Help!

Hey! I need material to write about!

Do you have questions you need the answers to right now? Email them to me and I’ll answer them in the blog.

I am sure there are a lot of others who are going through the same situation and would appreciate the response also.

Naturally I will keep your name and information confidential.

Send them to Jeffrey@GetGame.Biz

The bar to deliver customer service "delight" is ridiculously low

In the last week I joined an army of people who recently had bad experiences with airlines. It is fascinating to see how low the bar to "delight" customers through customer service has gone in the airline industry (and many other industries) in North America.

My story started with a trip to the West Coast on American Airlines. Since I had ordered my ticket late and had no seat assignment, I went to airport extra early to get a good seat. When I checked in they gave me a center seat and said that the gate agent would be able to switch me (customer service tip: pass the buck). Next I sat in an airport security line for 45 minutes. They had one security line servicing at least 30 gates. First class passengers had their own, and much shorter security line, which ticked off many passengers as TSA (Transportation Security Agency) employees who manage airport security are not American Airlines employees but government employees paid with our tax money. When I finally got to the gate, the agent did not even faint trying to help me - she rudely told me to take a seat as the flight was full (customer service tip: screw the customer).

What happened next is the best part. I boarded and realized that my seat was broken. I promptly informed the flight attendant of my problem - after all, who would want to be on a six hour full flight in a broken seat that cannot be locked in its upward position? The aggressive and non-friendly response from the agent was: "I am not sure that they can fix it, and because YOU now reported this problem they may have to take you off the plane and not fly you to California today!" So she was implying that it was my problem, since I had reported one of their defective seats (customer service tip: blame the customer). If only I would have sat up-straight and pretended that nothing was wrong with the damn seat, that would have been a much better solution for HER! I put up a stink and they reluctantly gave me another center seat so that I could make it to California.

Then came the weekend, when I had to fly United Airlines to Vancouver. 3 hours prior to my flight I get a call from one of their automated machines informing me that my flight segment from Chicago to Vancouver was cancelled and that perhaps other arrangements had been made for us. When selecting the option to speak with a representative I got a fast busy tone, so I called the main United 800#. After being in a queue for 35 minutes, during which I discovered that my flight was the last one out of Chicago to Vancouver that day and that there was another alternative flight route through Toronto, I finally got a "somewhat" live person on the phone:

United: may I help you?
Me: your automated service just called me to inform me that my flight segment from Chicago to Vancouver has been cancelled and that other arrangements may have been made
United: they did call you and told you that?
Me: yes
United: well, they tell you stuff before they tell us, I see no such thing in my record...
Me: well, can you at least see that the Chicago to Vancouver was canceled?
United: hold on...oh yes, you are right, the flight was canceled
Me: so what should I do?
United: fly to Chicago and see what they say
Me: but it is the last flight out of Chicago today, it makes no sense for me to go there...
United: hold on...oh, yes, it is the last flight out of Chicago
Me: so
United: you should go to Chicago and they will help you there...
Me: there is an alternative through Toronto on Air Canada - your partner
United: oh I see...let me check
United: there is no flight out of Chicago to Toronto that will get you to Vancouver...
Me: no, but there is one out of Boston that will get me there
United: oh, I see...let me check...this was the last flight out of Chicago..
Me: yeah...but this is Boston...
United: oh I see...I can "protect' that flight for you
Me: great! So you are confirming that I know will fly from Boston to Toronto and then on to Vancouver
United: yes.
Me: do I just check in at United or do I go to Air Canada?
United: that I do not know...try both...
Me: thank you very much

This was not an exchange on Saturday Night Live or some other comedy channel...this was real (customer service tip: hire real cheap labor and try cutting cost on training and IT!

No wonder JetBlue has such high praises from customers. In a market where the bar is so low, it does not require much to delight customers!


Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/EmergenceMarketing?m=428

A Comcast Technician Sleeping on my Couch

Really Cool Restaurant Marketing!
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Hire me as your Chief Marketing Officer for less than $10 a day!
Call me at 877-GAMEON1 (toll free!) to discuss how we can build you a better restaurant!
Or visit us on the web at www.GetGame.Biz


A Comcast Technician Sleeping on my Couch

OK, so I'm hoping no one is vidoe taping you sleeping on the job, but then again, are you sure? What if you were video taped during your workday. Would you want it posted on YouTube?

This video says it all!

2 days that could just change your life!

I always ask the question; "What are you willing to do today to become more successful tomorrow?"

Next month, on July 17th & 18th you and I will get the opportunity to work on your restaurant together and create a GamePlan for moving it to the next level! I will be conducting my first "whiteboard session"!

A "no holds barred" chance for you to get together with a couple of whiteboards, 14 other owners and operators along with myself here in Dallas to create a GamePlan for moving your business forward.

There will be no agenda other than the one you create from the areas of your operation you want to discuss over the two days. Also, since small groups accomplish more in a shorter timeframe, I am limiting it to only the first 15 people who respond. It can be you and your GM, spouse, partner, whomever.

But I will only accept 15 people. The price for the two day sesion is $299 per person. If you're a coaching client your price is only $199 I have had so many requests for this that I seriously expect the slots to be filled by the end of today. Right now, I have no plans for another one any time soon. I am just way too busy traveling the country coaching clients.

Visit the link for the sessions here!

New Self-Service Study

Not sure if you like reading reports, but a new report is out entitled "Hospitality Industry Self-Service Technology Study - Redefining Customer Service" (Hospitality Technology, 2006). Lots of insight into self-service inroads being made.

excerpt:"The depth and range of self-service solutions in the hospitality industry has grown over the last year. Consumers are more interested and motivated to use self-service kiosks and both hotel and restaurant operators are making significant strides in respect to rolling out solutions. While self-service solutions still have limited availability in hotels and even fewer restaurants, the number of roll outs planned will increase markedly over the next four years.

…While it may not be surprising, it is still significant that the companies driving self-service represent the largest hotel and restaurant companies and that large hotel companies are also playing an important role in driving self-service at their restaurant locations as well. These large operators are poised to play a significant role in shaping the pace and range of self-service solutions in hospitality."

You can download the report in a PDF from here.

"Because you didn’t do the right thing when it was the right thing to do, mister."

Ok, the last place I want to go to for advice on service is a lawyer. But I really like this guy. (Shoot me now?). This is a post by Douglas Sorocco over at Rethinkip. It involves him, an airplane filght with a mother and two kids, and how we need to challenge behaviors or else they will take over.


http://www.rethinkip.com/archives/whatever_happened_to_manners.html

What are the stupidest mistakes service professionals make when they are dealing with angry guests?

"There are 3.5 forms of mistakes service professionals make with angry guests:

1. Making excuses and defending what happened. Guests do not want to hear what happened. Guests want to know how you are going to resolve their problem…now!

2. Blaming other people and other circumstances -- instead of taking responsibility yourself. Guests do not care whose fault it is. They want to know how you are going to resolve their problem…now.

3. Arguing and trying to tell the guest what they cannot have, rather than trying to resolve the situation. Guests do not care about your policy, your procedures, your situation or your problems. All they want to know is how you are going to resolve their problem…now.

3.5 Failure to resolve the situation in a manner that leaves the guest feeling as though they were listened to, responded to, and grateful for doing business with you because you helped them. Guests want to feel that you care about them personally. That you are investing in the angry guest’s resolution. Your understanding and your empathy, combined with your actions, will not only lead to a favorable resolution; if done correctly, it will lead to a positive story, a loyal guest and maybe even a referral."


Thank you JG!

Balance Efficiency and Service

BusinessWeek has a great article in this week’s issue about customer satisfaction. They highlight some companies that are losing customers through poor customer service. In contrast, other companies have succeeded in creating great customer experiences. Where do you think your business would fit?

