Dennis Snow’s Service Excellence Blog

Recently I spoke at a conference of the Travel Industry Association. I arrived a couple of days into the meeting and noticed a buzz going around about something that happened earlier. I caught snippets of the situation, but got the full story after my speech.

During one of the meals on the first day of the conference, an attendee asked a server if he could have a Red Bull energy drink with his meal. It wasn’t a typical request, but the server said she would see what she could do. Sure enough, a few minutes later she came back with a covered platter, and with a flourish uncovered the can of Red Bull. Everyone at the table got a kick out of it and had a good chuckle.

Another person at the table joked, “What if he had asked for, oh let’s say, a monkey and monkey wrench?” Again, everyone laughed and promptly forgot about the comment. Before the meal ended, the server showed up at the table with a covered platter…you can guess what happened. With a flourish she uncovered a stuffed monkey along with a monkey wrench. The joke quickly spread and everyone was talking about the story - viral marketing at its best.

At the closing general session the association’s president thanked everyone involved in making the conference a success. He then reminded everyone of the monkey/monkey wrench story and everyone laughed, applauded and thought that was that. But the president announced the server was in the room and invited her onstage to receive a gift from the organizers for creating such a memorable moment. The crowd stood as one and gave that server a heartfelt standing ovation. The impact of the smile on her face will likely stay with everyone who was in that room.

Two key service principles were reinforced by this story. First, when we can create those wow moments by doing something totally unexpected, we should do it. The impact of the experience might just become legendary. We might not always have the time to do something like this server did, but sometimes we do have the time. At those moments the choice is ours on whether or not we’ll create that “magic moment.”

The second principle reinforced by this story is the importance of a sincere thank you. When we get great service, if someone truly does something extraordinary, creating an extraordinary thank you is a wonderful gesture. I can only imagine how quickly the news of that server’s actions and the resulting standing ovation spread throughout the hotel’s staff. Celebration of achievements creates a culture of achievement.

I hope the next time an extraordinary wow opportunity presents itself that you take a moment to figure out how you can make it happen. I also hope that the next time you are truly wowed by an employee you take a moment to think of how you can wow him or her with your thanks. Because of the story of this banquet server, I know I have a renewed energy to be on the lookout for both opportunities.

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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Yesterday I received an email from an employee of one my clients. The email shares a story of a recent visit to Disney World, comparing the experience to other theme parks. I thought it was a good example of how people make the difference. I’ll share the actual email a bit further in this post, but I want to make a couple of comments first.

In the case of a theme park, certainly the rides and shows must be great. But that’s not enough. There are lots of places with great rides. But if you combine a quality product with great service delivery, you have something special.

As you read the story, think about your own organization. Think about ways that you can build meaningful relationships with customers. Think about the types of interactions that result in customer delight and how you can create standards that make customer delight “business as usual.”

 Last week, I was on vacation and decided to spend a few days in the Orlando area. I purchased 3-day passes from Disney for myself and three teenagers (ages 13, 14, and 15).  As usual, we had a great time visiting all the Disney theme parks.  We purchased the tickets with the “Hopper” option, so we spent our days running back and forth from one park to another.  This time around at the parks, I took a special interest in observing customer service.  As usual, it was very, very good…I really should probably write “excellent.”  I was amazed at how one cast-member managed to still smile when I asked him where the Toy Mania attraction was even though I was standing almost directly in front of it.  The whole magic really did shine through every minute I was there. It’s almost too difficult to explain what makes Disney’s so successful.  

While in the Orlando area, we had dinner one evening at NBA City in City Walk, adjacent to Universal Studios.  I can tell you that while making my way to City Walk, I noticed that what sets Disney apart from the competion is quite simple; their cast-members and customer support.  City Walk employees looked like maniacs scattered throughout while trying to keep the “cattle (us)”  in control.  A large crowd should not have been the issue; trust me, Disney seemed to have the same sized crowd.  I really looked at the faces of Universal Studios employees and I could swear they were just different.  No calmness there.  I appoached two employees, to be exact, and they appeared to be aloof and distracted….one was on their cell phone.. I had to wait about  30 seconds (believe it or not) for the person to answer my question.  I thought to myself, “does Univeresal focus on customer service, at all?”

After spending a few days in the Orlando area, I continued on to Tampa, where we visited Busch Gardens (yes, I was on theme park binge).  There too, I noticed how different customer service was from that at Disney.  I remember asking two employees walking by if they knew of any restaurants in the park which offered a salad bar.  You would have thought I was asking the most ridiculous question in the world.  One of them was twisting her hair with her fingers and looked like she just wanted to carry on her conversation with her friend.  She clearly thought I was interrupting her very important conversation.  I remember that as I approached them, they were discussing how one might be sent home and she was not going to stand for it. She was clearly not happy with her employer and others were probably hearing the same conversation I was.  

