The sign at the entrance to any national park is a prime photo opportunity. Recognizing this, Rocky Mountain National Park not only had an area for cars to pull over and made the sign easily accessible, but they went a step further and facilitated solo photographers. The “picture post” allowed people to position their smartphone at an optimal height and even provided rocks to hold the phone/camera in place. It was a simple yet thoughtful welcome to the park.
How do you welcome guests to your office or home? Your graciousness doesn’t have to be elaborate, but a bit of intentionality goes a long way in conveying hospitality.
It’s easy to pay attention to the front-of-the-house functions when you’re running an organization, but the back-of-the-house functions often are what make the front-facing work possible. This was evident at Chipotle this weekend when there were workers taking orders from customers — but left without food to serve them. Once again, the restaurant was out of guacamole even though the revenue from their lucrative add-on could have paid the wages of the employee to make it.
All the attention was on the food line, but it appeared that no one was assigned to address the other aspects of running the business. Trash cans inside and out were overflowing. Tables were dirty. The cash register had no one tending to it unless someone was pulled off the line.
Whether you work in an office or restaurant, don’t overlook the infrastructure needed to support the main product. The food can be great, but if the whole experience isn’t, customers leave with a bad taste in their mouth.
As I wrote on Friday (dot #4609), ’tis the season for many organizations to have extended planning retreats or other off-site functions. Most groups put considerable effort into the content for those days, but managing expectations for a closed office is often overlooked.
One company, User Interviews, proactively addressed its absence with an email the week before, alerting customers of its event and providing helpful links in case there was a delay in reaching customer service. It did not entirely close its office, but let people know that response times may be slower. This helped to align expectations and (hopefully) trigger customers to reach out in advance or after the event.
If you conduct an extended meeting, don’t leave one person behind to staff the office. Practively plan and allow everyone to attend without returning to a host of customer complaints.
We take for granted that when we walk into a business, they will have what is necessary to function. I’m learning that is not always the case.
Yesterday at Chipotle, they were out of veggies. My friend paid in cash at the register, and they were out of singles, leaving them to give her almost $5 in quarters. Then I went to get a drink, and they were out of Coke and Mr.Pibb. Any one of those lapses would have been annoying but brushed off, but when there is an accumulation of problems (and not the first time similar things have happened at this restaurant), it points to a management problem.
It is also likely an upper management problem since no one seems to have corrected this pattern. Do they even notice it? If you have a front-facing business, it is to your benefit to employ/deploy secret shoppers. When I worked on campus, I learned so much from taking a class, from registration challenges, billing delays, the condition of classrooms, difficulty in navigating the learning management system, etc. They were all things I would have never seen from my office, but they were clear when I saw them from a student perspective. I wonder how a Chipotle exec would have felt about walking out with a pocket full of quarters.
You don’t have to be an undercover boss, but getting direct input from a user perspective is a valuable management tool. Craft ways to let others share their experiences about what your organization is really like.
I have written before (dot #4489) about QuikTrip’s superiority in customization. Their vast selection of toppings, condiments, smoothies, fountain pops, slushes, and flavor boosters allows customers to have snacks and beverages just how they like them.
QT has now adapted that same philosophy to its Nitro Coffee Bar, offering multiple choices in both hot and cold lattes, complimented by an extensive flavoring bar where customers can create beverages to their exact preferences.
QT consciously chose to go deep into the products it offers, providing many more options than almost anyone else. Where is your organization on the breadth-depth spectrum? You may want to pour yourself a latte and ponder where you should land.
When I attempted to pour a Diet Coke at Quik Trip and discovered the dispenser was empty, I alerted the cashier. He apologized and said he was unable to refill it right away, but instantly gave me coupons for two free drinks in the future and said I could have any other fountain drink now if there was anything else I wanted.
While it wasn’t the immediate remedy that I hoped for, it was obvious that this situation had happened before and they were prepared to address it. It was far better than a “too bad, so sad” dismissal that occurs in many other service situations.
Things will go wrong in your organization, especially if you are in retail or a customer-facing role. Take a cue from QT and equip your team to recover quickly and turn a bad situation into a customer service save.
My friends and I have a monthly lunch at a local pizza place that sells pie by the slice. When we arrived during the prime lunch hour (noon), there weren’t enough slices made to serve us. The clerk apologized by saying they had received a big order and the pizzas for in-person wouldn’t be ready for about 20 minutes.
Fortunately, it was a social lunch and we all had time to wait but it was another example of external orders taking precedence over those who want to be served in person. At other restaurants, orders on the app are made while people are forced to wait in line. Businesses answer calls instead of tending to those in front of them. Staff are dedicated to personal shopping or delivering drive-up orders instead of working at registers for those in the store.
If you opt to operate a multi-channel business, you need to provide the resources to serve each of those components separately. Giving priority to only one piece of the pie isn’t enough.
We’ve all waited around in a doctor’s office, but a provider in Boston seems to have such frequent delays that they have developed a chart in their reception area to help patients know how long they will be sitting around. The chart has markers for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and a one-hour delay. How sad that a one-hour delay is so frequent that it needs its own designation.
Since you don’t see the chart until you are in the office, does it serve any purpose except for patients to know that they are stuck waiting? I guess it lets them know they can grab a cup of coffee or do something productive. In reality, I think it was developed to keep people from “bothering” the receptionists.
If delays occur this often, there has to be a better way than a magnetic board in the lobby. Revise the scheduling increments. Allow a buffer time. Text patients when the delay is 30 minutes or more. Do a live feed so patients can check the board before they arrive.
Sometimes, your attempt to serve is just an attempt to cover up the real problem.
How many buffets have you been to where you wonder “What is that?” Whether at a restaurant, potluck, or family gathering the selection of choices can be a mystery.
But not in the Delta Sky Club! Not only were foods marked with descriptions, but each item clearly indicated whether it contained dairy or gluten and whether it was appropriate for a vegetarian. I’m sure it was helpful to all their guests, not just those with allergies.
The labeling was a sign that Delta goes the extra step for their guests. How can your organization model their hospitality?
Yesterday, I wrote about a stellar service example (dot #4529) while today I’ll share the other extreme. Our local newspaper believes it is necessary to change its print schedule from six days/week to three days/week. Soon after that decision was announced (but before it went into effect), our carrier quit. As a result, the paper I used to read every morning now arrives closer to noon — still six days/week, but of far less interest by the end of the day when I get it.
I have received zero communication from the newspaper about this, even though it has been going on for weeks. No explanation, let alone an apology. Heaven forbid, no rate adjustment. I only know that the carrier quit because I flagged down the person who delivered it and learned that she was just “helping out” because of the resignation of the carrier who had 11 routes.
If this many people are affected, it would seem wise to have explained it, or, ideally taken extraordinary steps to rectify it. But nothing. Radio silence. So, every morning, instead of reading my paper, I instead call circulation and file a complaint with the robot, which is unacknowledged as well.
Brands and businesses are all about trust. Be like the flight attendant and not the newspaper to build yours.
