BarServ Blog and Podcast

A quick thought on customer service... Have you recently needed to contact your credit card company's customer service department?  I've found the challenge is not so much getting a real person on the phone (they've become much better at this as of late), but finding exactly how to contact them in the first place!  My statement lists a mailing address and a Web site, but that's about it.  How about a direct line to customer service?  Or maybe an email?  It's frustrating when I need answers now, not in 3 to 5 business days.  When phone numbers are listed, they often allow me to check my balance via an automated system but not speak with customer service.

Lesson here is be available to your customers as many ways as possible, chiefly in person.  Ever been to a restaurant where you ask to meet the executive chef or owner and you're told they are from out of state?  More than likely, not quite the answer you had hoped for.  I recommend you set up a phone number and email address just for customers to reach you and then encourage them to do so.  They'll appreciate the personal touch and find that you're available, not missing in action.

Cheers!

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ Mystery Shopping Services
www.barserv.com

Apple and AT&T seem a bit unprepared for the rush of iPhone customers rushing to purchase and activate phones:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/02/iphone.ap/index.html

With all the hype surrounding the iPhone, I was almost ready to jump ship from Verizon just to have the latest hot gadget.  I'm so glad I didn't.  I can't imagine shelling out $500+ AND standing in line for hours upon hours and then going through the frustration of my phone not working for two days.  AT&T can spin it however they like, there's no excuse for not being prepared to deliver not only a cool device but the customer service that should come along with it.

Do you remember the last time you received something for nothing?  It happened to me today.  Click on my podcast and listen to the details. 

 Kudos to Doug and the team at Capitol Motorsports in Austin Texas.  I found a beautiful car on eBay listed by them and was skeptical about purchasing from a small dealership.  It was by far one of the quickest and easiest car buying experiences I've ever had.  If you're in the market, regardless of location, I strongly encourage you to look these guys up:

http://www.bestaustincars.com/

Great job guys and big thanks!

Customer service is often about being resourceful and using initiative to make things happen.  Here's an interesting scenario I recently encountered at a local Albertson's store/Bank of America branch.

I needed to make an ATM deposit on a Sunday, but the Bank of America ATM didn't have any envelopes.  I went to Albertson's customer service to ask for one.  Turns out the person in front of me in line, and the person behind me, were also requesting some.  The woman working the counter, who was nice as could be, said, "Nope, sorry.. we just don't have any," to all of us.  Now you're probably thinking, "Don't grocery stores carry envelopes?" Yep, they sure do.  And I went and bought a box of 50 for $1.50, made my deposit and left the box on top of the ATM for the other customers.  Why couldn't the Albertson's customer service attendant have done this?  I have no idea, but she didn't.  Albertson's often gets my business because of the Bank of America banking center located in the store.  Surely it's worth it to them to donate a box of envelopes or two at cost to keep my business.

Be a resourceful business owner!  There's always a way if you think on your feet. 

As of April 30, 2007 @ 3:50 p.m., the CI Host server that hosts BarServ.com and SHOPNet is down for emergency maintenance.  We have called CI Host and expect service to continue by 4:30 p.m.

Am I the only one that is driven totally insane by the self-check machines at Kroger?  I use these quite often at other stores and don't seem to have any problems. It's not so much the machines as it is the assistance I receive from the Kroger employee that monitors them... which is minimal at best.  Just venting today but MAN!  Get it together, Kroger!

We're excited to announce our client access module has been launched and is up and running smoothly.  BarServ's partners can now login via BarServ.com with a unique username and password to access reports.  Once inside, our partners can review, print and download reports.  This also provides an easy, one-stop for partners to access all archived reports for their establishments.

BarServ is committed to providing the best customer service to our partners and will continue to develop additional tools to enhance our proprietary products.

Chance and I drove to Key West and back today and had a great experience at Porky's Bayside Restaurant on Marathon Key.  Porky's is a little BBQ place that looks like it's right out of a Florida Key's postcard.  Greenhouse roofing, old tattered pirate flags on the ceiling and beer promo posters that are attached to the walls with packing tape.  Exactly what we were hoping to find on our journey.

What we didn't expect to find was the outstanding service.  A polite, well-spoken young man was our server who made suggestions, called my wife "Miss", volunteered to take our picture (twice!), used my name when delivering my credit card and gave us continued service even after we had paid out.  A memorable experience to say the very least.  So, guess where we'll go back to when we make that trip again?  Important to note: Porky's has no "walls" per se.  It's just open air and shares space with a charter-for-hire fishing tour company.  It has maybe 20 tables, with additional room for guests along the rail overlooking the charter boats.  We only saw two servers total and there was no sign of management.  Even McDonalds would be considered a more established, refined experience.  So, if Porky's Bayside can pull off a service homerun like this, all excuses have been pulled from the table in my opinion.    How does your business measure up?

I've harped on the 'little extras' before and how important they can be.  The Sagamore Hotel, where my wife and I are staying in South Beach, is definitely headed in the right direction when it comes to those little extras and they're discovering what an impact they can have.  As if the hotel wasn't unique enough already, they are making a conscious effort to set themselves apart from the pack.

Over the course of six hours at poolside yesterday, we were provided with samples of frozen cappucino, strawberry smoothies and raspberry iced tea by a female server.  Another server also brought out a tray of oversized washcloths that had been soaked in cold water and then topped with ice.  These were handed out poolside and the guests raved about them, and I promise you they'd continue to do so even after their stay was over.  Great job Sagamore!