I wanted to share the above observations with you.  What is the secret to the Mouse’s success?  I don’t know.  Do you think it’s something in the water at Disney grounds?  Could be!  I couldn’t tell you and I’m sure you must have a much better idea than I do.  I do believe though that Disney has struck gold.  They have the same product as their competition (Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, etc) and they obviously know it.  However, they have found that differentiating factor and know how to keep it going strong.

When you look closely at the behaviors the writer describes from the Disney experience, nothing there is really extraordinary. Mostly it’s about paying attention, caring, and being empathetic to guests who are out of their comfort zones. The writer’s examples show how a focus on simple, customer-focused behaviors make all the difference.

In the next few days I’ll be announcing the release of my new book, Lessons From the Mouse: A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Your Life. The book addresses how Disney instills that service attitude in its 55,000 cast members.

In the meantime, keep focusing on wowing your customers!

Tags: Commentary, Lessons From the Mouse, Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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One of the blogs I regularly read is Customers Are Always, hosted by Maria Palmer. She just posted a great article, “Proactive Behavior: A Sign of Service Excellence,” which was written by a guest contributor.

I have experienced the situation the writer discusses (picking up the wrong bag at the airport), and certainly agree that the type of proactive behavior described results in walk-through-fire customer loyalty.

See what you think about the article - I’d love to hear your feedback. 

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis, When Great Service Happens To Good People by Dennis Snow
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What a difference a caring employee makes. You can observe two employees doing the identical job, but one is creating great customer experiences while the other employee just goes through the motions.

A recent client arranged for a Town Car service to take me from the airport to the convention hotel and then back to the airport the next day. It was a fairly long ride, about two hours, but it was through beautiful countryside so I didn’t mind.

The driver who picked me up at the airport was wonderful. She had a chilled bottle of water waiting in the car along with a fresh copy of the local newspaper and the Wall Street Journal. She asked if I had been in that part of the country before (I had) and off we went. I appreciated her smooth and comfortable driving style with no fast accelerations or quick applications of the brakes. I felt safe.

She made the ride pleasant by sharing information about the areas we drove through, while always gauging my interest based on my responses and questions. Along the way I had to do a bit of computer work and she respected my need for quite during that time. The only time she interrupted was at the half-way point to ask if I needed a restroom break; which I did.

Dropping me off at the hotel, the driver was complimentary about their facilities and sincerely wished me luck on my presentation. It was a great customer service experience.

The return to the airport was another story. Same Town Car company; different driver; very different experience. The driver greeted me in a disinterested manner and put my bags in the car. He then proceeded to accelerate the car like Mario Andretti accelerating out of Indianapolis Speedway’s pit row, throwing me back in my seat. We were off on what proved to be a nerve-wracking ride to the airport with quick starts, stops, and lane changes. I certainly wasn’t going to get any work done on that ride.

To make things a bit more comfortable I tried to make some light conversation, but his manner clearly indicated there would be no chit chat. And there was no offer of a restroom break at the half-way point - I had to ask for one. We arrived at the airport, he put my bags on the curb, and drove off as I stood there wondering what had happened to make him so bitter.

I share this story because it demonstrates the behaviors that differentiate great service from poor service:

Accuracy - The first driver was a good driver and she immediately made me feel safe. The second driver was an erratic, aggressive driver, who made me wonder if I would make it safely to my destination. Being good at the job technically is a vital part of customer service.

Responsiveness - The first driver was talkative when it was appropriate, and was also quiet during the time I needed to do some work. She was responsive to the moment-by-moment needs of her customer. The second driver, on the other hand, was simply performing the task of getting his customer from Point A to Point B. Being genuinely responsive to the customer demonstrates a willingness to move beyond simply completing a transaction.

Care - The first driver is clearly a professional who cares about her customers. She made the trip interesting and wowed me with little details like the bottle of water, the fresh newspapers, and the offer of a restroom stop. The second driver only cared about finishing his shift and listening to the radio (his choice of station, not mine).

Accuracy, Responsiveness, and Care. Those three little words, when translated into action, make all the difference. One driver saw her role as an ambassador of the Town Car company and of her community, while the second driver saw his role as a driver.

Same job, but a completely different experience.

