Ever heard an employee say, “It was only one customer, what are you so hung up about?”
What if you could keep accurate metrics on the number of customers chased away by your staff?
First, a little story told to me by a friend – then onto customer service metrics!!
My friend was given a gift certificate to a local establishment that provides a Dinner Theatre Mystery Night and 4 Course meal. Unfortunately, due to the rarity of the number of Mystery Theatre nights (approx 1/month) and the high volume of travel required by my friend’s job, he was unable to use the gift certificate within the time frame of the 1 year expiry date.
Since purchased, Alberta law changed on November 1, 2008 stating that all gift certificates and gift cards issued will no longer be allowed to state an expiry date. That law also includes gift cards purchased before November 1, 2008 so long as they did not expire before the Nov.1 date.
They phone to finally book a dinner on one of the available Mystery Nights, but were greeted with a sour Food and Beverage Manager who simply asked the date the gift certificate was issued, then abruptly stated;
“The legislation did not come into effect until after that gift certificate was bought so it’s valid for a year only, sorry, it’s expired. If you would like to purchase two tickets, I will need a credit card number.”
That is it, not only did she misinterpret the legislation, she was rude and curt! My friend would have accepted a courtesy of at least being listened to, or considered he was a customer, especially since the tickets are valued at 75.00 each. A single 150.00 purchase is worth something to the business, no? It is to me when I shop!
My friend says:
She could have offered to extend the certificate, give us a discount to another function or even just said “I’m sorry, the certificate you have has expired; we can’t honour it but would still be happy to have you as a guest for dinner…”
Lets look at the metrics!
2 = Pissed-off customers this week
8 = The number of people they told (say each of those pissed off customers tell 4 people – conservative estimate.)
10 = 2 pissed off customers + 8 good friends. Lets say those 8 share it with 1 person each.
26 = 2 pissed off customers+8 people they told + the additional individuals those 8 shared with.
Multiply that by how many weeks your business is open to the public (typically 52)
1352 = 2 pissed off customers per week chased away from your business x 52 weeks a year.
A similar encounter every week will guarantee 1352 people within their marketing reach WILL NOT do business with that company or organization due to a story of poor customer service told by someone, and people always listen to those they love and trust.
How does a 21st century consumer make a purchase?
- They shop from emotion
- They want a relationship with the business.
- They want to feel good about how hard they work
- They want their money going to an organization that deserves to receive it
- They want a positive experience.
Are consumers really buying your goods or services – NO! They are buying the experience and the relationship. We have all the ’stuff’ we need, consumers shop and spend because they can and they want to feel good doing it.
If you are not clear with your front line staff as to what that looks like, then I can guarantee you will be suffering –
Let’s take it a little farther – let’s say only 5% of that total number would really have purchased from them based on referrals from satisfied and happy customers.
68 = approximately 5% of 1352 customers.
$5100.00 = per year of lost sales on an average 75.00 purchase. Are you okay tossing that money in the trash?
Now let’s consider that those 68 people may very well have a spouse or friend they would prefer to attend a Mystery Dinner Theatre Night with. WOW, are you as a business willing to toss a potential of $10,200.00 a year down the drain?
So, when an employee says, “It was only 1 person, what are you so hung up about?” That person is NOT suited for frontline service delivery, customer complaints or technical support, (certainly not without training).
Is it worth an investment of 20-50 bucks to gain a loyal customer – you tell me!
Care for your customers and train your staff! Leadership is directly tied to customer service – for every loyal happy customer, you could be making the difference between surviving this economic downturn or closing the shop!
NOTE: I called the organization my friend was talking about – mainly to find out about their gift certificate policy.
- They did say gift certificates no longer expire and there are no other conditions.
- They told me if I wanted to purchase new ones I best do it at next year’s prices, as this year is getting filled up
- When I asked how often they had the theatre, they said once a month, but less this year because there has been a huge slow down (really?)
