Not Everything Tastes Like “Chikin”: Creating a Superior Customer Service Experience

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Full disclosure, I have recently become addicted to Sonic’s new Chicago-style hot dogs. I think they are amazing and I will occasionally stop by the drive thru to treat myself. This past week I stopped to dine on one of these awesome culinary treats. After I ordered one, I pulled up to the carhop area and waited for my delicatessen. Now I know Sonic is technically “fast food” and the standards, or lack there of, are not the highest in the customer service world. With that said, there are certain things you just expect not to see at any restaurant. As I sat there, I saw an employee who was wearing the traditional Sonic roller skate costume, which is always cool. She was attempting to sweep under a table with one hand while the other hand was helping her smoke a cigarette. Besides being impressed with her ability to multitask (skate, sweep, and smoke), I was kind of confused that she would be smoking while on the job, especially with a customer right there. I mean, does she think she works at Sterling Cooper? Anyways, she looked over at me, and I’m sure I had a confused stare on my face as I looked right at her. She didn’t care, she just kept going about her business. The parking lot was empty and I was the only customer they were serving, but it still took forever for them to bring out my order. It made me ask myself, “Are they acting like this because no one is here or is no one here because they act like this?” This chicken-and-the-egg-type conundrum really made me think, and thinking always makes me hungry, so I tossed my Chicago-dog and went to one of the happiest places to eat—Chick-fil-A. (Note to self, lay off the fast food.)

eat mor chikin... then have fresh breath.

I know that most Sonic restaurants are not going to have smoking carhops (let’s hope not anyways), but do a test and drive by your local Sonic. Usually you will see an empty parking lot and sometimes the occasional Chicago-dog addict looking for his fix (probably me). Now drive by your local Chick-fil-A and you will almost always see a line of cars wrapping around the parking lot. Chick-fil-A and Sonic essentially provide the same product, but they could not be more different in service and experience in which that product is served. Generally, the employees at Chick-fil-A are always “on” and operate in a polite and friendly manner. They say things like, “I’m looking forward to serving you at the window” and “My pleasure.” Chick-fil-A locations are ridiculously clean and operate efficiently. I guarantee you also won’t see employees smoking while they are sweeping either. The icing on the cake for me was a few months ago when I walked into a local Chick-fil-A and they had a mouthwash dispenser in the bathroom with flowers sitting beside it. My only complaint is that they didn’t have a bathroom attendant to hand me a clean towel… kidding.

Does it really matter if you or your employees provide a good customer service experience?
Well, according to the 2010 North American Customer Experience Report, conducted by RightNow and Harris Interactive, 82% of the more than 2,200 adult consumers surveyed said that they stopped doing business with an organization due to a bad customer service experience.

Is it difficult or expensive to create that experience or culture?
It might cost a little extra to take the time to train your people more effectively, but according to the RightNow report, 85% of consumers said they would be willing to pay more in order to ensure a superior customer experience. Your customers and clients want a better experience and are willing to pay for it. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

The truth is, if you aren’t being intentional in your interaction with customers and clients, you are probably uninterested in their satisfaction, and that’s just plain lazy. Your customers and clients are ALWAYS watching you. The good news is they aren’t just watching and waiting for you to screw up or give them bad service, but they are waiting for you to amaze them and show them how much you care. You would be surprised how the smallest things make the largest impact and how many or their friends and family will become your customers too.

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Leading a Customer to Water and Making Them Drink

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Yesterday, I was walking around Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland with my girlfriend. It’s the typical runner or fitness nut’s hangout in a similar way to Bayshore Blvd in Tampa or your local park or track. All you can see are people everywhere working on their fitness—running, rollerblading, pushing strollers, or walking their dogs like the old school guy with the giant Discman who was actually dragging his poor dog.

www.fitniche.com - Locations in Lakeland, Wesley Chapel, and Clearwater

As we made our way back to the car I noticed a bunch of people huddled around some water coolers filling those tiny little cone-shaped paper cups with ice-cold water. I said, “Oh that’s nice that the city puts water out here,” but in my mind I was thinking “How inefficient why don’t they just put a water fountain out here and save time and money.” Laura said, “No that’s from a local running store called FitNiche.” As I looked closer I could see their logo on the cooler. I knew nothing about this store, but at that moment I was instantly impressed with their marketing savvy. I looked around and I saw athletic runners, similar to the ones I see at races I have participated in, (I’m the guy bringing up the rear at those events). For pennies and a few minutes a day, FitNiche is able to showcase their brand to the audience who is most likely to use their products and services. Even more important than being cheap and easy marketing, their potential customers receive a sense of the level of care they could receive from FitNiche and a small but valuable emotional connection. “You gave me water when I was thirsty.” Kind of simple, but so powerful  when you think about it. Sort of like stopping to help someone when their car is broken down, chances are that person will always remember that for a long time.

Not to get all mushy, but do you care about your customers and the ones you haven’t earned yet? If you do care about them, how far are you willing to go to show them that you do care? It doesn’t have to be a huge production with business coaches or consultants, it could be as simple as putting some refreshing water out for your thirsty customers. Your customers are thirsty for something more than just cheap prices and gimmicks, but they want to be engaged on a different level. If you don’t care about them, don’t worry they will quench their thirst somewhere else.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” — John C. Maxwell

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