"Knock Your Socks Off" Customer Service
Recently I gave what used to be my favorite restaurant a second (and as it turns out, probably last) chance to redeem itself. You see, several weeks ago my wife and I went there for dinner only to receive abysmal service. I took the time to fill out a customer comment card, which is something I rarely do. But because it was my favorite restaurant, I felt it would be a good investment of my time. To their credit, a response was forthcoming. But it was a form letter full of fluff that had absolutely nothing to do with my concerns. Nevertheless, hungry for their delicious crab cakes with lobster sauce and their elegant yet casual ambiance, we rationalized away their gaffe and tried them yet again.
Within moments of entering the restaurant we should have admitted defeat and gone elsewhere. (We love their crab cakes, what can I say?) As we stepped into the entry we could see the front desk was unattended. There was a Fed Ex driver pacing impatiently back and forth.
We stood there without greeting for five minutes or more, while several waiters passed nearby without any acknowledgement. Finally the host arrived and, without so much as a glance our way, he proceeded to talk with the Fed Ex deliveryman about a package apparently gone astray. The conversation lasted a good three minutes. As the Fed Ex man went out the door the host turned to us. “May I help you?” the young man wanted to know. Rather rudely, I confess, I let him know that, “Yes, you can help us, but, for future reference, better form would be to seat your customers before conversing with a delivery person.” His response was that the Fed Ex man was here first, while giving me a look like I must be some kind of nut case.
Maybe I am. But I am a nut case who fell victim to especially bad customer service. Furthermore, my wife and I were preparing to spend what for us is a handsome sum for a nice dinner, whereas the Fed Ex man wasn’t. He was simply fouled up and in the way. If I owned a restaurant of similar caliber, delivery people would be prohibited at the front door. I would train personnel to focus their attention on helping good customers (i.e. any person spending money) have a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Dinosaurs could be victims of starvation.
By today’s customer service standards I’m undoubtedly a dinosaur. I’m going to show my age here, but I grew up in an era where businesses routinely delivered excellent customer service. For example, gas stations competed for customers on more than price alone. An attendant rushed to your car to fill it up for you. He also checked your oil, the air pressure in your tires, and washed your windows – all of them – without being asked. From time to time the station would give you something free (like dishes) just for filling up with them. Service wasn’t limited to gas stations alone. (Incidentally, back then they were called Service Stations.) Clerks were ubiquitous to virtually all retail businesses. Walk into any store and a clerk would approach you and sincerely want to be of assistance.
What’s happened in the intervening years? What’s changed to relegate customer service to the scrap heap?
I fear, to a large extent, we’ve brought it on ourselves. Any time you forsake excellent service to save a few dollars you’re rewarding mediocrity. A good friend and client once complained to me about his inability to find a competent swimming pool service. He went to Wal-Mart to save on his chemicals and then drove a hard bargain with the pool guy for the cost of his weekly cleaning chores. The quality of service was exceedingly poor. He lost or fired a succession of pool companies. He just couldn’t accept the job they were doing. But he was saving money. A pool company can’t make enough money on cleaning alone. They need to sell the chemicals to make the trip worthwhile. I asked my friend what he would do if he were having a pool party one evening to discover that afternoon his pool had an algae problem? Would he call Wal-Mart for help?
Wal-Mart best typifies the worst in customer service. The prices are rock bottom, but you pay for it by being treated like cattle or worse. The stores are impersonal and unattractive. Gray buildings warehouse merchandise stacked to the ceilings in dimly lit aisles. Sales help is largely non-existent and, when present, uninformed. When Wal-Mart comes to a small town, it almost always spells doom for any number of family-owned
retail stores. The personal service of the corner drug, grocer, sporting goods store, nursery, appliance store, hardware store, jewelry store, bookstore and others are often forsaken for Wal-Mart’s convenience and savings. In a year or two, downtown is one empty storefront after another, and residents lament the loss of personality and hometown identity.
This is not intended as a vilification of the mass merchandising giant. I use their phenomenal success merely to illustrate the point: “You get what you pay for.” If you want service, then you pay for it. The younger generation, like my two twenty-something sons don’t know what they’re missing. They probably wouldn’t take exception with the atrocious behavior of the restaurant greeter. They don’t mind being ignored. They don’t know the difference.
I have another client who is president of a retail chain. Jim’s business life is a long history of successful store management. The cornerstone of his success has been what he calls “knock your socks off customer service.” Within seconds of entering a store managed by Jim you will be greeted. The person will ask if they can help you, and then impart some fact about the store that sets them apart. For example, their greeting might be a cheerful, “Good morning, may I help you? We offer savings of thirty to seventy percent off normal retail on our jewelry everyday.” If the customer indicates they’re just looking, as is often the case in such situations, store personnel is trained to let the customer browse, while maintaining a watchful eye for an opportunity to help. In more than one industry, Jim has owned his markets by delivering excellence.
Even in these days of chronic shortages of qualified applicants, Jim has managed to maintain his standards through careful hiring and intensive training. For Jim there is only one standard, and that is excellence. And excellence is black and white. There are no shades of gray – either something is excellent or it is not. A former employer of mine expressed Jim’s philosophy this way: “Excellence, or what the hell are you doing here?” The words were emblazoned in red on a framed white card. It was the first thing employees saw as they entered the offices from the elevator.
Yes, it costs more to staff properly. It costs even more to train for excellence. But all other things being equal, location, inventory, cleanliness of store, pricing, etc., it just makes sense that an attentive, well-trained staff will result in more immediate sales and more repeat business.