- They were very curt and not at all interested in listening – only ‘telling’
- This is NOT the first time I have heard poor feedback on this particular organization
Need I name them? No, they are doing enough damage to themselves!
What can your team trust from you?
Have you ever walked into a place of employment and a co-worker seems to be having a really horrible day? They walk with their shoulders down, cannot FORCE a smile on their face and are unable to speak with much enthusiasm or energy in their voice? You INSTANTLY know something is wrong.
We all have bad days, life hits all of us in ways we least expect. Just when we think we have mastered our insecurities, they will rise up from the ashes like a phoenix rising from the fire.
That’s life.
It’s what we least expect, circumstances changing our lives in a split second or tragedy striking us with unforeseen force. What we seem to forget is that these things happen to all of us. Some in greater degree than others, but overall, life is an ever changing unexpected journey that giggles at our best laid plans.
What strikes me as fascinating, and a study of human nature for many, is the vast difference in the manner in which people RESPOND to those events. One person will have been affected by a tragedy and is empowered to turn it into a motivation to make a difference for others. Another person will experience a similar event and pack it into their curio cabinet of ills and frustrations in life. They’ll take each item out and polish it once a week looking at it and then accumulate more as if they are collecting evidence in a court case.
In a discussion earlier this week with a client, we chatted about emotional intelligence and its connection to both maturity and the ability to develop positive responses. I have a friend named Janine Shepherd, who will be the first person to tell you this;
“Life is ten percent what you take from it and ninety percent what you make of it.”
Janine has experienced a story like few others, (her book ‘Never Tell Me Never’) describes a tragedy striking with brute force and in a split second her entire life changed – without warning or gentility – life tossed her a bigger curve-ball than most of us ever expect to deal with. But with grace, humour and resounding intelligence Janine embraced the life she was gifted and has turned it around into a story few people can walk away from without it inspiring and motivating them to reconsider the manner in which they respond to life’s twists.
There is something about Janine that I noticed right away – breathing air is exhilarating for her. She loves her life and everyone she meets. She enthusiastically approaches her ‘everyday’ with the kind of happiness and enthusiasm one recalls from early childhood. No one would guess that she came back from the verge of leaving this earth, struggling through a full-body cast, learning to take her first painful step after step when she was told she might very well never walk again. If you met Janine you would never guess that her Winter Olympic dreams had been shattered one day by a truck hitting her on a training bike ride.
Meeting Janine (online, not in person yet) was a defining moment in my life, it’s when I experienced another example of true beauty and that is the strength of character to never let anyone tell you who you are or what you cannot do.
She is an exceptional model for leaders who might be tempted, (as I am some days) to allow little things to get to us, and allow our responses to express moping or depressing behaviour. She is a beautiful reminder to me every day that I awake in the mornings breathing air and have a wonderful opportunity to turn my day, my life my experiences into anything I choose.
For leaders this is a powerful message. As a friend I can trust Janine to be strong and courageous and have fun doing it. With 3 additional books and a whole lot of energy, Janine proves to us that the human spirit can choose to take a higher path and present itself to the world in a positive and encouraging way.
Leader, what can your team trust from you?
I want to make a comment about society (and potential bias) in this blog. An incident recently hit WAY too close to home for me and I am trying to make sense of it. Bias is real, we all have it. We build assumptions around our biases, we define our reactions to events around bias, we draw conclusions and we make decisions all backed up with Bias.
I am trying, with no avail, to understand the bias of a few people in my home town based on something that happened to my mother, recently.
I am very fortunate to have a living and enthusiastic Mom and Dad I’m close to. While seniors, they still enjoy living in their own home and are active and fun to be with. My mom does struggle to get around like she used to and is a bit slower due to a rheumatic disease, but she manages amazingly well.
The other day she went to take care of two errands.
- Mail a letter
- Take in the mail at a neighbours’ house.
