Customer Service that Delights
“Service that delights is the only thing that counts today-everything else is window dressing.” – Unknown DID you know that having twenty-four hour room service and a concierge is all you need to call yourself a “luxury hotel”? Seems like that would be the bare minimum, doesn’t it?
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers global hospitality and leisure analyst, Bjorn Hanson, you still get the best service from a bed-and-breakfast. “The owner lives on word of mouth and can’t afford an unhappy guest,” says Hanson.
It’s because B&B owners take initiative to put the little “something extra” into the PEF, something that no one asks them to do – the service that surprises and delights a customer.
The good news is that anyone can embellish the service of any business simply by taking the initiative to look for ways to surprise the customer. The following stories are examples of just such service and are intended to give you ideas that you might use to create your own Amazing Customer Experience for your clients.
THREE STORIES FROM AUSTIN Becky Smith got home from the grocery store and unpackaged the chicken she’d bought to prepare for dinner. She decided it wasn’t fresh. When Becky called to complain, the store manager delivered to her home a hot roasted chicken from their deli.
When Kenneth Alexander couldn’t decide between two lawnmowers, the salesman brought them both to Kenneth’s home so he could choose. He then mowed the yard with the Kenneth’s selected mower.
Most barbers and stylists close on Monday. Curt Fox wasn’t sure what to do when he needed a haircut before leaving town to attend a funeral on Tuesday. Curt took a chance and called his barber at Byron’s Haircuts. Owner Byron Jenkins always forwarded the phone to his home and when Curt called, Byron opened up his shop and provided the needed cut.
These true stories from an article by Jane Grieg and Dale Rice, staff writers in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, remind us of what going the extra mile means. And it doesn’t have to be as extreme as the preceding examples. Service that delights is in the simple acts of random kindness.
DO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF One hundred degree temperatures and ninety percent humidity greeted author Mike Lipkin as he stepped off the plane. At the airport auto rental, a car with the air conditioner running and a cold drink in the drink holder awaited him. When Mike asked a manager if it was company policy to place a cold beverage in each car, he smiled and said it was the idea of the young woman who managed the afternoon shift.
A parking attendant picked up a suit and had it pressed and returned to a client’s room after the client accidentally called the parking attendant instead of the laundry valet. A pharmacist routinely gave out information about movie schedules when the publisher of the phone book mistakenly listed her number as a movie theater. The manager of the gift shop in a hotel noticed that a client bought M&Ms two days in a row, so she sent a basket-full up to his room.
A little thing can make a big difference when you do sweat the small stuff. It personalizes the experience. It lets the customer know you do care and makes them feel valued.
TURNAROUND TIP: Find something extra that you can do to provide service that delights. Buy candy, pay for dinner or provide information when there is no immediate gain for you. By doing this often, you will soon find that the more you give, the more you receive.
Some “Small Stuff” suggestions:
Buy your customer a soft drink
Offer a demonstration
Make a personal delivery
Provide free donuts
Give away a coupon
Email a birthday card or holiday greeting
Send an article about a customer’s hobby
Keep candy out for customers
Learn from other businesses that do “sweat the small stuff.” Be alert to new ideas. They are all around you. Soon you will discover that the small stuff makes a big difference in your bottom line.
Mike Dandridge md@theperformancepro.com Mike is the founder of High Voltage Performance, a consulting firm that specializes in designing customer experiences for the industrial marketplace. He is a keynote speaker and a seminar leader with 25 years experience in electrical wholesale distribution. Dandridge is author of, The One Year Business Turnaround, a book based on his years in wholesale, containing a year’s worth of ideas for improving your customer service. You may reach Mike at 254-624-6299. Visit his Website at http://www.highvoltageperformance.com. Subscribe to his blog at http://www.businessturnaround.blogs.com.
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