While on an extended engagement outside of Chicago, our team frequented a number of restaurants and coffee shops. We had some good experiences and some not so good ones, but you might be surprised when you hear which establishments exceeded expectations and which fell short.
The Big Guys
Each day we visited a familiar coffee shop for our morning (and sometimes more frequent) jolt. Much has been written about this successful company's customer experience, so I won't bore you with that. I go there because I know what to expect and I'm hooked on their loyalty program. So, despite the outrageous exchange impact (basically Canadian prices in USD) I stopped in every morning.
At first, they did not disappoint In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when the crew started to recognize us and made the effort to remember our order. We felt welcome and comfortable despite being far from home.
However, it seems that at least one woman didn't get the memo on customer experience. While she worked the cash her attention was focused behind her, moving from one employee to the next. She payed far more more attention to what everyone else was doing, or perhaps to the other tasks she was juggling, than she did to "serving" us. Eye contact? Nah. Smile? Nope. Remember who we were? Forget it.
The punchline? She was clearly in charge...the owner or manager of that location.
The actions of the most junior staff were consistent with a brand that delivers a unique experience. Ironically, it was the person who would benefit the most from my satisfaction - the owner/manager - who just didn't get it.
Big Sammy's Hot Dogs
Big Sammy's was different. Here, we were greeted with a loud welcome, a few one liners and a ton of personal attention from someone who looked exactly like the guy who's life-sized cutout was on display in the corner - Big Sammy himself.
Big Sammy didn't disappoint. His personality is larger than life and the food was decent as well (you didn't expect a salad did you?). What struck me was how the guy with his name on the sign, with the most to win or lose on every interaction, was clearly setting the bar for customer service. While his team were unlikely to live up to his example, they sure tried. Sammy made a big impact, and we returned more than once.
Lessons Learned
1. Delivering an excellent customer experience isn't something that you can do when you feel like it, or when you're having a good day. It's an every day, at every touch point investment in your customer.
2. Design a great experience and then measure, measure, measure. You need to know that your team are delivering the experience as designed. That way, when you measure the customer's response, you know that it reflects your process, not some rogue employee behaviour.
3. If you're a leader, everyone is watching while you set the bar. If you deliver an authentic, engaging experience your customer will notice and your employees will follow. If not, then don't expect the halo effect of a successful brand to protect you for long... there are always other options.
We Can Help
At Chapman Management Solutions we work with your clients to understand what they are looking for and how you are performing. Then we design and install the right processes with the operating rigour that ensures you exceed expectations...every time.
Give us a call at 289.885.3878 or visit chrischapman.ca to learn more.