Today's holy grail in marketing and customer service is word-of-mouth.  What your customers take away from their experience with your business is everything. Those customers now have a much bigger voice than they did just a few years back.  I believe the rule of "a customer will tell 10 friends" about their experience is expired.  When was this rule written? 1999?  Considering the power of the blogosphere, the sheer volume of traffic on networking sites such as MySpace and YouTube and the ability of people to self publish, you should be shaking in your shoes.  Customers can now tell thousands of people about their experiences with a few key strokes and you can no longer afford to hide behind the curtain of "par service".  You need to be excellent, and I know that many of you already are.

I'd like to share an experience that illustrates exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to the tired and expired "Tell 10" rule.  My company is on MySpace and I frequently get messages from people who just need to vent.  My buddy Danny, a friend since high-school, recently wrote about an experience at AMC movie theatres in Grapevine, TX.

Can you believe it?  Is a simple bag of candy really worth all that trouble?  Danny had every right to be irritated.  How does this make you feel?  If you're like me, you probably sympathize with Danny and, at least for now, don't have lovey huggy feelings towards AMC. 

Here's the bigger picture: Danny posted this comment on MySpace, the largest social networking site in the world.  And AMC, being a national chain, could suffer much damage from this one comment.  The game has changed and it's not okay to have a bad day, or treat a customer poorly, or stand up on principal based on a bag of candy.  Keep this in mind always because Danny may be the next customer to walk into your place of business.  He cared enough to write to me about it, so do you care enough to make sure he writes good things about you rather than complaints?  And remember, there's not just one Danny, there are 2 million + Dannys out there who have this power and also the power of choice.  Take your customers' complaints seriously.  They only want you to improve, as do I.

Many readers of the BarServ blog are in the service industry, more specifically restaurants and bars.  BarServ encourages its partners to send managers to every table for a customer "touch". 

I'm curious to know what you all think of retailers using this same type of method.  Wouldn't it be interesting to be approached by a manager at Best Buy during your time there... not to sell you something but just to ask how you like the Best Buy experience, to find if there is anything you would need.  It seems like this would assist with customer retention and brand reinforcement.

I have been approached by Target employees while browsing merchandise.  They asked if I'd like to sign up for a Target credit card to save an additional 20% on my purchases for the day.  I must admit, this was a big turn off and I did not like being 'stalked' while looking for mens' dress shirts.  But if a manager had approached me and asked, "So, how do you like my store?" it would have been different.  Ownership of the experience by the management is a big plus to me. 

Take a moment and think about the last five experiences you have had at a 24 hour breakfast-type restaurant such as Denny's and IHOP.  If they are anything like mine, they are less than stellar.  Quick, impersonal and not memorable.  I'm happy to report my experience at IHOP today was quite the opposite and there is much to be learned from it.  It had what I like to call "POP," the Power of Personality.

We visited IHOP on Carrier Parkway and I-20 in Grand Prairie (I seem to write a lot about businesses in this area) and were impressed from the moment we pulled up.  We were greeted by Breecy, a tall server with glasses, with one of the most unique greetings I've heard in sometime: "Welcome to the International House of Pancakes (Yes... he said the actual name, rather than the abbreviation!), where we do indeed have pancakes and they are indeed international!"  All this with a smile and personality! We were instantly set into a great mood and commented how that was probably one of the nicest and most personable greetings we had received at any restaurant.  Great job, Breecy!

Rachael was our server and was very well put together.  She appeared like a server you'd see on a commercial for IHOP.  Professional, well dressed in full uniform, friendly, big smile, attentive and, again, personality! What a novel concept.  She took very good care of us, made suggestions on the menu and upsold us with sides.  Great job, Rachael!

The manager, Adam, was busy too.  We observed him making table visits, working the front desk, seating patrons and cleaning the front glass of the restaurant. He thanked us by name and asked us to come back.  We made sure to tell Adam what a great job he did and that it was by far the best experience we had ever had at IHOP. 

So, what's really happening here?  The pancakes, tables, coffee, environment and menus were all the same as any other experience at IHOP.  As a matter of fact, we visited Denny's on Feb. 28th and ordered an almost identical meal.  People were the big difference here.  Adam, if he was the one who did the hiring, did a fantastic job of choosing his staff.  This team was on it! The basic steps of service were in place and they went the extra mile to make it stand out.  Denny's yesterday also hit the basic steps of service but personalities were absolutely flat.  It was boring at best.  IHOP today was quite the opposite: A cheery, memorable experience that I'm sure to tell someone about.  Actually, I guess I just told all of you about it, and word of mouth is a powerful thing.

Preach the "Power of Personality" or POP to your employees.  That "POP" is an important part of making a memorable experience for your customers.  We will go out of our way to visit that IHOP location again.

Bank of America has announced it is offering credit to illegal aliens.  Now, I'm new to this debate and don't claim by any means to be an expert.  There is a debate within a blog I recently read that talks all about it.  My inital opinion is that I don't like what BoA is doing, and being a BoA account holder for over 10 years I'm seriously considering moving my accounts... after more research of course.

What I do think is interesting about this is the lack of pro-active PR by BoA.  There is a firestorm of blog activity about this 'pilot program' and public opinion is free-falling with no word from BoA.  Try looking for a press release on the BoA Web site.  I looked and couldn't find anything.  If anyone has a lead on where I could find such a release I'd love to see it.

So, BoA is offering credit to "aliens" but seems to be "alientating" its customer base.  Shouldn't I be receiving some sort of statement from BoA in the mail concerning their positioning on the issue?  Do they value this new opportunity more than they value me as a customer?  Where's the love?  I'm definitely not feeling it and I've emailed BoA customer service to let them know just that.