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis, Tips for Better Customer Service by Dennis Snow
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I’m constantly amazed at the lengths to which some companies will go in order to alienate their customers. They may have clunky processes, poorly trained employees, or any of a multitude of customer-alienating practices.

But the one that really fries me most is when a company distrusts their customers. Sure, there are those customers who take advantage by doing such things as returning clothes after they’ve attended the prom, returning furniture after the party, etc. But those abusive customers are in the minority. Some companies, however, build rigid policies to protect themselves against the advantage-takers and end up alienating the majority of customers who would never dream of trying to rip off the company.

This all leads to a story a colleague shared regarding a damaged cake. When she contacted the company, it’s clear that the owner of the company didn’t trust the customer’s story, even though she offered to send a photo of the damaged cake. After reading her description of the event, click on the icon to see a photo of what she received (read the narrative first).

Today in the office a customer service nightmare unfolded. A bakery shipped a cake that arrived in such a mess the recipients couldn’t tell what it was. They called the company to kindly let them know; the owner was angry that she’d done so and denied there was even a problem even though the recipient offered to send a photo of what she’d been delivered. It was a strange kind of denial and she got very defensive. What is happening now though is that the photo is circulating and the story is getting around, which will obviously hurt business.

Click HERE to see the photo!

Imagine how different this customer would’ve felt if the owner had sincerely expressed her dismay at the condition of the cake, apologized profusely, and immediately sent a replacement - which the customer didn’t even ask for. My guess is that the next time this customer wanted to send a cake as a gift she would’ve immediately chosen this company because there would’ve been a high level of trust that things would turn out fine.

Instead, this customer is circulating the story, along with the photo and the company’s name, to everyone she knows. Remember, it costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it costs to keep a current one. I hope this cake company has a big advertising budget.

Do your company policies ever penalize and alienate your honest, loyal customers because of the actions of the small fraction of customers who try to take advantage?

Want to share your story? You can submit it here.

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis, When Bad Service Happens To Good People by Dennis Snow
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This is the sixth in a series of ten blog posts that provide a brief synopsis of the chapters in my upcoming book, Lessons From the Mouse - A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Your Life. You can view previous posts from the book by clicking on the Lessons From the Mouse category on the left column of this page.

Lesson #6: Pay Attention to the Details - Everything Speaks

Disney “Imagineers” go to great effort to design the details that make the Vacation Kingdom a truly magical environment. The goal is to transport guests from the real world to a magical place. The details don’t stop with the design. Cast members understand that they are a key part of the story the environment is designed to tell. They maintain the integrity of the story by paying attention to the details. They wear appropriate costumes and play their roles with enthusiasm. Cast members pick up that stray piece of trash or report that peeling paint on the fence. They know that when it comes to the details, “everything speaks.”

Regardless of the business or industry, the details communicate messages to customers. Sometimes these messages seem trivial such as a napkin stain or withering flowers in a flower bed. But sometimes they can be significant like an unattended help desk or dangerous potholes in the parking lot. Trivial or significant, every detail says something about the organization’s commitment to the customer experience.

Everything the customer sees, hears, smells, tastes, or touches impacts their experience. Anything that is out of alignment causes a disconnect in the mind of the customer. Everything speaks! Customers may not consciously notice every detail, but subconsciously clues to your culture are being communicated. What is your service environment saying?

Question for Applying Lesson #6:

1. How does the Everything Speaks philosophy apply to your job or organization?
2. Take a walk through the physical environment of your organization (preferably with a team). What messages are being “spoken” in your work setting?
3. What needs to happen in order to ensure the details support your organization’s brand?

To be released this summer

Tags: Commentary, Lessons From the Mouse, Service Analysis, Tips for Better Customer Service by Dennis Snow
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In a previous post I mentioned the challenges that Starbucks is facing - falling profits, diminished customer service and commoditizing the experience. Others have been blogging about the same issue. In fact there is now something called “The Starbucks Project” which was started by loyal customers and is dedicated to providing Starbucks with feedback and advice for improving their customer service and their business strategy.

While I am certainly going to follow The Starbucks Project, here’s the real lesson for businesses: When you have done the work to create intense customer loyalty over time, your customers care about what happens to you. At least the truly loyal customers do. I know that I want my customers to care so much that if I screw up, they make the effort to give me feedback. If customers don’t care they’ll just jump ship and go somewhere else.

Many Starbucks customers are clearly going somewhere else. But many are apparently ready to help them out. That’s the kind of loyalty we should all shoot for. It’s up to Starbucks, of course, to take action. Loyalty will only go so far if nothing changes.