My folks belong to the era where you get to KNOW your neighbours, they know you and you take care of each other. Other neighbours on the street know my Mom as one of the sweetest and most giving people they know.
On her errand to mail the letter, my mother stepped off the curb, missed seeing the rise of pavement next to the curb and tripped. She then catapulted into the street landing hard on her side in the middle of a relatively busy road next to the Community College. Thankfully, she never broke any bones. Terrified, she was unable to get up off the road and struggled to lift her body from the pavement. What happend next has left us all shocked and astounded about the society in which we live.
A lovely little old lady struggled to get up off the road after having tripped and fallen and two cars thought it okay to whizz RIGHT BY HER LEAVING HER LAYING IN THE ROAD!
This leads me to wonder what they thought they saw and what they might have been thinking as they drove by:
- “Look at that drunken old lady in the middle of the day – disgusting!” (just drive by her and leave her to her own consequences)
- “Must be some homeless person, weird to see them in this neighbourhood.”
- “Ha, that old lady can’t even walk right.” (drive right by)
- “I should probably help, but I am already late, someone else will stop.”
- “I just don’t want to get involved.”
- “What if she has had a stroke, I don’t have time to wait for an ambulance and make a statement!”
Really, I can only guess at what they might have been thinking. But folks, that was MY mother out there lying on a road unable to get up. Shame on those drivers.
That little old lady is the most intelligent, compassionate and caring individual I have ever known. She is vital, thoughtful, taught me much of what I know about people, given her whole life to serve others and neither of those two cars that zoomed past her on that road cared enough to stop. Did she eventually get herself to safety? Yes, but without anyone’s help. Thank God she is only bruised physically, but she’s left deeply saddened at the lack of compassion and consideration that she is now aware surrounds her.
This week as you go about your business being leaders, employees, neighbours, and citizens, ask yourself what bias you might have as you judge others. Remember, compassion for humanity is what really makes the world go ‘round and try to imagine those unusual actions you see as actions of someone YOU love. Their story is theirs, not yours and they just might need a little help from you!
Sometimes we find great leadership in the most unexpected places.
This weekend we attended a wedding. It was fantastic, backdrop in the Canadian Rockies celebrated in one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was elegant, yet relaxed and the entire guest list was filled with friendly down-to-earth people who knew how to have fun and celebrate the important things in life. No pretence, nothing to indicate a need to impress, yet absolutely elegant and beautiful – right from the garments worn by the wedding party on down to the decorations.
Typically, I keep a box of rice crackers in my car because meals are rarely prepared to accommodate my special eating requirements. I maintain a celiac diet and it is very difficult for a kitchen to manage the specific accommodation required to keep cross contamination of gluten at top of mind.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the well-appointed buffet table that not only presented an excellent spread from which I could choose, but also cared enough to accommodate as many of the typical allergies as possible. The beauty of it, was that they did not need to make a big deal out of it – it was beautiful and seamless – everyone there had plenty from which to choose in order to feel they were not left out. Toppings and extras (such as nuts, cheese, etc.) were separated and appeared more like it was open choice to create your own meal. A separate table for gravy was provided to those who wanted.
Now, I have no idea if the Bride and Groom requested such detail in the buffet but I do know the kitchen staff who put the meal together were brilliant. If not by request it certainly was insightful and respectful with a focus on guests and keeping everyone happy. If you have ever had an allergy – the kitchen staff typically have to rearrange their work to accommodate you and rarely do you have an opportunity to partake in the amazing fare served to the general guest list.
I have often been disappointed in the results from chefs who serve a bland poached chicken breast and veggies un-spiced due to their lack of knowledge or willingness to accommodate a gluten allergy. This night’s meal was not only exceptional but it also freed me from the usual ½ hour conversation built around the situation of receiving a completely different meal from the rest of the crowd.
