Category Archives: Customer Service

02Apr 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen

I got my customer service ‘education’ early in my career when I worked for the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company during the nineties when they had properties in Sydney.  In my final role there as a member of the quality management team, I was exposed more than most to the systems used to deliver world beating quality and service. But looking back  I probably still didn’t have the experience or maturity at the time to fully appreciate what they did and why it worked. That’s a nice way of saying that having worked for many lesser companies over the years, it’s only now I fully appreciate how the Ritz Carlton went about things – and still do these days.

One of those things at the heart of the company’s culture is their motto, which with the benefit of some more life experience I can now understand more from a wider perspective than I could back when I worked there. It draws a clear line in the sand when it comes to identifying those who they want working for them, and the type of customer they want in their business:

Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.

Sounds simple enough at first but when you start thinking about the philosophy that is implicit in those seven words it becomes so much more. Most apparent is the expectation that employees will behave in a certain way towards their guests and each other. But then it takes another turn. It’s also a statement about the type of relationship they want to see between guests and hotel staff.

Employees at the Ritz Carlton are taught to think of customer service and hospitality as a profession, not just a way to make ends meet until something better comes along. As such, when you stay at a Ritz Carlton you will be treated with warmth, courtesy and respect and the same is expected in return – including on those inevitable occasions when something doesn’t go quite right. It is made clear to staff that they are not there to be abused or treated with disdain by guests and are within their rights to ask someone to adjust their behaviour if it’s not appropriate. I’ve personally seen managers make a reservation at another hotel brand for guests who thought it was their ‘right’ to be aggressive and treat hotel staff like something they stepped in.

Essentially what they are saying is “We are great at what we do and we have the conviction to make sure that only those who appreciate our professionalism and share our values come into our circle – regardless of whether they work for us or stay with us”.

Too often businesses get caught in a place where they lose sight of their core values in favour of whatever they are dealing with in the heat of the moment.  They might try to be everything to everyone and are afraid to let any customer go even when that customer isn’t really a good fit with their business. The ones who suffer in this case are usually the staff who have to put up with a lot of heat from customers they are not equipped to serve. Then some business are at the other end of the spectrum. They are too complacent about the demand for their service and are happy to burn customers knowing that someone else will soon come along. Neither of these situations serve anyone well in the long run.

When it comes to creating a fulfilling experience for both staff and customers, I think there is a lot to be said for setting a standard and only inviting those into your business that appreciate the value of what you do.

RitzCarltonDubaiClubLounge

 

16Mar 2013

The Best Customer Loyalty Program In The World

I have managed to build up a nice collection of loyalty cards from a variety of retailers, coffee shops and others. All probably seemed like a good idea when I took them, but in reality I just don’t follow through with them. They end up floating around in the glove box, bedside drawer, or sitting at the bottom of my office tray. I am willing to bet that I’m not alone and many of you have a dozen or so of these loyalty cards stashed away somewhere that have never again seen the light of day.

If that’s the reality, then why do so many businesses turn to these programs in an effort to gain loyalty from their customers?

Why do they do it even though they know their “Get Every 5th Coffee FREE” card will probably end up at the bottom of a drawer along with a few pocketfuls of loose change and some odd socks?

Founder of SageBerry Consulting and former VP of Marketing at Neiman Marcus, Stephen P. Dennis writes in an article “The World’s Best Loyalty Program”, that many of these loyalty programs are simply a front for collecting customer data. That’s quite likely true for some of the big corporate rewards programs, but what about the small businesses that do it?  In the article, Dennis cites another reason that these programs have become popular which probably answers that question. They are “me-too efforts that are knee jerk reactions to the competition which end up raising the cost of doing business without engendering true loyalty”.

So, if bribery doesn’t work, then what does?

We’ll stick with the example of the coffee shop (since I do love coffee…very much). If you run a coffee shop, here are some ideas that would make me love to get my coffee from you on a regular basis without having to put me on a rewards program and give me every 5th one free:

  • Serve great tasting coffee and food
  • Provide a table that allows enough personal space to relax and enjoy my coffee and food and have a private conversation if I am with someone.
  • Have your staff provide their service with a warm and friendly demeanour.
  • Serve my coffee with 100% of it still in the cup and not running down the sides into the saucer.
  • If my order comes to less than $10 and I don’t happen to have any cash on me, don’t force me to buy something I don’t want in order to use your EFTPOS machine (another false economy in small business that is getting more and more common).

