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.

Yet despite the doom and gloom, some companies are weathering the storm very well. Indeed, some aren’t just surviving, they’re thriving. What are the thriving organizations doing that allow them to continue building business while others are scrambling to just stay in business? And what can be learned from them?

The big difference between those who are thriving and those who are barely surviving (or not) is that the thrivers relentlessly focus on what I like to call, “walk-through-fire” customer loyalty. Most of us have favorite stores or restaurants, and we’re willing to drive miles out of the way, passing competitor after competitor, just to do business with them. That’s walk-through-fire customer loyalty.

So, what can you do right now to generate that kind of loyalty for your own organization?

1. Do not scrimp on quality - As soon as your customers, even the most loyal of them, notice a drop in quality you’re starting a downward spiral that’s difficult to pull out from. When, for instance, customers noticed the quality of Starbucks coffee was diminishing due to over-brewing, many formerly loyal Starbucks customers switched to McDonalds which Consumer Reports ranked #1 in coffee taste. In July Starbucks announced the closing of six hundred stores.

Sure it’s important to watch costs. But the lesson here is to not cut those things that earned your customers’ loyalty in the first place.

2. Train, train, train - Now is the time to ensure your employees know exactly how to delight your customers. Customer service, while always important, is especially vital right now. Make sure every employee is able to demonstrate flawless product knowledge (or knows where to get product information instantly), knows to be supremely responsive, and demonstrates genuine care and empathy in every interaction. Leaders must clearly articulate the behaviors expected and hold employees accountable for delivering.

3. Stay in touch with your best (and most profitable) customers - Solidify relationships with those customers who have been loyal to you in the past. Information about loyal customers can come from your sophisticated CRM system, your Rolodex, or by simply asking your employees who the regulars are. Make personal contact with those customers, letting them know that they’re appreciated.

A company’s loyal customers get frustrated when they see all of the perks going to programs for attracting new customers. The long-term customer thinks, “Hey, what about me?” Make sure your loyal customers know just how much you value their loyalty.

4. Involve your employees - Who in your organization is better positioned to know customer likes and dislikes than your frontline employees? One of the best ways to light a “customer loyalty fire” is to hold employee meetings to discuss best practices for delighting customers. For example, a bank employee somewhere must’ve been the first one to suggest; “When a customer comes through the drive-through teller line with a dog in the car, we should put a dog biscuit in the container when we send it back out.” Dogs and dog owners have appreciated that simple idea ever since. Leverage the best ideas throughout the company.

5. Treat your employees well - Make sure your employees know how much you appreciate their loyalty. Now more than ever it’s important for leaders to recognize, reward, and simply offer sincere thanks to those employees who contribute to the organization’s success. You don’t want your superstar employees to even think about a move to the competition.

The economic downturn can be viewed as a curse or an opportunity. Looked at as an opportunity, smart leaders know that this is the time to distance themselves from the competition. This is the time to build walk-through-fire customer loyalty.

More times than I can count, I’ve stood in line at a coffee shop, fast food restaurant, or store observing an employee trying to take the order of a customer who is chatting on his or her cell phone. Everything gets slowed down as the customer tries to order and talk on the phone at the same time. The employee often doesn’t know if the customer is talking to him or to his phone companion. The employee gets frustrated; the other customers in line get frustrated. And the phone addict is oblivious to it all.

I can think of few customer behaviors ruder than disregarding everyone around in order to hold a cell phone conversation. What the offending customer is saying is, “I’m more important than the rest of you.” Most employees I’ve observed have handled the situation in a patient manner, but you know they’ve got to be silently shouting, “Get Off The Phone!” I know I am.

Another common breach of cell phone etiquette is the customer who boards a plane while talking on the phone. They juggle the phone and boarding pass while ignoring the gate agent. Most frustrating of all, the rest of the boarding passengers are delayed as the cell phone addict tries to put luggage in the overhead compartment with the phone tucked under the chin - and it never works. And other passengers and the crew are the ones who suffer as the perpetrator obliviously chats away.