Maybe this type of program would fly in Mexico proper.  I don't know if BoA does business there, but it seems like the right place for this kind of program.  But to offer this here in the US when illegal immigration is such a hot topic is not a very wise customer service-based decision.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ Mystery Shopping Services

I can't believe it's taken this long for the airlines to wake up and smell the customer service coffee.  Only with the threat of government regulation do they begin to budge from their "my way or the highway" mentalities.  Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman posted a statement this week on the Jet Blue Web site as well as on YouTube (quite techy of him, don't you think?) saying the following:

"For customers who experience a Ground Delay for more than 5 hours, JetBlue will take necessary action so that customers may deplane. JetBlue will also provide customers experiencing a Ground Delay with food and drink, access to restrooms and, as necessary, medical treatment."

Mr. Neeleman has done a good job of getting involved and spreading the word.  But, his efforts and this statement only address half the issue in my opinion.  Five hours?  Still excessive.  I appreciate the promise of food, drink and restrooms, which I expect to receive regardless of if those rights are inside a bill of rights document, but five hours on the tarmac before it's deemed as too long?  Three is enough for me and I'm at my limit.

When observing the overall situation, isn't it crazy that only after a few stories get national headlines and the government takes notice that finally something is being done?  Logic tells me that there have been countless complaint letters addressing these long delays on the tarmac for years now, but the airlines have turned a cold shoulder to them.  How can any high-end airline executive sit in his office and think it's okay to have someone trapped in a grounded plane for 11 hours and not do anything about it?  Wouldn't it have been much more commendable if they had come out and done this voluntarily two years ago?  Remember, even though they tell you they are doing this voluntarily, it's not so.  It's just like a baseball manager who is doing a terrible job and is given the option to 'retire' versus being fired.  There's a PR angle behind almost everything.

Another business recently bowed to consumer complaints and government regulation.  The quick-loan industry has suddenly become ethical with the creation of a payday loan council to advise consumers on wise use of these services.  Just as in the case with the airlines, no one wants new rules from the government concerning their industry, and they'll wiggle as much as they can to avoid it.

Although these are examples of how to invite a PR crisis, there is a lesson to be learned here.  Are there areas of opportunity in your own business where you could better serve the customer before reaching the PR nightmare stage?  I'll admit, there are opportunities where I could do so in my own business, but they aren't always as high on my priority list as they should be.  'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' only applies in so many situations and customer service is not one of those.  Your customers are your life-blood and are not to be taken lightly.  Think proactively.  My father always had written somewhere on his desk, 'Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance'.  The 5-P Theory.  Jet Blue, American Airlines, and the payday loan boys did not plan ahead and are now suffering the consequences.  Learn from their mistakes and you'll be leaps and bounds in front of your competitors.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ Mystery Shopping Services

Amazing what employees on the front lines will say, even when interacting with customers.

I visited Target on Carrier Parkway and I-20 in Grand Prairie yesterday to return a faulty DVD player.  I approached the counter after hearing "Next!" called by the woman working the customer service area.  I placed my box on the counter, handed the woman the receipt and was promptly ignored.  As she held the receipt, she looked to another woman who worked there and said, among other indiscernible grumblings:

-"No one had better write me up for nothin'.  I didn't do nothin'"
-"I don't need this job"
-"They know I'm only here until I can find something better"
-"Who wrote me up?  I better not find out who did that"
-"I never checked out the keys.  Someone must have written my name in there"
-"She (the supervisor) doesn't know what she's talking about"

I stood there for at least a full minute while she carried on about getting written up for something having to do with checking out keys.  She then turned her attention to my transaction but continued to grumble under her voice about the supervisor.  So as the customer and based on what I heard, I can now assume Target management is incompetent, Target jobs are not valuable, employees have grudges against Target management, Target has a checkout system for keys that does not work effectively (good to know if I'm the criminal type), and one of the supervisors is an idiot.  Is this the type of impression I should be given when visiting, of all places, the customer service counter?

I choose Target over Wal-Mart for a reason.  I've dealt with Target enough to know their customer service is excellent, so this seems to be a staff training issue.  I'd like to hear from anyone else via the comments section who has had an experience similar to this

As of 1:47 p.m. CST, BarServ.com and SHOPNet are back up and running.  CI Host said it was some type of DNS registry error.  Sorry for the inconvenience everyone!

As of 12:22 p.m. CST, BarServ.com is experiencing a service outage.  We have contacted our hosting provider, CI Host, and they are currently tracking the problem.  More updates to follow soon and thank you for your patience.

I experienced the epitome of inattentive service today during my visit to the Kroger grocery store near my home in Grand Prairie, Texas. I've blogged previously about how there's nothing more frustrating thatn needing assistance and you can't get to, or can't find, the person that provides that assistance. 

It was early this a.m. and I needed to pick some things up for my wife's office and I was really in a rush.  I decided to use the self-checkout lane and scanned my first item.  A message appeared telling me to wait for cashier assistance.  I looked around, but no one was there at the self-checkout station.  I waited probably one minute before flagging down a bag boy and asking for help.  He got on the intercom and paged for someone to help.

Thirty seconds more go by and finally in walks the woman who is supposed to be supervising the self-checkout area... from outside the store!  She had been outside smoking, which was evident from the smell of cigarette smoke on her clothing.  She cleared the error from my station and I was able to continue my checkout.  No apology, not even a sense of urgency.  Needless to say, I was not happy with my experience at Kroger today.

As a consumer I have many choices when it comes to buying the things I need.  This is a small incident, but it may be enough to drive me to another grocery store in the area.  There are probably 5 to choose from in a 5 mile radius.  I expect attentive, courteous service and to find the help I need when I need it.