Just a few ideas there, but what is the common thread?

If you provide an experience to your customers that they can’t get anywhere else, they will keep coming back. In the example above the suggestions would seem like basic things but are apparently very hard for many coffee shops to do. The same can be said for many other types business as well. They are focused on all manner of gimmicks and so-called ‘innovations’ but fail time after time to do basic things properly.

As Dennis points out in his article, there are many reputable brands that have built incredible loyalty from consumers without any type of loyalty or rewards program because their value proposition is on the mark, and they just get things right consistently.

The reality is if I have an average or bad experience, it won’t matter to me in the slightest if I get every 5th coffee free or 10% off my next purchase. There’s no value in it and it will actually seem like hard work to get it. On the other hand, if I know it’s going to be great when I come in to your place then guess what? It won’t matter to me that I don’t get every fifth coffee free. The loyalty program becomes irrelevant.

The best customer loyalty program in the world is the one that ensures you meet and exceed your customers’ expectations.

 

 About The Author
David Wise is a professional MC, speaker, freelance writer, and communication coach from Queensland, Australia.
www.dwise.com.au
www.davidwisecommunications.com

05Nov 2012

Six Symptoms Of Ineffective Customer Satisfaction Surveys

How often do you receive a letter or email saying something like this?

“Thank you for buying from / staying at / flying with / visting [insert business name]. We love hearing from our customers and would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to provide us with your valuable feedback by completing this brief survey.”

I’m not sure exactly how many I have at the moment, but I would hazard a guess that I have at least a dozen of those emails in my inbox and four letters in my tray, none of which I have any intention of completing. Why?

The relatively simple concept of ‘customer service’ has become some kind of weird pseudo-science.

The customer satisfaction survey is often a sure sign that my individual opinion is irrelevant. That’s because most surveys are designed for data to be aggregated and give management something to talk about in meetings – not follow up with an individual customer.

Companies and other organisations have become obsessed with with all sorts of ratings, scores, formulas and statistics that help convince them they are doing a great job. Ultimately these figures which rely heavily on data from surveys, never really impact on the actual customer experience at the front line.

So most customer surveys are little more than a means to an end and as a result are poorly designed. Here are six symptoms of surveys that are guilty of this crime against effective customer feedback:

1. They just take too long.

Despite their promise of being brief, it’s not unusual to find yourself barely half way through a survey after ten minutes. If customers were certain that it really would only take a couple of minutes not 15 or 20, they might be tempted to do the survey.

2. The questions are irrelevant.

Often customers who are happy or unhappy will take a survey with the intention of letting the business know their thoughts only to find that none of the questions are relevant to their individual experience or area of concern. What the actual customer is concerned about is apparently not what the business is concerned about, so next time the customer decides not to bother.

3. Participants have to be bribed

“Get 10% off your next purchase” or “Go in the draw for something fantastic if you fill out our survey”. There are only two real reasons why people are motivated to tell you about your service. Because they hate it or they are extremely impressed. If you have to bribe them to fill out your survey then you already have your answer. Your service is unremarkable.

4. Lack of follow through

In the event that someone is able to express their opinion about an area of concern to them, it is rare for it to be followed up on. Many organisations have a black-hole type void called “Good Intentions” that never seems to be given the time and planning required to be transformed into something tangible for their customers.

5. Ulterior motives

Some surveys are little more than a thinly veiled attempt to sell more products or services which casts serious doubt over how authentic the desire to get valued feedback really is.

6. Lack of empowerment

Related to symptom #4, most of the time the person administering the survey or receiving the information has no authority to act on any concerns or recommendations that you might offer. The issue then gets passed into the chain of command, only to be lost in the void of good intentions.

What’s a better solution for getting meaningful customer feedback?

There are really only two questions that count:

“What are we doing well?”

“What do we need to improve on?”

That’s it.

In theory you could send out a survey with those questions on if you wanted, but all you really have to do is make it easy for your customers to give you feedback. Have an email address and/or a 1800 number specifically for customer feedback. Use social media to get honest unedited opinions. Give them a comment card with a return addressed envelope. Just a few ideas.

