He Just Wanted Toast.
Many of you may be familiar with this scene from the 1970’s flick “Five Easy Pieces” with Jack Nicholson. I post it here to serve as an example of a missed customer service opportunity.
While it definitely borders on the ridiculous, how many times in our days do we suffer the same kind of feelings of indignation when our requests aren’t heard or don’t seem to matter or what we want can’t be done because it would be against the “rules”? Or worse, how many times do we inadvertently send this message to our customers?
Rules, procedure and protocol are important in any organization. The last thing you want is for your team members to make up the rules on a case-by-case basis. But customers are more important. Without customers (I’ll go a step further and say that without Loyal Customers), there is no business, period. If every customer in that diner had as much problem as Jack getting what they wanted, that place would have emptied faster than a PBR keg at a frat party.
The message you want to send to customers in any encounter they have with you is that they are important. The best way to achieve that is to find out what is important to them in the moment, and find a way to provide it. And if by some chance you can’t “make the toast,” find a way for the customer to get it as thoughtfully and efficiently as possible.
You could save a fortune on dinnerware.
Posted by Mickey
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