Think about this in your own business... were you accessible to your customers today?  Were you there when they had a question or needed assistance?  Did you return their email or phone calls within 1 business day?  Don't let your customers think you're outside smoking when they need you most.

I recently joined LinkedIn for business networking purposes.  What a great site!  I can't believe how much powerful information is shared there and better yet, for free!  If you're a user of LinkedIn, please feel free to look me up and add me as a connection so we can share contacts. A cool feature on LinkedIn is the Q&A section.  I was able to publicly post the following question:

"What is your biggest challenge when providing and maintaining a high level of customer service?"

One of the responses was from Kimon Andreou, an IT portfolio manager at Royal Caribbean Cruises.  Kimon replied:

"To the customer, practically everything is a high priority request. But, there are resource constraints, compliance issues, etc. that they don't (and shouldn't) care about and it's my job to make everything so transparent and streamlined that they don't notice."

So true!  Transparency is a prime concept of excellent customer service.  Just like magic, at least from the customer's POV, everything seems to fall into place.  Less worries, less hassle and more results.  I deliver shopping reports to each of BarServ's partners each month.  My partners probably don't care much about cancellations, shoppers not following through with assignments, inaccuracies or missed details.  All they really care about is reports delivered to them that contain usable information on how they can improve customer service. 

What magic can you start working behind the scenes?  Think of creative ways to improve the customer experience and make it smoother and more enjoyable will improve your standing with your customers.   If this is done little by little, you will convert your customers to loyal customers and raving fans.  This reminds me of The Tipping Point, a book I Podcasted about last year.  Keep making little adjustments and you're sure to succeed.

One of my favorite movies is BladeRunner, a future-based sci-fi thriller released in 1982 starring Harrison Ford.  One of the components of the film focuses on the idea that scientists will one day manufacture human beings strictly by using synthetic parts.   One such scientist, a specialist in creating synthetic eyes, is confronted by the bad guys, who ponder aloud, "If we could only see what's been seen through your eyes." 

That's quite a few eyes, at least in the movie, and also quite a few different perceptions.  This really got me to thinking.  We've all heard the cliche, "Perception is everything," so let's take a moment to contemplate how perception impacts your business.

How do you think your customers would rank your business if they were asked the following: "What company is the best (Insert your industry here) company in town?"

Of course you're hoping for positive response.  You'd like to think your office supply store, gas station, restaurant or retail store is the town favorite.  You probably hear comments often on what a great job you're doing (and I'm sure you are!), but remember this is a very, very small number of people compared to everyone in your city who knows you're around. You want to be viewed in a positive light by more than just those people with whom you do business. There are plenty of people who don't use your services and pass by your location everyday.  Regardless if they are your customer or not, they all have perceptions.  And to be successful in business, you strive to build positive perceptions and loyal customers.  The BarServ 3V Pyramid(tm) is how you can harness customer perception and reach those ripe, potential customers who may be teetering on the edge of doing business with you, but just need a little push.  We'll cover the 3V Pyramid, but let me first share something interesting I read in the Wall Street Journal this morning.

The Journal reported that respondents to a recent poll felt Microsoft (yes, Microsoft!) had the best company reputation versus 60 other large companies for 2006.  Honestly, I had to read the article twice.  Microsoft?  This is the same Microsoft that just a short while ago admitted to having paid a blogger to alter entries on the community-based online dictionary site, Wikipedia.  The same Microsoft that launched and (although not admittedly) crashed with their Zune music player.  Big, bad Microsoft, who was embroiled in anti-trust litigation for years, is now ranked number one in corporate reputation by this poll.  Other companies that you'd think would rank higher did surprisingly poorly: Disney (13), Apple (22), and Starbucks (28).  So how did Microsoft pull it off?  I think you need only look to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to find the answer.  Their charitable foundation has received buku press this past year, especially when partnering with Warren Buffet.  When you start talking billions of dollars, people sit up and take notice. 

Bill Gates, without realizing it I'm sure, harnessed steps similar to the BarServ 3V Pyramid (3VP).  The 3VP, pictured above, has three levels: View, eValuation and Vote. 

"View" encompasses the bottom or the base of the 3VP.  This represents how people see your business.  This is the face of your operation.  Marketing and branding, appearance of your storefront, how you present yourself, how you interact with customers and your over all look are all part of View.

"eValuation" is the middle portion of the 3VP.  This represents how people think about your business once they've had an opportunity to View you.  They eValuate everything they know about you and mull it over.  This could take less than a millisecond or more than a few years.  Everyday, your company is being subject to eValuation.

"Vote" sits at the top of the 3VP.  This represents action, or what happens when your customers have already had an opportunity to View and eValuate your business.  These customers Vote by choosing whether or not to do business with you.

Most business owners have View and Vote covered.  They put some sort of marketing plan together, launch it to the world and then wait for the customer to Vote.  These businesses are missing a crucial step in the customer perception process: eValuation. 

Bill Gates influenced people by becoming a leading philanthropist and partnering with a high-profile donor.  This move made such an impact that the outcome of the eValuation process was a Vote in Gates' (and in this case, Microsoft's) favor.  Other companies listed in The Journal article executed similar influences.  Sears did so through sponsorship of ABC's Extreme Home Makeover. Whole Foods made an effort to become more socially and environmentally conscious.  All these companies harnessed the eValuation portion of the 3VP and reaped the dividends.

How can you harness the 3VP for your own business?  Is there an opportunity to become more involved in your community?  Can you make a difference outside the scope of your everyday operations?  What can you do to raise visibility and awareness of your company within the groups who don't know you exist?  Or maybe they do know you exist, but don't have anything other than their initial View by which to judge and ultimately Vote?  Take action while you have the opportunity, and then once they Vote in your favor, knock their socks off with killer customer service. 

