Creating Devoted Customers with Imaginative Service

Imaginative Service: Be THE VERY Best!

When I was a boy my parents encouraged me to “be the very best.”  Back then, only the best got a trophy!  Nowadays the Wheaties® cereal box mantra has changed to “just do your very best” and all the teams get a trophy just for playing.   It’s been a source of discomfort for me for years.

Now before you jump on the “promoting self-esteem” band wagon, let me say that I do not believe a young sand lot baseball player has failed unless he or she makes it to the World Series.  But, I keep remembering hearing an interview with Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton in which an interviewer said: “We honestly didn’t know you had it in you.”  Smiling, she responded, “Me either.”  Mary Lou didn’t stop at some definition of her personal best—she went beyond.  When the customer service director of a client company spent a night at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, she returned saying, “What we thought was A level service is only a C+.  We need to get much better and we didn’t even know it!”   Are you striving to be the very best or are you settling for what you think is your best?

Imaginative Service: Are you allergic to service recovery?

I am allergic to just about everything that is green and grows as well as to my favorite pets – two yellow labs. For as long as I can remember I have taken monthly shots of magic serum to combat the nasty symptoms.

On a recent visit to the business end of a needle, I witnessed amazing service recovery in action. I arrived and signed in as usual. Amy, one of my favorite nurses, was on shot duty.  We exchanged a warm greeting. But, I knew something was out of whack when I waited more than five minutes. I could hear the doors of the serum cooler open and close.   The sound of serum vials being moved echoed across the waiting room.  It sounded like a search for a lost vial.

“John, we are having trouble finding your vials,” Amy exclaimed with an upset tone in her voice. “I am getting some help to look for it and wanted to let you know that I am going to take the next two people while we try to find your serum. I wanted you to know what had happened and I wanted to explain why these people were being treated before you,” she said with great concern. “I am so sorry you have to wait and I am sure we will find your vials.”

Amy had followed the service recovery prescription we teach our clients:  she quickly informed me of the problem, apologized for my inconvenience, alerted me she was serving others while they worked to remedy the situation, and informed me she was calling in reinforcements to help solve the problem.

I worked on my iPhone for a few minutes.  Suddenly, Amy appeared to warmly exclaim that they had found my vials. “Someone had placed them in the “Ms” instead of the “Ps”” she sternly stated. I clearly got the impression that the guilty party would be dealt with!

When I went to get my shots I was treated like a king.  There were apologies from all of Amy’s helpers, extra stickers for free parking, and more assurances that it wouldn’t happen again. “Thanks for being so understanding,” Amy stated.  I thought to myself: it wasn’t hard to be understanding after watching these service recovery pros in action.

Is your organization allergic to service recovery? Does your organization have a plan for service recovery? Do your employees know how to fix a disappointed customer as well as how to fix their problem?

 

Imaginative Service: Serving the Cocooner

It probably started with the Sears Roebuck catalog.  A farmer hundreds of miles from the nearest store could order a new pair of long johns and never leave the farm.  Today the internet has transformed the concept into one with a new label—cocooning.  NetFlix sends me DVD’s, I can download albums with ITunes, Office Depot brings me office supplies and now my grocery let’s me order groceries on-line and then delivers them to my back door, putting the cold stuff in the small fridge in the garage for a fee if I’m out of town.

Some might see cocooning as the start of a new “customer as hermit” movement.  But, perhaps it has less to do with isolation and more to do with independence and freedom.  It clearly puts pressure on stores to make the buying experience so wonderful that customers will drive there in their cars, find a parking spot, search store aisles, wait in line for check-out, and be cross-examined if something must be returned. 

What are you doing to make your service as easy as Amazon.com or Zappos.com?  What can you do to make cocooning with your organization a memorable experience?

Imaginative Service: How Warm is Your Service Hospitality?

We arrived at the new Springhill Suites in Athens, GA en route to seeing our daughter play soccer for the University of Georgia.  Since our traditional pre-game tailgate event was a part of the mix, my pre-game fatherly jitters were turned up high.  Needless to say, I was in a major hurry to check in to the hotel and get to the soccer stadium. Rick, the front desk clerk offered a warm hello and asked if I was checking in. I replied yes and provided my name.

Rick seemed perplexed! My severe case of service anxiety was no doubt obvious. “I don’t have a reservation for you” he replied with courtesy and grace. My wife brought me the printed confirmation which Rick studied carefully.

“This is for last weekend, Mr. Patterson.” I felt like an idiot!  Rick said he would get Jan to see what could be done. Jan appeared instantaneously.  “Don’t worry,” she said warmly, “We have plenty of rooms.” My service anxiety meter began to drop. She quickly found my old reservation and changed everything to the correct date. With her best hospitality spirit she told me they had one more room on the first floor.  

“We’d prefer a higher floor away from the elevator,” I asked in my nicest voice.  Jan immediately showed us a diagram of the top floor.  “Would room 524 be okay,” she asked.  We were thrilled!  Noticing our team gear, she accurately read our urgency and completed our check-in with supersonic speed.  

We went up to our wonderful room dropped our bags and quickly headed out. On the way out Jan asked if our room was okay.  “It’s fabulous!” we reported.  Returning to the hotel after the game, we noticed Rick was still on the scene.  “How’s your evening going?” he asked.  We responded:  “A 3-0 victory!”

How much hospitality are you displaying in your customer’s experience? What can you do to warm up their service experience?

 

 

 

Imaginative Service: Why Not Add Elegance?

We checked in to the Lake Lure Inn.  Built in 1927, the antique North Carolina hotel served as command central for the making of the movie Dirty Dancing.  You now can stay in the Patrick Swayze Suite or the Jennifer Gray Suite.  Furnished with exquisite period furniture with meticulous attention to detail, guests feel elevated and enriched. 