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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Starbucks announced last Wednesday that profits for the second quarter fell 28%, blaming the drop on the struggling economy. While I agree that the economy is struggling, I’m not convinced it’s the reason for Starbucks’ current woes.

The Starbucks story, of course, is the stuff of legends. Three books about the company have been published in the last twenty-four months alone. I’ve been a fan of the company for years. What they did was to take a commonplace drink, a cup of coffee, and make it something special. I love the quote; “Folgers saw coffee as a commodity; Starbucks saw coffee as an experience.”

Ironically, the Starbucks mega-growth strategy commoditized the experience they tried so hard to create. No matter where you are, there’s likely a Starbucks within a five-minute drive – or a five-minute walk. Nearly every hotel I stay in either has a Starbucks store or a coffee bar that announces, “We proudly brew Starbucks coffee.”

It’s just not so special anymore. Indeed, it has almost become a parody. I heard a comedian recently joke, “It has finally happened. They accidentally opened a Starbucks inside of a Starbucks.”

The Starbucks by my house used to have long, long lines in the morning. But it was okay since those of us waiting in line knew each other personally or at least recognized each other from our morning Starbucks experience. The lines aren’t there anymore. People are either going to another location or are brewing their freshly ground premium roast at home, or maybe they’re stopping at McDonald’s or Dunkin Donuts as those companies try to woo Starbucks customers away.

So, coffee is a commodity again. And when your product is a commodity, price becomes very important. No longer can you charge a premium – customers will find a cheaper alternative. And with coffee, there is always a cheaper alternative. Starbucks has its work cut out as it tries to make the Starbucks experience special again. I hope they do – because although it may not sound like it, I’m still a fan.

Tags: Commentary, Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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At the conclusion of a customer service seminar I recently conducted, a participant asked, “If you could just provide just one suggestion to improve customer service in an organization, what would it be?”

I responded with the same answer I would give to any group of CEOs or any group of frontline employees. It’s to move from a task mentality to an experience mentality. Too many organizations and too many employees focus on completing tasks. Although the task may be done correctly, that approach certainly doesn’t create an emotional bond between a customer and an organization.

Walk into any organization and you can immediately recognize if employees are simply completing tasks or if they’re creating experiences. As a customer, if you feel you are simply being processed, then completing tasks is the objective. If you feel welcome and appreciated, that organization or employee is focused on creating a positive experience. The activities may be the same, but the feeling is completely different.

Think how each of the following interactions can be handled as tasks, and then think about how they can be treated as an experience:

• Answering the phone

• Answering a customer question

• Ringing up a purchase

• Delivering a customer check in a restaurant

• Telling a customer what repairs were done on his/her car

• Drawing a patient’s blood

• Giving a airplane safety spiel

• Discussing company benefits with new employees

• Taking a bank deposit

Every one of these interactions can be done in a manner that either builds a relationship with a customer, or simply completes a transaction. The above list can be expanded to include any interaction between a customer and an employee.

The popular online video, Johnny the Bagger, highlights this difference and is worth checking out if you haven’t already seen it.

How about you? Are you completing tasks or are you creating experiences?

Tags: Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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Robotic customer service drives me crazy. Employees may be saying all the right words but, when those words are delivered robotically, the result is a forced, insincere impression. The message that’s actually communicated is, “my company makes me say these exact words.”

I experienced a vivid example of robotic behavior just last week while staying at a nice hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. The facilities were spotless and the employees all very friendly. However, after any interaction with any of the hotel’s employees, face-to-face or on the phone, the employee always asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

The first time was okay, even though the question was asked robotically. By the third time, however, it started to dawn on me that this was a scripted spiel. Any time I called the operator, room service, the front desk, or any other hotel department, the interaction always concluded with the exact words, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” By my fourth day at the hotel I wanted to ask my question like this – “Can you please tell me where the health club is and no, there is nothing else you can help me with today.” That may seem harsh, but the question was obviously a script that the hotel’s management thought conveyed care. It didn’t. It conveyed insincerity since it was a script. And in four days I never once heard a guest say “Yes, there is something else you can help me with today.” (And I paid attention just to see).

The expectation of employees should be to demonstrate a sincere desire to help a customer. Employees can even be expected to conclude any interaction in a friendly way. But please don’t script those words in an inflexible, “every time, every customer”, manner. It comes across as robotic and quickly becomes a joke to the customer and employees. Let employees determine how they’ll say the words and also let them determine if the words are even appropriate in every circumstance.

Let’s eliminate robotic customer service!

Tags: Service Analysis by Dennis Snow
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