If you are losing customers it is highly likely that they are still purchasing the goods or services you sell, but they are purchasing them elsewhere.  That means additional revenues and resources are being lost to you competition!  Bad customer service simply cannot be tolerated.  Don't be you competition's best friend!

Now go Maximize Possibility!

Other blog posts you may be interested in:

• Angry Customers Mirror You
• Every Customer Experience Touch Point Counts
• Are Your Vendors Hurting Your Customer's Experience?
• The Worst F-Word: FINE

Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention.  Bring Chris in today!

1-866-988-RAIN

Copyright 2008, Chris Young - The Rainmaker Group, Inc. 

Being a “yes-man” helps to create customer experience

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?

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 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.” 

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. 

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:

• Exceeding Expectations Creates a Powerful Customer Experience
• The Worst F-Word: FINE
• Every Touch Point Counts When it Comes to Customer Service
• Cultural Change Begins with Personal Accountability

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.

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This article inspired in part by “The Answer’s Yes…Now What’s the Question” an article by John Di Julius III appearing in the May/June 2006 issue of Hotel Food and Beverage Executive.

Are Your Vendors Hurting The Customer’s Experience?

Often times when choosing vendors and business partners, little thought is given to how these vendors will affect your brand image and your customer experience creation.  Too often vendors and business associates are chosen based on price, terms of contract, and other variables that do little to enhance the customer’s experience.  This is unfortunate because even vendors who do not have regular interaction with your customers can turn out to have a huge impact on their perception of your brand through the Customer Experience they offer.  Consider the following example:

This past summer I took my family to a small, but widely renowned pizza franchise in Central Minnesota - Zorbaz Pizza.  Zorbaz is known for its excellent pizza and Mexican food as well as its laid back, fun atmosphere that fares well in the fun-loving lakes region of Minnesota.

 

The kids were excited for the great food Zorbaz is known for, while my wife and I still couldn’t believe we had gotten our 21-year-old son, and 16-year-old daughter to come on a family vacation.  We were sitting in a corner of the restaurant with a TV positioned over us.  We had finished eating our excellent food and were enjoying each other’s company after the meal, when out of nowhere a 10 – 15 pound trophy fell off of the TV stand above us.  The trophy struck my daughter’s purse and then her hand.  She immediately grasped her hand and began to cry.  It was an incredibly frightening moment, and could have been much worse:  the massive trophy had missed my daughter’s head by mere inches.  It all happened so fast; we were stunned.

 

I grabbed the first server passing by and told her what happened.  She responded with the slack jawed look of a teenage boy playing video games.  My response to her was, “Get the manager, NOW!”  In about 5 minutes the manager came, very embarrassed.  He then took another 5 minutes to get some ice and then another 15 minutes to round up some insurance information.

 

The manager did the right thing and sent us to the hospital to have her hand examined, telling us that the hospital would send them the bill.   We had her hand checked and found out nothing was broken and preceded back to the lake.  On the way back to our place we discovered that my daughter’s cellular phone had been smashed by the trophy.

 

The manager called us later that night, as promised, and I informed him that her hand was OK but her cell phone was smashed.  He told me to buy a new one and send him the bill.  This ends the good part of the story if you want to call it that.

 

Three months after the incident the hospital bills had not been paid and we still had not been reimbursed for the cell phone.  The issue was finally settled 4 months after the fact but not until I had to become extremely nasty to get their attention.  I called the owner of Zorbaz, the insurance agent and the insurance adjuster to yell at all of them and basically had to threaten to sue them to get them to act.  The amazing thing is that not one of them could understand why I was so upset.

 

Zorbaz, the insurance adjuster, the insurance agent and the insurance company all now played a part in this debacle.  None of them had enough sense to think about what had happened from the perspective of the customer.

 

So think about the vendors you choose that may come in contact with your customers.  Do they share your thoughts on how you wish your customers to be treated or do they want to win the battle but lose the war?  Their version of your Customer Experience must be your version. 

 

I have already forgotten the name of the insurance company, the insurance adjuster and the insurance agent but I will never forget that Zorbaz dropped a trophy on my daughter and didn’t pay for her phone or hospital bills until I threatened to sue them.

 

This same idea holds true in all industries, be it construction, shipping, offshore customer service and help desks, or even the janitor who cleans the floor of your restaurant.  All of your associates have the potential to have an impact on your Customer Experience, good or bad, and therefore should be seen as an extension of your organization.

 

So, even though your vendors may be forgotten or not even known by your customers, their failures are your failures.  So, as the knight protecting the Holy Grail in the Indiana Jones movie said, “Choose carefully."

 

Now go Maximize Possibility!

Other blog posts you may be interested in:

• What is Poor Customer Service Costing You?
• No Problem is a Customer Service Phrase Problem
• 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!

1-866-988-RAIN

Copyright 2008, Chris Young - The Rainmaker Group, Inc. 

What Time is the 3 O'Clock Parade???

What is the most commonly asked question at Disney World or Disney Land? 

“What time is the 3 o’clock parade?”

Here it is again just in case you missed it, “What time is the 3 o’clock parade?”

Most people would love to blurt out, “At 3 o’clock you ________ moron!”  But Disney knows that that is not the real question being asked.

So, the classic answer to the moronic question is, “The parade actually starts behind the castle at 3 o’clock and it should be right here at about 3:15 and if you stay here your children will have an excellent opportunity to see Mickey and Minnie.”  WOW!

You see, Disney knows what the real question is.   The real question is, “How can I get the most out of my Disney experience and make everyone happy?”

Disney also knows that the real ROI comes from repeat visitors to their parks. The costs of getting a guest to come back and drop $3000-$4000 are nothing compared to attracting a new guest. 

Here’s the real point; every business has their stupid question that gets asked of them multiple times in a day.  Do we think about what the guest is really asking or do we just simply blurt out,” It’s at 3 o’clock you moron!” or something else equally damaging to your guests emotional well being and their ability to be loyal to your organization and spend a lot of money. 

As irritating as these questions can be to an employee, they offer an excellent opportunity to have a meaningful and rewarding interaction with your guest.  Therefore it is important to have a deepened understanding of what the guest is truly asking and respond with a well-prepared and helpful response. 

Being asked a given question repeatedly throughout the day allows you ample opportunity to hone your response as best as possible to the benefit of your customer.  Furthermore it allows an excellent opportunity to truly understand the needs of your customers.  Once you are able to determine the real question behind the question your ability to provide real and lasting value to your customer increases dramatically. 

Take some time today to think about what your customer is really asking when you hear that same, seemingly thoughtless question.  It might not be as stupid as you think. 

The next time you are asked that same ridiculous question, relax and take the opportunity to make a real difference for your customer.  You may well reap the benefits of your patience and preparedness many times over by gaining a loyal repeat customer. 

Now go Maximize Possibility!

Other blog posts you may be interested in:

• Exceeding Expectations Creates a Powerful Customer Experience
• The Worst F-Word: FINE
• Every Customer Experience TouchPoint Counts
• The Right People for Customer Service Creation

Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention.  Bring Chris in today!

1-866-988-RAIN

Copyright 2008, Chris Young - The Rainmaker Group, Inc.