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

BarServ News:
BarServ Launches SHOPNet(tm) 2.0

Today is an exciting day!  BarServ has launched the newest version of its mystery shopper management system, SHOPNet 2.0.  BarServ Insight Shoppers will notice quite a few differences in the look and feel of the new system.  We felt it was important to assess our previous system and make the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

The new system has a cleaner look, is easier to navigate and puts more inormation on one screen.  it also has powerful new features that were unavailable in the previous version.  If you are one of our valued Insight Shoppers, please login to www.barserv.com and take a look around!  We think you'll like what you see.

My wife and I recently had our first experience with Costco.  My Mom swears by the warehouse retailer and its good customer service.  So much so that I'm surprised she's not the spokesperson for the entire chain.  Whenever I speak with her on the phone, it's predictably, "George, guess what I got at Costco?"  It's so predictable that it has become an inside joke with our family.  So, if Mom says it's good, it's gotta be... And indeed it was.

We visited our local Costco around 6:30 p.m. on a Thursday night, high traffic time I suppose considering everyone's getting off work and hitting the grocery stores.  The greeter directed us to the membership desk, where a woman was working solo, processing the only other person in line before us.  I observed her as she worked.  She was quick on her feet, smiling and asking the couple she was assisting how their evening was going.  Small talk, but friendly.  She worked quickly, taking their pictures and processing their new membership cards.  After a friendly "Thank you" they were on their way and we were up to bat.  Remember, just that couple and us were in line at this point.

She then began helping us and seemed to be stepping up the pace.  While we filled out our application, she picked up her radio and asked for assistance at the desk.  I turned to look behind us and saw no less than 15 people in line!  This was the desk for new members as well as returns.  The woman continued to work quickly, asking the woman behind us to begin filling out a return form and also having the man behind her fill out a new member form.  She asked how our evening was, smiled and called again on her radio for assistance.  Completely cool, calm, friendly and efficient.  Help eventually arrived and she didn't once lose that smile. 

What a fantastic attitude! I admired her spirit and thought it was a great "gatekeeper" experience.  Gatekeepers include receptionists, phone operators, valets, hostesses, membership coordinators and sales associates to name a few.  These gatekeepers can make or break your business as they set the bar for the customer experience.

I remember bartending on Friday and Saturday nights and thinking "If I look busy, stay straight-faced and sweat a lot, customers will be more patient with me.  They'll understand I'm working hard."  Looking back on those days I wish I had been more like the woman at Costco.  I knew she was working hard, but was still very friendly and didn't let us see her sweat.  The attitude was the key.  She had it together and we looked forward to a great customer service experience at Costco. 

Questions to consider:
-Who are your gatekeepers?
-Are these gatekeepers the right personnel for the job? 
-Are there others in your organization who would better fit the job?
-What kind of expectations are they setting for your customers?
-Have you trained them to have great attitudes, not to just work hard and get the job done?
-Do you continue to train them each day for excellence?

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

Today, I'd like you to quit your job.  All of you.  Are you in sales?  Hang up the towel.  Are you in marketing?  Put in your notice.  Are you a C-level executive guiding your company day to day? It's your last day on the job.  The good news?  I'm hiring each and every one of you.  And if you have friends or colleagues who you think will be a good fit for our team, please ask them to join us.  I want to hire them too.  You, me and all of your associates are going into an exciting and growing industry and we are about to hit it BIG!  We're going into the construction business.

How did you start your day today?  If you're a professional, you probably showed up at your desk, turned on your computer, and then checked your email and voicemail.  You made a list of people to call back, did so and then chucked the list.  Then, you emailed back everyone who emailed you.  Nothing groundbreaking... it's the same thing you did yesterday.  But, you and I are in partnership in our new business, and we're going to do things a bit differently here at our company. 

Tomorrow, when you show up at your desk, write the list of people to call back.  Call them back just as you did before, but this time keep the list.  Then email back everyone that emailed you, but this time add their names to your voicemail list.  I would be willing to wager you have compiled a list of people, both co-workers and clients that you work closely with on a daily basis.  Congratulations!  You have just written the first blueprint for our new construction company.  And as any construction executive knows, you can't build a building without a blueprint. 

Next step?  Let's get to constructing.  But instead of constructing an office building or skyscraper, we're going to construct solid professional relationships on a foundation of excellent customer service.  Using a box of personal stationery (not company letterhead) write a quick note to each person on your list, something less than 10 lines.  If you don't have stationery, go get it.  No excuses here at our new firm.  Tell your co-workers you appreciate them and the hard work they do each day.  Thank your clients for doing business with you as well as your company and that you appreciate their loyalty.  Take a moment to let each person on your list know that you're looking out for them and you value your relationship. 

The above is a simple example of how the beginning of your day, the menial tasks that you probably value and look forward to the least, can still have a strong impact on how you are viewed in the business world from a customer service standpoint.  Wouldn't you agree that some of the most frustrating customer service experiences you've had personally are ones where you can't seem to reach the person you need at the moment?  It drives me crazy trying to find my server when I need a drink refill, or punching buttons repetitively to navigate a phone system and get to a real person.  My wife can attest that I'm not a nice person to be around at these moments.  I want to know that someone is there for me when I need them.