Leaders in every industry can take a great look at who they serve, what they can do to ensure they are providing a product or service that meets people’s needs, or simply they can alter a little process to create inclusion. This kitchen crew, chefs, management staff cared to make it easy on the guests rather than themselves, knowing great customer satisfaction was the goal.
Remember, leaders and companies everywhere – it’s not all about you.
Due to a busy couple of weeks I’ve neglected the blog, but feel it imperative I offer a follow-up to the Rogers cell phone story. I’d like to say my own behaviour with Rogers was of the utmost grace and decorum, but the truth is by the time I spoke with someone in authority I was pure ‘ticked off’. What really struck a chord is the fact it took a public blog before any attention at all was called to this very frustrated customer.
Timeline of Events:
- 5 Customer Service Representatives who never once clued -in that escalation would be a good idea. When I asked if there was nothing more I could do, they ALL said ‘yes’.
- Initial tweets were not picked up by social media ‘watchers’ on Twitter before I posted a blog.
- The Blog drew an enormous amount of attention- many similar negative stories and offers of help from Roger’s competitors.
- I purchased a phone privately from Kijiji –Rogers “sent it to them for free at their upgrade time but that they did not need it.” (I found that fascinating.)
- Unfortunately because I had a smart phone I only had a data plan, not a Blackberry plan. I then spent another entire morning with customer service reps 6 & 7 finding out that I needed to change my plan before the phone woud be operable.
- I was still on hold with customer service when Rogers finally called in response to the blog (Toronto office).
Talk about your “Shaggy Dog” story – it just seemed to go on forever. I’ll stick with the phone story and try and avoid going into the ‘lost revenue and business time” saga! (I consult by the hour – can’t get that client time back)
What Worked:
- When I finally spoke with someone who could help, they recognized the change in data plan would cost me additional funds (more even than a new phone already cost me). A discount of 5.00/mo was given for the additional cost.
- I got to vent a bit about how this is customer clean-up NOT customer service based on the fact I needed to go public before I EVER got attention.
Things I would never say to a customer:
- “We go to great expense to provide those free phones up front, we cannot give everything away” – hmm, then you should not be in business, because good business people build their costs into a package.
- “Our customer service people have to deal with 10 more people just like you once you hang up” – last time I checked, customer service was about caring about the customer you are serving at the moment, especially if they are frustrated.
- “If you go to our website you will find our escalation policy and could have done that before posting a blog” – That is going to take a LOT of training to get the entire Canadian public to understand how to best escalate an issue. I wonder if a company might be better off limiting that training to the customer service representatives and offer them clues as to when THEY can escalate an issue. I struggled to connect with the right CSR multiple times, my expectation was they would indicate a process and simply ask, would you like this to be escalated? I had no idea it was MY job to find out their escalation policy.
No answers or conversations seemed to focus on the real point. I bought a data plan with Rogers. The LCD on my data phone stopped functioning correctly. At no point during my plan was I told my data phone would be obsolete and I would be forced to upgrade to a $4-600.00 BlackBerry and a different plan if my phone was broken. Nor was I informed that even though I HAD a data plan, the only phones available to me would be non-data phones. I’d like to think if I worked at the company, I would recognize the real issue.
If you offer a service/product (in this case a smart phone data plan) and within that contract your lost or broken program cannot provide the same service or product as agreed to in the beginning, you as a company should be liable to take the lead in finding a solution. Rogers did not provide any smartphones for my data plan at this point in my contract. BUT according to Rogers, the problem is all mine. I am stuck with THEIR provision of this service (even though they can no longer provide what they agreed to in the beginning) and any solution is a new phone at full (or close to full) cost at my own expense or to downgrade to a non-data phone but still pay the data fee as per the contract. If I try removing myself from the contract I pay a hefty penalty – but they hold no such accountability.