In highlighting customer service failures at Dell, Home Depot, and Northwest Airlines, the BW article states that: each has fallen victim to a seductive fiction: that customer service and operational efficiency are mutually exclusive … [They] are all cases in which executives have lost track of the delicate balance between efficiency and service.

Can you have both an efficient company and great customer service? BusinessWeek says: Smart companies — Southwest Airlines Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp., to name two standouts — have it both ways. Well-trained workers equal fewer complaints. That means lower costs, a workforce free to make more sales, and happier customers willing to spend more money and tell their friends about it later.

Everyone Contributes

Customer service is not a desk at the back of your store. It isn’t a department isolated from the company. You and every employee of the business are customer service representatives. All your interactions with clients and prospective customers represent the company as a whole.
Unfortunately, many companies entrust their customers to poorly trained staff. This leads to bad consumer experiences that then undermine whatever corporate mantra your CEO is currently touting.

Give your workers the training and tools they need so that they are empowered to solve problems and effectively interact with customers.

Strike the Balance

You can have a great balance between efficiency and service. Don’t let the bean counters run away with the company for short-lived financial benefits. Long-term business success requires happy customers.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ReturnCustomer?m=149

Att-i-tude!

Old story. But never an old story. I went to Whole Foods and Starbucks back-to-back yesterday afternoon. No holes: Every (EVERY—perhaps 6?) staff member was pleasant, chatty, informed, etc.

I remain amazed.

Posted by Tom Peters

Source: http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?rss=1¬e=http://www.tompeters.com/blogs/main/008970.php

Thought of the Day: To Get Service Give Service!

Sounds a bit like the Golden Rule—and I guess it is. This is obvious: If I treat EVERY service provider as my CUSTOMER (even when they are having a bad day) ... then I radically increase the odds of getting good-great service from my "customer." This notion is a first-class "Duh," but it struck me anew yesterday. I went into an electronics shop and badly needed help. The only clerk in the store is in no danger of winning the "employee of the month" award. Yet I showered him with love & affection, as it were, and got an unfair share of his time-attention; in the end he offered pretty damn good advice. (Moreover I didn't let the little prick ruin MY day! And he actually wasn't a L.P., he was mostly left holding the bag by his manager—perhaps a B.P.)

Hence my "golden rule" du jour: My service provider is my customer. To get good service give good service to those who service you.

As I said: Duh!

Posted by Tom Peters

Source: http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?rss=1¬e=http://www.tompeters.com/blogs/main/008971.php

...One more time!

When did we decide that it was no longer rude to ask a guest if they required change when paying their bill with cash? My response is always..."yes, and all of it too please!"

BTW, get rid of those tip jars near your cash register too!

Get out of jail free card?

If I am accosted by one more server who greets my table with "Hey Guys!" or "(insert anything here, followed by..) Guys!". I'm gonna need someone to post my bail!

WOW Server! Goofball manager!

Had a really great experience last week. Service was absolutely awesome! Food was great! Then our time together enjoying the experience was ruined by the floor manager constantly interrupting every 30 minutes just to get his table visits in!

I finally told him that his server was doing a great job and that is wasn't necessary to keep interrupting every so often just to get those table visits in. Besides, I had heard him talk to the table next to us and the one after and recommended to him that saying the same thing to each guest just to be able to say you talked to every table was counterproductive.

Read your guests and use common sense when interacting with them. If I had as great a server as this manager did, I would stay the heck out of his section unless he needed something! Let your service pros do their job! Especially if they are much better at it than you are!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Hey Friends!

Just a note to let you know that we are back from our first vacation in 2 years and you will start to once again see my postings about every issue concerning our businesses on the website as well as each blog.

I have a ton of articles, information and downloads to share with you so check back daily – or better yet sign up to receive my posts via email!

I hope you are all enjoying increasing success!