I encourage you to continue with your blueprint and really view your chosen profession as a construction business.  Stop walking on the same paths across the same piece of land where you've lived everyday of your professional career.  Build something new!  Build excellent customer service relationships and the business profits will follow.  Keep something on your desk that reminds you of this... a hammer, a screwdriver, a drill.... something that may be completely out of place in your profession (a doctor with a drill on their desk may be a bit extreme, but you get the point) and will remind you that we're all in business to be excellent builders.  

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

BarServ continues to make improvements to its proprietary intranet: SHOPNet and should have a new version ready to roll very soon.  Improvements include a dashboard view of all available unassigned mystery shopping opportunities, currently assigned mystery shopping opportunities and recently submitted reports all on one screen. 

We are also moving all our functionality to one server at CI Host.  We are currently split between two.  This merge will bring enhanced flow when working within SHOPNet and ease of use for all.  We analyze customer service on a daily basis and believe this new version of SHOPNet will improve ours as well.

Expect SHOPNet 2.0 to go live shortly.  Thank you for all of you who participate in BarServ's shopping program, both partners and shoppers alike.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

Those of you who stop in often know I'm a raving fan of Starbuck's.  I'm there at least 2-3 times a week, especially when I need a break from my home office and need to interact with people fact to face.

One such recent visit left me wondering "What are they thinking?"  I ordered my usual half decaf, half regular coffee (no foo-foo drinks for this guy!) and was told there was no coffee brewed.  The woman said it would be 5-10 minutes before it would be ready.  This struck me as strange... a coffee shop with no coffee?  Still, I was charged the usual $2 and waited. 

As I browsed merchandise and waited for my drink, I couldn't quite understand why I was charged for the coffee.  Is there anything less costly for Starbuck's to produce than a basic cup of Joe?  I'm a regular customer who occasionally purchases merchandise as well as food items and I definitely tell others about the good customer service I receive.  Even though I am a raving fan, I have quite a few other choices when it comes to my regular drink, and I did not feel that I was compensated for my time or inconvenience.  I mean come on... A Starbuck's without coffee?  Who'd have thunk it. In Starbuck's defense, I have run into this situation on rare occasion before and I was not charged for my coffee.  My expectations have been raised and this most recent customer service experience did not meet those expectations.

Allow me to provide you an example of how "Comping the Cheap Stuff" worked well for another brand, BMW.  My wife and I purchased one of their vehicles a few years back and I wanted a new key chain to go with it.  BMW offers a nice selection of premium key chains in various materials such as wood and metal on their Web site as well as at the dealers.  About a week after our car purchase, I went to Moritz BMW in Arlington in search of the key chain I wanted.  I told a sales associate I had recently purchased a vehicle here and inquired as to where I could find the key chains.  He said the store had already closed, but he asked me to wait for a moment.  He disappeared into a back room and quickly returned with a shining new key ring, one with the BMW symbol on one side and the dealership logo on the other, and said it was no charge.  He thanked me for my business (even though he was not the sales associate that we purchased from) and encouraged me to return the next day to find another key chain I liked.  Great job!

I had driven to the dealership with expectations of coming home with a new key chain and I was not disappointed.  It may not have been the exact one I wanted, but the sales associate went above and beyond to ensure I was a satisfied customer that day.

So, I encourage you to keep the Big Picture in mind when interacting with customers.  Is the focus point of the moment (the cup of coffee, the key chain, etc.) really the issue?  Probably not. The question you should be asking yourself is how you can harness that focus point to convert that customer into a loyal customer for life.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President 
BarServ

I received interesting input from one of my readers concerning the Cell-Fish Behavior post from last week.  Marc Schillinger of Indianapolis, IN wrote:


Great point Marc.  What exactly are you supposed to do if it's the guest on the phone?   There's a fine line between catering to the guest and correcting guest behavior.  I think you are approaching the situation correctly by refusing to take the order while the guest is on the phone.  The guest should know not to be on the phone in the first place, but it's not your job to teach him his manners.  I suggest you not approach the table at all, but make yourself available within your section.  If it's imperative that they order immediately regardless of the phone conversation, they will let you know.  Otherwise, give the guest their space and wait until the conversation is complete.  Then return and let them know you didn't want to interrupt.  This lets the guest know you are definitely up on your manners and that you respect them. 

Higher-end restaurants where the Per Person Average is upwards of $100 sometimes implement a "no phone" policy at the door, letting guests know that it is frowned upon to even consider using a cell phone at the table.  It is rumored that some movie theatres and other businesses where silence is golden have begun to place cell-phone screening technology in the walls and ceilings to interrupt incoming calls.  While I don't have any proof of this, I would be totally behind this type of system. 

Thanks for the comments Marc!

George W. Daye, III
President and Founder
BarServ

People love to make personal connections.  I much prefer to dine at restaurants where I still have contacts from my bartending days because it's easier for me to get the reservation times and tables that I want.  It also gives me peace of mind knowing I'm in good hands and that my every need will be addressed.  This same rule goes for where I get my haircut, where I purchase my vehicles, who I call for medical advice and where I pick up my dry cleaning.  All these business choices are based on relationships and who I identify with best.

This past weekend I discovered a little secret in Fort Worth.  From 1-3 p.m. every Saturday, the Rahr Brewery gives tours of their facility and free, yes FREE, beer to all that visit.  I mixed and mingled with 200+ of Rahr's loyal customer base and had a great time doing it.  Having lived in Fort Worth for six years previous to our recent move down the road to Grand Prairie, I'm not really sure how I didn't know about this.  But I promise I'll be back week after week.

Frederick William Rahr, Jr., owner of the brewery, is on-site, pulling beers for all that attend.  He's shaking hands, giving tours, meeting and greeting and building new raving fans right at the grass roots.  True, this is marketing first, but good marketing and good customer service go hand in hand.  Mr. Rahr takes care of his customers personally and builds that personal relationship that is so valuable in today's often sterile business landscape. 