Also, make sure the people receiving this information are empowered to act on it, or at least have immediate access to someone who is, so that unhappy customers are followed up with quickly and those who wish to compliment you are thanked for taking the time to do so.

What a great way to build trust and rapport with your customers!

 

 

David Wise is a professional MC, speaker, freelance writer, and communication coach from Queensland, Australia.
www.dwise.com.au
www.davidwisecommunications.com

 

07Jul 2012

Customer Service Quickshot: Alowishus Delicious

Another week, another coffee shop. But this time a good news story.

Lives up to the promise.

Alowishus Delicious is a little gem tucked away in the Earls Court arcade in Bundaberg that has been building a great reputation in recent months – and rightly so. When we head into town and it’s time for a coffee, it’s our ‘go to’ spot lately simply because the experience is so much better than anywhere else we’ve been in town.

The staff are always friendly and polite. The coffee, which happens to be ‘free trade’, tastes great and is served wholly within your cup – not running down the sides. The food is lovely and the place is clean and tidy. Then there’s that thing you can’t quantify, and that is just a warm welcoming atmosphere that is a combination of all the little things that are done well.

Check out Alowishus Delicious at www.alowishus.com.au or even better find them in Earl’s Court, Bourbong St, Bundaberg.

 

 

16Dec 2011

City Vs Country Hospitality

Until last weekend it had been a while since I spent any time in the Queensland capital, Brisbane. Since we moved a bit further north a couple of years ago, my visits to Brisbane have seemed to take in only the airport or the motorways as I’ve passed through.

We stayed right in the city and what struck me was the overall standard of customer service and courtesy displayed by people in general.

Specific Mention – The Mercure Hotel

In the big scheme of hotel standards, there are several more luxurious options than The Mercure but at the same time, I can vouch that there are many more of a much lower standard. With two young children who were keen to explore, we chose the Mercure because of the proximity to South Bank, the river, and public transport. For myself, having a breakfast buffet that has those little chipolata sausages is a priority when choosing a hotel.

In terms of the service provided, it was the best I’ve experienced in some time including some more expensive hotels in the Accor group. On arrival we were upgraded to a larger room with a better view which set a great tone for the whole visit. Over the next few days we found all the staff not only warm and friendly but also engaging. We felt like they were genuinely interested in why we were in town and that they were looking for opportunities to make our stay more enjoyable.

There was a hiccup when I noticed an overcharge to my credit card a couple of days after we left which it turned out was due to an administrative error. Once aware though, the hotel management investigated and rectified it very quickly. Importantly they also accepted responsibility and didn’t make up excuses, followed up to ensure it had been corrected, and let me know in easy to understand terms how it had happened and what they had done about it. Obviously it would have been better if the mistake didn’t happen, but sometimes they do, and I couldn’t have expected it to be handled any better than it was.

City vs Country

In the regional city that I live in, apart from the rare exception,  those who provide customer service tend to be okay at best, jaw-droppingly awful at worst, but mostly just plain disinterested. The place has come in for some criticism in travel guides in recent times with some of it quite unfair, but much of it also justified.

This is a shame because the city in question is home to some great products and with particular reference to restaurants, some of the food available here is as good as you could get anywhere. Sadly, it is the delivery that is often found wanting.

By comparison, in the Brisbane CBD I couldn’t help but notice that wait staff in restaurants, servers in coffee shops, attendants on public transport, and retail staff, seemed to be genuinely friendly and helpful.

It may be true that my perception has been affected by what I am used to. To those who live and and work in the Brisbane CBD there may be nothing remarkable about it, but as a visitor I certainly felt that the experience had improved markedly since last time I was there.

Closer to home, there is a lot of talk at the moment about attracting more visitors to the regional city that I live in. Despite there being a number of interesting attractions already, the talk is centred largely around the creation of new attractions with some of the ideas having more credibility than others.

There is one thing that needs to change though before anything gets built. If visitors are going to leave with a good impression and recommend the area to others, they need to feel welcome and appreciated while they are here.

At the moment it appears our city cousins are beating us hands down at that game.