I am still with Rogers only because I did not wish to pay that penalty and throw my money in the trash. The loss of time, money and patience is now history – but serves as a great model of what NOT to do in my own company and with my own clients. Will I renew with Rogers? Time will tell, I will definitely ask many more questions of any provider next time I agree to a contract. Do they need a better customer service solution – indeed I think they do.
In this case, a free phone was only a ‘hook’ to gaining an initial contract – certainly discounted phones are not used as a solution to maintaining service and keeping a customer who likes to be loyal to the companies with whom she has chosen to spend her money.
(Update: August 31, 2009 – Call from “Office of the President” at Roger’s with additional discount to account to say sorry for the experience. This individual was polite, considerate, wants to use these posts as an example for continued front-line training and apologized quite a few times. It is clear that they are doing what they can in the aftermath of this particular situation. I hope his optimistic description of the changes they wish to make on the front-lines does materialize for the benefit of other customers so they can avoid an experience like this altogether.)
This is a long one folks!
I ‘ve spent WAY too much time on the phone today, but not with friends, family or clients. Instead, I’ve been on the phone with my cell phone provider, Rogers. Rogers Canada is one of the largest providers in the country alongside competitors Telus and Bell (but not for long). The story I tell is of a customer service perspective and I will try to be as fair as possible but I have to admit my emotional frustration has gotten the best of me, not to mention the loss of income for taking a full day to deal with this ridiculous issue.
January of 2008 I purchased a plan through Futureshop under the provider Rogers. I selected Rogers because at the time I needed a SIM card and Telus did not provide one. Wanting a BlackBerry I was talked out of it by a Futureshop employee who convinced me the HTC Smartphone was my best bet . I was also looking for a business plan so I could access email and internet when not in the office. I have never been so sorry to own this HTC Smartphone as I am today. I have 1.5 yrs. left to go before my cell phone plan is up.
Fast forward to last week, and the LCD screen on my phone decided to fade and disappear. (see photo) Trust me I am not swinging my purse around like a crazy person, although I am close to tossing the phone in the trash right now! I decide I will take it back to Futureshop to see what they can do for me and this is where my time-consuming expensive little night-mare begins.
Attempt #1. Much waiting – for the staff to eat their icecream and stop chatting and a smile-less young person finally decides to help me and can only give me this answer: “Rogers does not offer ANY discounts for you for another data phone, only a regular phone, because you bought an HTC Smartphone.” HUH, your shop talked me into a Smartphone that Rogers will NOT support?
So Futureshop is telling me Rogers says although I HAVE a dataphone, I cannot get an ‘upgrade’ on a data phone until the cell phone plan has surpassed two years? All I am qualified for is a regular phone unless I spend the 599.95 for the Blackberry they have in stock. I also discover that the young person who sold me the phone in the first place did NOT register it as a company plan like I thought. (Okay, I should read my papers more carefully, but I simply did not realize I did not have a corporate plan given he wrote down my company name and corporate number when I bought it.)
I think, okay, calm down now, surely this is a limitation of the Futureshop person acting as a Rogers Rep – Certainly if I talk to Rogers I can clear this up because they won’t want to lose me as a customer. I will simply go home and call Rogers myself!
Attempt #2. Call to Rogers:
- Nice fellow by the name of Bruce informs me there are no upgrades at all to another dataphone for the HTC Smartphone until I have waited out my 2 year mark. Had I bought a Blackberry I would be eligible after only 1 year. (Does HTC know that Rogers does not offer as good support for the Smartphone as they do the Blackberry?)
- I have an important point: I bought a phone WITH a plan. If Rogers did not feel the phone would last out the life of the plan, (evidenced by their lack of support for it) then they shouldn’t be selling it as a package deal.
- I also find out that Cancelling this cell phone plan will cost me 500.00 – holy cow! Does that mean this plan was worth 1000.00 when I got it because I am halfway through?