So when you visit DFW, I encourage you to visit Rahr Brewery and see exactly how good customer service is executed, and to have a well-crafted pint of beer while you're at it.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

I'm not a big believer in luck.  Rather, I believe hard work and persistance are the drivers of success, and that those elements will often put you in the right place at the right time.  There are exceptions to those beliefs and last night was one of them.

My wife and I were watching a show on NBC around 9:30 p.m. when a notice came on and said "Texas Lotto tonight at 10 p.m.! $100+ million dollars up for grabs!"  It wasn't 2 minutes before I was on my way to the local 24-hour grocery store to but tickets.  I rarely buy lotto tickets, but this was one of those opportunities I couldn't pass up.  If you don't play, you can't win, and who knows? Maybe it's my lucky night.

I arrive at the grocery store and there are two young female employees standing near the front door.  Not a word from them as I passed by which is not unusual in a grocery store I suppose.  (Remember our previous conversation about expectations?)  I found the customer service desk where three hand-written signs said "Lotto not working", "Closed", and "No Lotto Tickets".  Okay, good way to get the message to me immediately and communicate with the customer.  I imagine they had become tired of answering questions when people did come in for tickets.

As I was leaving, I was going to ask one of the women in the front of the store where else I could go that was close.  I didn't have that opportunity, as I was disappointed to discover they were both chatting on their cell phones.  I didn't even get eye contact as I left the store.  Irritated, I found another lotto location and bought my tickets there.

If there is one thing that really burns me, really gets my customer service furnace fired up, it's employees talking on cell phones in view of customers or guests.  I make it a policy to not talk on my phone when I'm checking out in a grocery line or paying out in a drive thru window.  It's rude, not to mention distracting when you are needing to communicate with another person.  I expect that same courtesy in return.

If you don't have a "No Phone" policy in your place of business, I strongly encourage you to put one in place.  I'm speaking specifically to businesses where employees have high exposure to  customers or guests.  An office environment is different.  Phones can still be a distraction here but only in meetings or when your staff needs to interact with each other.  Either way, your business should have some type of phone policy in-place and make it stick.

When I returned home with fifteen lotto tickets in hand for the big 10 p.m. drawing, I just KNEW one of them was the big winner.  I could feel it!  Well, I guess my feelings were wrong since not one turned out to be said winner.  Hopefully, I'll have better luck next time as well as better customer service.

George W. Daye III
Founder and President
BarServ

The key to excellent customer service is really a combination of two things: 1) Setting customer expectations and 2) Exceeding those expectations.  The cool thing about this formula is that you can be as wild and crazy in your methodology as you want to be.  It's your game, you make the rules and decide how the participants, in this case your customers, will play.  

 

There are truly no limits here.  Look at these pairings and see how brands and expectations go hand in hand:

 

Wal-Mart        :          Price

Target            :          Selection

BMW             :          Performance

Mercedes       :          Luxury

Google           :          Innovation

Volvo             :          Safety

Disney           :          Family

Oprah            :          Community/Women's issues

Trump            :          Success

 

 

Customers come to expect certain experiences from their favorite brands, and these expectations are no mistake.  Companies plan far in advance how they want to position themselves in the public eye and spend lots of money to drive that image home.  Everything they do is tied to branding.  This reinforces the brand and builds customer expectations.  So, using that thinking track, would you expect to go to Wal-Mart and find a Rolex watch?  Would you search for a budget-priced car at a Mercedes dealership?  How about watching Oprah to get the latest buzz on punk rock bands?  These expectations simply don't match the brands.  As a business owner you must tailor your brand very carefully, setting the expectations of your customers and then delivering on those expectations.  Again, and this is important, there is no limit on what you can do.

 

You may think, "Surely George, there are some limits.  It's not like I can treat my customers with disrespect and expect them to return�" 

Actually, you can.  And you can make them like it.

Chances are, if you live in Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Boston, Myrtle Beach or San Diego, you have heard of Dick's Last Resort.  Dick's is the prime example of setting customer expectations, as wild as they may be, and delivering with precision.  Dick's positions itself as a place to go and get insulted.  No, you're eyes are not deceiving you, they pride themselves on being dry, sarcastic and putting the guest on the butt end of a joke.  Servers are hired with wit and humor as a required skill.  The establishment makes no excuses and tells customers as they enter, "You've been warned!"  Servers verbally spar with guests.  Bartenders shoot insults at groups of women.  Itss your birthday? Forget about it! You're a prime target for whatever embarrassing attention the staff can shine onto you.  Dick's obviously still takes care of the guests as any other establishment would and do it well, otherwise they wouldn't have any business at all.  But, who hasn't watched one of those Friar's Club Roasts on Comedy Central and thought what fun it would be.  This is the magic of Dick's success: Insulting, but all in good fun.

I encourage you to find your own voice.  What messages are you sending to your guests, just as major brands do everyday, and what expectations are you setting?  Are you delivering on those expectations?  Be creative, be daring and determine what it is you want your company to be.  Anything goes.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
Barserv

 

The first of the year is often the time companies strategize budgets for the upcoming business cycle.  Deciding how much to spend on TV, radio, outdoor, newspaper and magazine advertising is a tricky trade, not to mention all the in-store marketing to go along with it.  Larger companies allocate millions of dollars to build and reinforce brands, and drive customer traffic. 