I firmly believe in employees doing what it takes to provide great customer service. I make my living helping organizations and employees do just that. But I also believe that customers have a responsibility to be reasonable customers. There are plenty of other examples of rude, arrogant, or uncaring customers. And employees need to be able to graciously handle those situations (unless it crosses the line of being abusive). But the cell phone talker is a special case because his or her arrogance impacts everyone around them. I guess it can be called “exponential arrogance.”

Let’s be sure we are good customers by respecting those who are doing their best to serve us and by respecting our fellow customers.

I’m pleased to let you know that 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, is now available.

If you would like complete information about the book as well as ordering details, please visit www.LessonsFromTheMouse.com.

If you’d like to order right now, you can go to Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. Discounts on ten or more copies of the book can be found at 800CEOread.com.

In brief, Lessons From the Mouse provides ten easy-to-read lessons for applying Disney World’s formula for creating legendary customer experiences. Any organization, and anyone in an organization, can put these principles to immediate use.

The book’s chapters include:

• Never Let Backstage Come Onstage
• What Time is the 3:00 Parade? Is Not a Stupid Question
• Little Wows Add Up
• Have Fun With The Job - No Matter How Miserable You Feel
• Don’t Be a Customer Service Robot
• Pay Attention to the Details - Everything Speaks
• Never, Ever Say, “That’s Not My Job” - Don’t Even Think It!
• Everyone Has a Customer
• Figure Out What Ticks Off Your Customers - And Do Something About It
• Take Responsibility For Your Own Career

I’d sure like to create a buzz about Lessons From the Mouse and I would be most appreciative if you would forward this blog post to anyone you feel would benefit from the book.

I hope you’ll check out Lessons From the Mouse. I would love to hear your feedback!

Several radio programs have interviewed me on the subject this past week, including the show, “The Small Business Advocate,” hosted by Jim Blasingame. He asks about a few customer service related topics, which I hope you’ll find helpful, and we get into the JetBlue story about half-way through the interview.

Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your comments!

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!

Some of these quotes could provide terrific discussion-starters for staff meetings. One idea is to start each staff meeting by sharing one of the quotes (written on a flipchart or whiteboard) and having a five-minute discussion about how the quote applies to your business. Another idea is to distribute a different quote to each staff member before the meeting with the assignment that they will each have sixty-seconds during the meeting to discuss the quote’s relevance.

I’m an advocate of using a variety of strategies to reinforce the importance of excellent customer service. One of these ideas (or any approach you come up with for using the quotes) can be a no-cost, easy-to-execute way of keeping the message on everyone’s radar.

I can certainly understand the need for employees to fill out paperwork, change the register’s cash drawer, or finish processing the previous transaction. All I ask is to be acknowledged with a simple, “I’m so sorry, I’ll be right with you,” and that it is said with sincere eye contact. If the words are said without eye contact, the employee might as well just say, “You don’t exist to me right now.”

Sincere eye contact creates a connection, it shows respect, and it shows care. It says you acknowledge me as an important part of your job. And if that eye contact has even the slightest hint of a sincere smile, well you’ve just separated yourself from ninety-nine percent of the service providers out there. And I will happily wait as you finish filling out that form.

The eyes say it all.

Getting everyone involved, however, can also cause mind-numbing frustration. Anyone who has ever participated on a project team or a steering committee knows that a beast is always there waiting to strike. The beast’s name is Project Creep. You know Project Creep has arrived when input from others regarding the initiative transforms into demands that must be a part of the outcome.

When Project Creep insidiously inserts itself into the mix, what started as a clear, straight-forward initiative becomes a runaway freight train. And the result is often a train wreck. The original purpose of the initiative disappears and the outcome is a bloated, meaningless mess.

The most common example of Project Creep is the development of a typical company’s mission statement. What should have been 2-3 inspirational sentences that provide clear direction end up being two pages of corporate-speak that mean nothing to anybody. Everyone ends up frustrated.

A spot-on video was posted on Alan Weiss’ blog, Contrarian Consulting. Showing this video should be required at the beginning of any new project and shown again at the first sign of Project Creep.

The original purpose of an initiative or project should be the lighthouse that guides the initiative or project safely into port. Yes, get input from as many sources as possible, but don’t let Project Creep take you off course.

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.