Creating Devoted Customers with Imaginative Service

Say “Amen!”

“Amen!”  The words were loudly spoken by someone in a business meeting.   What followed was an awkward silence, sideways glances from others, and a muffled apology from the overly enthusiastic participant.

But, that one-word pronouncement preached an entire sermon.   It was not a religious outburst—this wasn’t church.  It was simply an authentic expression of enthusiasm and passion.   Someone the middle of a meeting got way too excited…and, loudly proclaimed it to everyone within earshot. 

In our metric-driven, hard-nosed, bottom-line driven work world we have relegated spirit to the boardroom closet.   We like enthusiasm as long as it stays within the bounds of a rational business meeting.  After all, we’re dealing with serious stuff here, right? 

But, what if your customers loudly said “Amen” to your customer service?  Would you insist they “hold it down?”  Spirit and passion never get outside unless affirmed inside.  What can you do to help others say “Amen!?” 

 

Imaginative Service: Punctuating Service

I was about to board a flight next to an airline employee lounge.  The door was open revealing a white board with the permanently printed word “Go" and beside it the words “No Go.”  Above one of the phrases was a large magnetic dot.  I could not tell what was being decided by the choice of the placement of the dot. 

What I did see was the fact that someone with a magic marker had added a question mark after the first word, a comma between the next two words, and an explanation point at the end.  It turned a choice into a statement—“Go? No, Go!”—communicating a “can do” tone.   It now said, “We’re not interested in a mediocre “go,” we want an enthusiastic “go.”

We punctuate our service with what we add.  Customers expect a mediocre “go” from us.  We can surprise them by adding an explanation point to service. 

What can you do to change the punctuation of your service?

 

Imaginative Service: Serving with Character

We were exiting a taxi at the Hartford airport and requested a receipt for the fare.  The taxi driver laughingly said, “I’ll give you two—one for you and one you can turn in for however much you think you can get the boss to reimburse.”  The message was clear.  He believed every business traveler pursued ways to stiff the company by padding expense reports.  “We only need one,” we told him.  “We own the company.”  His grin changed to a look of embarrassment. 

Remarkable comes from “own the company” character.  Smart “owners” practice responsible stewardship along with giving great service.  They make decisions with one hand on their “wallet” but with the other on their heart. And, when customers witness service with character, their confidence in that organization climbs. 

What would your son or daughter learn if they could watch you deliver service to your customers?

 

Become a Roadrunner

The Road Runner streaks into the sunset leaving behind a vanquished coyote with a look of exasperation and exhaustion.  Road Runner 1, Wile E. Coyote…0.  “Beep-beep!”

We laugh at the inevitable outcome.  The Road Runner is the epitome of confidence---power at warp speed.  He doesn’t just escape; escape implies the threat of capture, and the Road Runner never seems seriously concerned.  He emerges…victorious, again.  The cartoon metaphor contains powerful lessons relevant for enterprises seeking marketplace victories. 

We live in an era where customers expect personalized outcomes delivered by passionate, agile, and responsive employees…where spirited, on-the-run learners outpace “just-follow-the-Acme-instructions” domesticated workers.  We live in a time when roadrunners rule and coyotes…crash!

Wile E. Coyote is earnest; Road Runner passionate.  Wile E. is resilient but the  Road Runner is resourceful.  Wile E. looks over his shoulder; the Road Runner looks ahead.  Wile E. is grim; the Road Runner is joyful. 

Your customer is watching your cartoon.  Is your unit a coyote or a roadrunner?