Imaginative Service: Getting Smarter; Serving Better

Competence communicates to customers they are in the hands of a professional. Customers need to know (or perceive) that service providers not only have the commitment to deliver great service, they possess the capacity to do so as well. The roofing contractor who shows up without a ladder does not engender trust. Home Depot’s early claim to fame came through putting in their aisles employees from the trades.  Instead of dealing with a clerk in the plumbing section, customers enjoyed the advice of a real plumber. 

Walk into the lobby of a five star hotel and watch a minimum wage bell staff associate make you feel like you just stepped into the arena of the hospitality Olympics.  Compare the superior product knowledge of any Starbucks server with the nearby fast-food restaurant employee who has been hired from exact same labor pool.  Service greats not only spend more time and money on training than their competitors, they find ways to hardwire “getting smarter” into the work itself. 

How can you insure you stay updated?  What do you know that you can share with others serving customers?