Jeffrey

BDs chain solicits guest feedback with electronic comment cards

Excerpt:"Wright added that although it was difficult to measure the direct impact of the electronic surveys, the real-time access to detailed server and restaurant performance information provided by the system is paving the way for enhanced service.

"Servers, grill staff and managers know they are accountable for their performance, and they act on that," he said. "Just as significantly, we can praise employees as well as coach them on a more individual level to address certain issues. For example, if we see from a report that a server isn't consistently offering dessert before dropping the check or that grill staff aren't interacting with customers, we can ask why and try to change these behaviors."

Sources at BD's said the chain was benefiting from a programmable "alert" feature in The Informant system. That capability means that managers are notified immediately whenever a guest indicates in the electronic survey that he or she does not plan to patronize the operation again or has never dined there before. Notification is made through a wireless radio paging system.

"The alert affords managers a chance to go to first-timers' tables to establish real rapport with them and give them an extra nudge to come back," Wright said. "And when there's a problem, we can address it right there, hopefully salvaging the customer and the relationship"

Source: "BD's chain solicits guest feedback with electronic comment cards" by Julie Ritzer Ross (Nation's Restaurant News, May 9,2006)

WOM's economic effect

This from Steve Hershberger.

Reicheld correctly segments 'good profits' and 'bad profits'. Good profits are generated when a brand is in alignment with its best customers. If a brand stays in synch with what its best customers are seeking, constantly improving...in real time...incrementally based on their feedback, the brand can essentially draft of the inertia created by these customers in the marketplace and amazing things happen. Southwest, Apple, Enterprise, Jet Blue, BMW and a number of other brands that get it. News Flash: Most brands don't and some, believe it or not, don't really care. Why don't they? Because they see Wall Street as their customer, not you and me. Because they don't care, they suffer and the cost of doing business actually rises. They can suffer like WorldCom, Enron, etc. or they can struggle mightily to keep customers from leaving daily and for every customer's dollar like GM, AOL and United Air Lines.

Here's an example of what I mean. A good friend of mine in the town in which I live runs a very successful small business. We were having a drink and this entrepreneur was tearing apart his bank...loudly. Here's the situation. The business employs about 35 people around the state, has well over a million dollars sitting in a retained earnings account at the bank, in addition this executive runs about 200k a month through the bank, uses their bonding service, has a six figure line of credit, etc. My friend also has the family's accounts at the bank. This executive is very financially minded and requires essentially zero of the bank's attention and this person has referred at least half a dozen like executives to the bank unprompted.

Never mind the fact that this executive has never received a thank you for the business or referrals, the executive asked the bank for a couple hundred dollar contribution to a local charity. The bank said no. Furthermore, the executive had run a check from a seldom used account reserved for certain 1099 temp worker vendors. A dozen and a half checks, each for about $300 each were written totaling about $5,400.00. The executive had $10,000.00 transferred into that account at about 1pm by an assistant. The temp workers cashed their checks the same day as the transfer. The next day he got a notice from the bank for $900 in overdraft fees. Needless to say the executive was enraged. During our time together, he told his story and influenced maybe a dozen people at the place we met. Most well-heeled people who simply shook their heads and said, "What rotten service". Others said, "Hey that happened to me once."

A couple of day's later; I called my friend and asked him how things were going. He told me that he had called everyone he had recommended to the bank and indicated that if they were also unhappy to move. He had found a new bank that 'got' service. For those that did move, he'd take everyone out to dinner so that they could collectively celebrate better service.
I asked how much that might cost the bank. Pausing, the response was "North of 50 million if everybody moves." That is a big hit for a bank. All because of a short sighted desire to reap $900 bucks.

Somebody in this bank's corporate suite is going to see a spreadsheet with a big blip on it and ask what the hell happened and a junior executive will have a nice answer that has little to nothing to do with the truth. Know what? This will happen again and this bank will always have to work harder than it has to to make an acceptable profit.
Advocates can also be detractors. Economies big and small ARE impacted by what these people can and will do.