We had dinner in their Veranda Restaurant overlooking the full moonlit lake only a stones through away from our front-row table.  The staff was all locals from the rural small NC mountain town.  They reached way beyond their plain heritage in a noticeable effort to create a sense of elegance.  After seating us at our reserved table, the maitre de presented our menus, wine list and graciously said, “Hope ya’ll enjoy”--not a phrase you’d hear at a five-star Boston restaurant.  Nevertheless, we felt very special.   There was an earnest effort to take the experience much, much higher than Nettie’s Diner down the street.

Why can’t every service experience be a Lake Lure Inn moment?  The difference between the Inn and Nettie’s Diner was a deliberate attempt to upgrade the experience.  Someone decided that the classy hotel setting should have a classy experience.   Knowing they could not afford to import a Ritz-Carlton Hotel trained wait staff, they entrusted their reputation to young people recruited from the local Burgers and More.  And, it absolutely worked.  What are you doing to add elegance to your customer’s experience?

Imaginative Service: Don’t Let Your Fear Make You Act Stupid

We take a local newspaper.  For the last two weeks we’ve gotten phone calls on both land lines every few hours.  If we didn’t answer the phone in two rings, when we did answer it, there was total silence.  When we called back, we got a far away call center operator asking us to subscribe to the local newspaper. 

“Why do you hang up after two rings,” we asked.  “That’s not us,” the operator replied.  “It’s the computer.  If you don’t answer quickly, it automatically goes to the next number.  “But, we already take your newspaper,” we persisted. “Why do you keep calling us several times a day?”  “Oh,” she said defensively, “The computer calls everyone in the phone book.”  Our final answer:  “One more call and we’ll cancel our subscription!”

We live in challenging economic times.  Many industries (like newspapers) are struggling to stay afloat.  Don’t lose your good customers because your fear makes you do stupid things?  Even if you feel scared, help your customers experience your confidence, not your anxiety.

Imaginative Service: Hosting Customers

We were en route to a meeting and stopped for lunch.  We are major fans of McDonald’s French fries—the best on the planet.  We also enjoy the Chick-fil-A salads.  Luckily the two fast-food restaurants were right next door to each other.

We parked between the two and walked first into Mickey D’s for the fries.  It was like a human vending machine—fast and functional.  But, the Chick-fil-A experience was completely different!  You could feel the upbeat warmth as opened their door.  The counter person smiled and greeted us with, “Thank you for being our guests; what can I tempt you with today!”  Every employee had the same hosting spirit.

As we were leaving, we asked an employee, “How come this is so different than over there.”  We pointed at the golden arches.  “Oh,” she said with a grin, “Over there, they serve customers; but here we are host to our guests.”  We pushed past the labels.  Spotting our bootlegged fries, she continued: “Over there you just get the fries.  But, here we give you a great experience.  You may not remember those fries tomorrow; but we hope you will remember your visit with us, even if you forget what you ordered.”  Are you serving or hosting?

Imaginative Service: When IDK Becomes TMI

Having it your way has been the mantra of many service providers.  Such a competitive advantage requires comprehensive customer intelligence.  Customers enjoy “we know you” personalization and abhor repeat engagements when the service provider treats them like a stranger. 

A luxury hotel chain had a process that tracked guests’ preferences.  Even housekeepers entered input into a PDA to be later considered for the guest’s profile.  Order a fruit plate a couple of times through room service and leave the kiwi on the dish, and your third fruit plate will come sans kiwi.  Guests enjoyed getting a tailored experience at each of the chain’s properties.  But, a point came when guests worried their privacy was being invaded.  Luckily, the hotel chain found clever ways to balance personalization with a respect for guest privacy.

Social media has ushered in tools for service providers to go way beyond “I don’t know” (IDK) anything about my customers.  Integrating social media input with traditional customer relationship management can make possible the “Have It Your Way” experience customers enjoy.  However, it is vital service providers avoid “Too Much Information” (TMI) sending customers to competitors.  As you focus on tailor-made service, how can you avoid invading your customers’ privacy?

Imaginative Service: Making the Customer Your Partner

Who’s your banker, your insurance agent, or your mortgage lender?  If your answer is an institution, not a name, you are dealing with an enterprise that has replaced an important bond with a clerk or a call center. All that might be just terrific until your need is unique or your problem outside their script.  Then, you are left on your own and finding yourself cursing your way to the exit.

People don’t buy products and services; they buy the expectation of benefits and solutions they deem valuable.  Bundled with that value today is a long-term relationship, not a short-term transaction.  Customers as partners are more forgiving of error.  With a vested interest in your success, they spend more, purchase a wider array of stuff,  assertively advocate you more and offer suggestions for how you can get better.  What are you doing to make your customers feel like partners?

Imaginative Service: Service as a Tattoo

My nephew came home after his first semester at college sporting a brand new tattoo—the Greek letters of his new fraternity!   His parents were less than amused.  We teased him with the question—“How would you feel today if that tattoo said VBS?”  “VBS?” he asked with a puzzled look.  “Yes, you were crazy about Vacation Bible School ten years ago?!” 

“Oops!” he responded rather pensively, “Guess I better always really like Sigma Chi.”

Tattoos come in many forms—some are works of art; some are body graffiti.  Some are dark and scary; some are colorful and happy.  However, unless you have the money of an Angelina Jolie, tattoos are permanent. 

Service is like a tattoo.  Once you make a mark on your customers, they tend to remember it a very long time.  And, their experiences can be as varied as tattoos.  What picture are you engraving in the memory of your customers?  If your service was a tattoo, what would it look like?