- They can put me into a nice little LG phone but without data. (does HTC know that I bought an HTC plan but they are promoting a “downgrade” to a non-data LG phone? Not to mention, I am paying for a data plan, damn it! I want to receive my email here)
- He wants to help but his hands are tied, I ask about upgrading my plan to a better one so they will support a better phone option. He suggests I call the business and corporate customer service. I try, they are not open nights or weekends (of course not, because that would involve customer service).
- I have to wait until Monday. I’m busy Monday (people have to work) so tried Tuesday not because I don’t have to work, but because I need a working cell phone and PDA.
Attempt #3. Call to Rogers on Tuesday:
- I dial the only number I can find online and it takes me to a nice girl named Suma, who is polite but needs to be reminded to speak into her headset 3 times because I cannot hear her.
- Suma gives me the exact same answers above, but adds some additional information:
- The only way they can upgrade me is if I purchase a Blackberry and yes, they will give me a discount:
- BB9000=549.00; BB8900=449.99; BB8310=399.00; BB8220=349.99
- Why does that not feel like a discount? WOW no matter what I do the fact my HTC smartphone could NOT outlast my phone plan will cost me anywhere from 349.00 to 500.00. Hmmm, Rogers, was this your plan all along?
- I am not satisfied because I feel these are rather expensive options considering I can purchase an unlocked Rogers supported phone online for less than 200.00 from Kijiji.com and simply stick my SIM card into it – but wait- I want to give Rogers another chance. I am frustrated but I ask – “What if I were to upgrade to the business account I wanted in the first place, would that make a difference?”
- She passes me over to someone in the Business and Corporate (finally).
Attempt #4. Business and Corporate at Rogers
- I did not document this person’s name. But he was trying to be nice. I warned him that I am not frustrated with him personally, but that I am very frustrated and I am very angry with Rogers. I must go over the entire story again, explaining myself several times because he was not understanding what I want.
- I wanted to know if Rogers would back the combination phone/phone plan by offering me a solution that did not break the bank and kept me as a loyal customer.
- He told me EXACTLY what the others did, with the addition of one more piece of information that amounts to this: Options that come up on his screen are limited to how much money I have spent in the past with Rogers.
- Now I am outright angry! Does this mean I am worthless as a customer to them because I don’t spend bigger bucks?
- This fellow suggests I try customer care AGAIN.
Attempt #5. Rogers Customer Care
- I tell this nice fellow, James, that I am getting very upset ,am more than frustrated and I do not believe that Rogers cares to keep me as a customer. I am hoping he can provide me with better answers to prove otherwise. He is exceptionally considerate, does all the digging he can because I share with him the following information:
- If I cancel my plan paying the 500.00 penalty, go with another provider and get the top-of-the-line Blackberry I will save myself 50.00 or more than any options at Rogers.
- If I go online and hunt down an unlocked Rogers Blackberry for a HUGE discount, ride out my plan and move on in 1.5 years, Rogers does not get any upgrade dollars from me at all and I vow to find a different service.
- Frustration builds as I never do get an answer about upgrading to a better plan, perhaps a business plan. They all seem to want to keep me right where I am, stuck between a rock and a hard-place.
- He repeats all of the identical information I have already learned and basically agrees with me that my best bet if I want to save costs is to go elsewhere or get a used BB from someone.
- Poor fellow was stuck between being loyal and trying to show me he was very understanding.
Attempt #5. Rogers Customer Care
- By this time I am so ticked off I just want to limit any thing I have to do with Rogers. I realize I have one more question to which I need an answer: I speak with a girl. “What will it cost if I remove the data plan from my phone and go with the least expensive cell phone plan?”
- This means removing my 200/unlimited Eve/Weekend Plan
- Removing the Data Service plan (it’s only 2MB as it is)
- Taking off the “Smartphone Value Pack” (Goodness knows why I would keep THAT)
- The girl lets me know my plan would be reduced to 32.00/month BUT there is a hitch – of course there is!
- The cancellation of my data package will cost me 100.00. WHAT??