Source: http://evangelisteffect.typepad.com/womu/2006/05/post_script_wom.html

Are You Being Creepy?

This guy was, trying to be unusually nice and creating an awkward situation in the process.
But those types of situations aren't exclusive to restaurant help.

Crossing professional and personal lines when you see guests away from work.

Being "too personal" in the way you try to connect with your guests.

Asking personal questions when making small talk which could be viewed as being "none of your business".

Those are the little things that can turn an otherwise promising business relationship upside down.

Source: http://www.landingthedeal.com/2006/05/are_you_being_creepy.html

Service Tip #1

Tip #1: Building new habits requires planning.
It happens to each of us. We participate in training; get all excited about using the new skills we learned, but then stay in our old habits. Why is that?

Here is a list of common reasons why people forget to apply the service skills that they’ve learned. Look for one or two that apply most often in your situation.

Reasons People Forget to Use New Skills

· I become distracted by administrative tasks and responsibilities.
· I can overhear my co-workers talking, which distracts me.
· I let a customer’s behavior pull me into a less than helpful frame of mind.
· I find it difficult to move on from my last customer interaction.
· I’m expected to begin all of my service interactions in the same way, so I fall into a routine.
· I get preoccupied with issues outside of work.
· I’m tired at certain times of the day.

Now, write down at least two actions you can take to overcome these obstacles and ensure you use your new service skills with each customer.

Is Everything OK?

Is your restaurant striving for OK?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But it happens every day in foodservice operations around the world. It is a pet peeve of mine when a manager comes striding to my table and asks the inane question, "Is everything OK?"

What's wrong with this picture, you ask? Hmm, let me see...

Everything? Is the manager asking if I am satisfied with the political, economic, ecological and sociological status of humanity? Or maybe the manager thought that I was about to burst out crying and was attempting to offer help?

What about the word OK?

By definition OK means the minimum acceptable level. I doubt seriously if the mission of any restaurant is to strive for the minimum level of customer service! So when the eager manager excitedly receives the expected "yes", knee-jerk answer to the knee-jerk question, the manager goes away pleased. But should the manager be pleased?

I think not.

I don't blame the manager. He or she was trained that way. Indeed, it was probably pounded into him or her to visit every table. 100% table visitation. Asking everyone in the restaurant if "Everything is OK" is like a prime directive in most restaurant chains.

What's so wrong with wanting to get the opinions of all your customers?

First of all, when you ask 'Is everything OK', you're not giving the customer an opening to respond. Instead, it becomes a formality, like the greeting of "How are you?" You don't really expect an answer, except for the polite "Fine".

Of course, visiting every table in most restaurants doesn't give you any time to actually stop and listen to the customers! By running around and asking "Is Everything OK?" you can quantify the experience, and give yourself a false sense of accomplishment by making your 100% table visitations.

It is like the owner of a hotel demanding that the hotel manager keep the hotel full. All the hotel manager has to do is keep reducing the price of the room until the owner's results are accomplished. Never mind that the hotel is losing money. It may be full now, but it sure won't be around for long.

Don't get me wrong; the concept of customer feedback is right, but the execution and results are dangerously wrong. By getting a stock response from a hastily asked question, you've learned nothing about the customer's experience that night. And what if everything actually WAS just "OK"? In today's market, will a so-so "OK" experience guarantee that the customer will come back? Of course it will not..

Here are four rules to follow when asking about your customer's perceptions of your service:

1. Allow time to listen, don't just go through the formality of asking.
2. Ask specific questions, not general, sweeping statements.
3. Use a superlative that you want to be identified with to the customer. Was your service excellent? Fantastic? Outrageous? Set your sights high not low. Never OK.
4. The quality of the effort is worth far more than the quantity of effort.

It's time that the hallowed expression "Is everything OK?" was finally laid to rest.