Dennis Snow’s Service Excellence Blog

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
No Comments »

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
No Comments »

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
No Comments »

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
2 Comments »

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
2 Comments »

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
4 Comments »

In nearly every customer service workshop that I conduct I’ll get at least one participant who will explain to me why such customer service practices won’t work in their industry. They’ll explain how their customers are different and have different expectations than other industries. Sometimes the supposed difference doesn’t involve the industry; they’ll say the principles won’t work in their particular area of the country (or the world). Oftentimes these participants don’t want to discuss the situation, they just want to provide an excuse for not implementing service excellence processes.

I’ve yet to meet a customer in any industry or any place who doesn’t want these three things:

• The organization to do the job right.

• The organization to be responsive to the customer’s needs.

• Employees who truly care about the customer.

So, if you want to provide great service, do the job right, be responsive, and show you care. Overly simple? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe we tend to overcomplicate things. Simple principles consistently applied create great customer experiences.

Most customer complaints (in any industry or locale) involve a break down in one or more the above items. So, rather than spend time focusing on why things won’t work, why not use the same energy to focus on how service excellence principles can be adapted to your own situation. Organizations who make this effort are the ones who become world-class customer service providers.

Please feel free to comment on this post!

Dennis

Tags: Service Analysis, The First Post by Dennis Snow
1 Comment »