- Unbelievable , this is the icing on the cake! They WILL NOT provide a decent discount on a comparable data phone only a regular cell without data BUT THEY ARE PENALIZING me for cancelling the ‘data’ part of my plan? You have GOT to be kidding me!
ROGERS! Shame on you!
Listen, I don’t want it for free, but my expectation is this:
If I have a data plan I cannot get out of without a penalty, then at least put a data phone on your list of possible ‘upgrades’!
Do yourself a favour. Check out the internet for other stories about Rogers before you choose to buy! I wish I had.
It’s a tough road out there in business, one must work incredibly hard to “get somewhere” and once one arrives it can be hard to maintain the momentum it takes to remain at the top.
One of the risks a company faces as they find themselves at “the top” is client demand of the entrepreneur increases. As that client base increases visibility strengthens and larger clients begin to emerge. It is pretty damn exciting to find yourself sipping champagne and celebrating large contracts and a new focus. But what of the clients who got you there, the small folks who took a risk and used your products or services sight-unseen?
Last week as I visited my folks, I learned they’d sprung a leak in their pool house. I don’t know anything about pools but my thought is leak=bad. For 3 days my father had been calling the pool company who services their pool and finally got an answer the morning I arrived. “We can come in 5 days” was the answer.
EXCUSE ME?
It seems they were the only pool shop in town for a number of years and folks in town truly supported the company growth. The municipality have now signed maintenance contracts with the pool company and so business has changed from a shop where you can walk in off the street and call at anytime to an organization with closed access, no street presence and clearly choosing not to answer the phone if the caller ID suggests it is not someone to whom they care to respond.
OUCH! The pool company gave no notice to the existing clients with “new rules of the game” and no other options were provided. They have become too big for their britches.
My folks are truly great people. They love to support local businesses and while that’s honorable they sometimes do so at the expense of the customer service for which they are paying. Success for this company is always something to celebrate, especially in times like this, but the company has not done their homework in understanding how to deal with the loyal customers who brought them that success.
Leadership does not mean treating ‘old’ customers as a nuisance just because you’ve changed your business direction.
The bonus here is another small start-up pool business now exists in town, finally. Five minutes after calling the first company, my dad called the new pool company. Voila! “Sir, I will have someone there this morning to take a look” was the cheerful response. Within 3 hours the problem was solved.
If you were the first company, how might you have managed your loyal customers upon changing your company direction?
Do you ever feel like your job is too chaotic to manage? Here is a video that will offer a little perspective and give you purposeful thought about keeping your calm when you least have the patience to do it.
In fact, I have worked in the past with a few folks I might suggest having a link to this video on your desktop so on chaotic days you remember how to maintain your cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyO-bWGxWBU
Great Leaders maintain calm in Chaos!
Strategic Sense is a Leadership Development, Customer Service, Plans of Action and Facilitation organization who’s mission is to change the world for the better for leaders and their employees everywhere. We believe each individual comes with their own unique talents and skills that can be enhanced and utilized to help them become the very best leaders only they can be while providing exceptional service to their customers.
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Secret to surviving this recession!
Some folks, on really busy days, will dip into a place where they least expect to be granted GREAT customer service. One of those days for me was Saturday. My Fiance and I had a function to go to that required cowboy boots (Calgary Stampede time) and I needed to pick up a pair at the shoe maker’s that had just been re-soled.
In my rush with the many errands of the day I stopped at Zellers, a store owned by Hbc Canada’s largest diversified general merchandise retailer with over 600 retail locations and nearly 60,000 associates located in every province in Canada. HBC’s four banners are the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields.
The neat thing about every Zeller’s in which I’ve shopped is how they keep costs down and still deliver quality product, the other unique thing is they all seem to have a restaurant. Often frequented by Senior Citizens and moms with small children, these restaurants are typical diner décor and not wrapped in anything but department store “ambience”. They are handy, have a typical home-style menu and offer a family-like atmosphere.
