Focus Your Way To World Class Service
Chris Gibson • Nov 4, 2018
It has always amazed me why we experience world class service at 5 star locations and not necessarily at 4, 3 or 2 star restaurants and hotels. They all have the same offerings and in their most simplistic form it really can be broken down to people, food and beds. So yes we can all agree that a 5 star may have more money to provide better quality, however the star rating does not need to reflect the experience.
Disney is a company that has created a culture of service at every touch point. The employees (called cast members) at Disney live, eat, sleep and breathe the customer experience. Why other organizations fail time and time again really comes down to FOCUS. It’s what an organizations leader is modeling for every employee. Leaders must be FOCUSED on this attribute and be sure the seeds are planted so it becomes contagious throughout the organization.
Case In Point
When my children were younger they would always try to convince me to take them to our local sub shop for dinner. One night we jumped in the car and headed down to grab a sub. We pulled up to the restaurant and I could clearly see there was no one in line and that felt good. Often there was lengthy lines while the sandwich artists worked their magic. Inside the store I commented to the girl behind the counter how quiet it was. She responded “I know it’s been great! In fact when you and your kids got out of the car, the entire staff and I said please don’t come in here, please don’t come in here.
My experience at the sub shop caused me to think about why this happened. It really wasn’t something to blame on the teenage girl that said it, it was more a reflection of the person that hired her, for not taking the time and providing the FOCUS on what was expected in providing 5 star service. She was merely being herself, which is fine, however it doesn’t lend itself to 5 star service.
Focus on The Customer
Having been in the sub shop many times I can tell you matter-of-factly that FOCUS on the customer experience was non-existent. The product was fine, the service was fine, what was missing was everything that moves the needle past fine.
Imagine if her focus was the customer experience, the experience could have been much different. Instead of her original response of “please don’t come in here” it could have been “I know it’s quiet and that’s why we’re so pleased you came in tonight and now we can give you the best service ever”.
You make ask, in this situation, “What does the best service (in this sub shop) look like? It’s all quite simple. Remember these three actions…Listen, Recommend, and Acknowledge.
Let me explain.
Listen…establish what your customer wants
Recommend…suggest the deal of the day or what others are raving about
Acknowledge…compliment your customer on the choice they have made
If you manage or lead people in the service industry or any business, use these three actions as a starting point to move the needle past fine and FOCUS on the experience.
In future blogs we will dive deeper into winning techniques of bringing greater FOCUS to the customer experience.
Remember, customers are eight times more likely to return to your place of business if you exceed their expectations! Bringing about added FOCUS can pay huge dividends.
Chris Gibson is a motivational speaker on service leadership. He is a former broadcaster/writer who now spends his time traveling North America speaking to audiences on “The One Degree Difference” a presentation FOCUSED on exceeding expectations at every point of contact.