I needed breakfast, I’d left the house at 7:30am and hadn’t stopped to think about food until almost 11:00am, I was hungry. So in I go, with my O magazine and PDA in hand to grab a bite to eat, read an article or two and get on with the rest of my errands. What a great surprise I discovered in the staff at Zellers.
Friendly
The entire staff smiled, the girl at the front welcomed me into the restaurant (visibly open to the rest of the store) with cheery conversation and all were getting work done. In many restaurants such as this you might see staff gathering during quiet moments to visit or chat about others – not here, they were all about the customers! How refreshing to see a staff paying attention to the folks spending money in their establishment, rather than on themselves. Every interaction with the staff was friendly and smiles were offered freely!
Efficient
WOW, I got water without asking, do any of you remember when you could sit in a restaurant and get a glass of water just for walking in? Not only did I have water put in front of me with a menu and silverware, the wonderful server set down a cup and asked if I would like coffee – Okay, I am in heaven now! One trip, one question and I have EVERYTHING I need. Not 3 trips, no laborious wait in hopes of chasing a server down, not at Zellers, I got all I could wish for in the first 5 minutes.
For those of you who own eating establishments, here is an important tip for you:
People don’t care as much about what the place looks like as what they feel like by being there. What you feed them and what they pay are totally connected to how they feel, they want to feel like they’re the best thing that happened to your day because of walking into your establishment.
Business owners, you get that down-pat and you’ll have customers for life!
Just as soon as I appeared to set down my menu, the server returned to see if I was ready to order – when I asked about a menu item she was happy to inform me if it wasn’t just as I would wish, they could certainly provide it for me – MY WAY! WHAT? Now I think I have died and been reincarnated to a time when restaurants cared more about the customer and their needs rather than just filling seats with coupons!
The icing on the cake was that not only the server assigned my table brought me coffee, but any server with a coffee pot in hand came to see if I needed a refill AND they watched to see if I still had cream! No competition, no “That’s not my table” kind of talk, just pure and true customer service with a smile.
Store-Wide Attitude
Here is where it gets clear that the management really does care about their employees. Two tables away, a manager (not sure if he is head store manager or one of the dept. managers) was sitting with a non-restaurant employee and having a chat. I won’t repeat the actual conversation I over-heard, because it’s not my place to share a confidential conversation I never meant to hear. But the nature of the interaction was that of mutual respect and dignity. This manager had it going on and knew how to reach the BEST part of his employee. He offered a strength-based approach and allowed the employee to tell their story. He listened and they laughed and smiled; then went on with their day.
My only regret is I didn’t have any Customer Service Score Cards to leave them and let them know what a fabulous experience I’d received. I’ve been in a lot of places for breakfast here in Calgary and most of them can be good experiences, but I rarely witness breakfast places which are THIS customer centric! I can tell you right now, I will choose the diner at the Zellers restaurant over the fancy menu, the high-priced chefs, the expensive décor of any other establishment for one reason and one reason only – they tapped into what every single consumer really wants when they spend their money An emotionally positive experience.
To All Business Owners Regardless of Your Industry:
If your customers are not getting an emotionally positive experience from your organization, then you are probably struggling in this economy! Make it personal, make it about the customer and stop putting focus on cost cutting. I will return to Zellers not just because of the price-point (although it is good), I will return because of the service! When clients hire Strategic Sense to provide a “secret customer” and complete a Customer-Service Score Card, it’s because they care to make their customers happy –people who understand that he customer experience is directly tied to sales and growth will survive the recession in ways no-one else can even imagine!
Strategic Sense is a Leadership Development, Customer Service, Plans of Action and Facilitation organization who’s mission is to change the world for the better for leaders and their employees everywhere. We believe each individual comes with their own unique talents and skills that can be enhanced and utilized to help them become the very best leaders only they can be while providing exceptional service to their customers.
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