Chris Brown, President and owner of Marketing Resources & Results, Inc. Located in Northeast Ohio, said today that companies with less than $100 million in revenue allocate an average of 8.7% of their total budget for marketing.  For a small business, that's a fairly large chunk.  So how can you as a small business owner stretch that 8.7%? Increased revenue probably comes first to mind, and negotiating with media for placement premiums or frequency also hits high on the list.  As we all know, everything is negotiable.  When I worked in advertising, one of my clients often waited until the last minute to buy ink in a variety of magazines.  This was good for him but it drove me crazy, running around at the last minute to create ads.  This provided him with ads at a much-reduced rate in high-profile publications, but the placement was often horrible.  Not the best strategy.  So what else can you do? 

How about customer service? (insert light bulb flickering and turning on here!)

Customer service improvements are often free as can be.  Choosing one day to sit down and strategize a customer service plan will pay large dividends if done right.  Here are Ten Ways to Improve Customer Service in 2007 at little or no cost:

1. Encouraging more smiles.  Make it policy!
   
2. Everyone (yes, even the boss!) acknowledges customers who pass within 5 feet
3. Begin a hand-written thank you card program for recent guests or clients.  Key words here: Hand and Written
4. Build a mailing list to personally invite customers to special events
5. Shake more hands
6. Look customers in the eye and build trust
7. Tell customers thank you at least 10 times a day
8. Call customers when you don't need to and when they don't expect it
9. Remember names and use them often
10. Don't stay in your office.. Get out and get involved.  Be visible!

Build on these ideas for 2007 and explore where they lead you.  You and your team know much better than I what your customers expect, but definitely start there... "What do my customers expect?"  Think on that and then blow their socks off with customer service they never could have imagined.

George W. Daye, III
President and Founder
BarServ

Happy 2007!  BarServ rings in the New Year with a continuation of our blog on customer service.  Thanks for reading.

Think of the world's top brands and no doubt Mercedes Benz will come to mind.  Mercedes does a wonderful job of tailoring its image with non-stop marketing.  Magazines, television, internet, email, snail mail, outdoor... I gain impressions from Mercedes on a daily basis.  My wife and I are proud owners of a black C230 Sport (it looks like this).  We purchased it a year and a half ago and had nothing but the best experience.  Our salesman was more of an advisor than a pushy sales guy.  He was polite, treated us like treasured guests and made the experience memorable. As I like to say, he knocked our socks off.  We were a BMW family before this, but now the household is split right down the middle.  I still have my BMW (and love it), and my wife simply loves her Mercedes Benz. 

But in the year and a half since, our Mercedes experience has been lackluster.  The car itself is still a winner.  Love to drive it, love to wash it, love everything about it.  But the five times we've taken it to the dealer, Park Place Motorcars located here in North Texas, for regularly scheduled service, we've experienced nothing but problem after problem.  These include: Losing our appointments in the scheduling system, not having a loaner car as promised, delivering the wrong car to us on pickup, lazy valet service and more.  The result:  My wife has handed off maintenance responsibilities to me and is ready to jump ship to a different brand. 

Today, I was scheduled to drop off our car at 10 a.m. I called in advance to confirm my appointment, but the woman at Park Place's call center said she couldn't find my appointment.  Ugh!  It's happening again!  So, I had to reschedule for another day.  I hung up and promptly called Matt, the general manager of Park Place Mid-Cities.  Matt took my call, apologized for the inconvenience and asked me to come in and ask for him personally, which I did.  Matt took time to sit and talk with me about my concerns and said he immediately followed up on the problem with the scheduling folks.  It was obvious that Matt cared about my business with his dealership and assured me it would be addressed with his team to avoid future issues.  I want to believe him, but it will take a few over-the-top, positive experiences to make up for the damage.  Russell, the service coordinator who took care of me today, and Denise, the loan car coordinator, also did an excellent job.  This is the service I expect every single time I visit Park Place, not just when I'm the squeaky wheel.

I think this points to the double-edged sword of brand expectation.  Mercedes touts how great they are, how great their product is and that being a Mercedes-Benz customer is like no other.  So, now that I'm one of their customers, I expect nothing but the best for the life of my relationship with them.  I should clarify... Not only the best Mercedes has to offer, but better than any other car dealer from which I can choose.  My expectations are raised.

What does this make you think about your own business?  I'm sure you've built a relationship with your customers and they have expectations of you.  Are they high or low expectations?  How can you raise them?  How can you maintain them?  And as you go forward in 2007, remember that your customers now have the power to self publish their customer service experiences, just as I'm talking about Mercedes-Benz here.  Mike Sansone, who writes about blogging on his own blog, ConverSatations, thinks 2007 will lead to more and more people and small businesses blogging.  This is changing how we view customer service and how you should approach it at the point of sale and beyond through the customer relationship.  You never know who's watching.

I'm reading a new book by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki entitled Why We Want You To Be Rich.  I've read some of Trump's books before, but never read Kiyosaki's.  I must say this is the best Trump book I've read to date.  It has genuine content and some great advice without being pushy.  There is a bit of self-promotion within (it wouldn't be a Trump book any other way) but it's tollerable.

I found an interesting excerpt where Trump talks about the mentality of dreaming big.  He mentions a book he read where the author advises the way to get rich is to cut out your daily latte from Starbucks and invest that money instead.  The author is encouraging the reader to live below their means in order to have more money later.  Trump countered this advice by asking, why live below your means?  Why not increase your means and have everything you want?  Have your latte, have your big house, have whatever your heart desires.  Just dream big and invest with intelligence.

The customer service you provide is key to building those big dreams.  Don't cut back on practices that build customer loyalty, but rather increase them.  Imagine different ways you can knock your customers' socks off and then act on those ideas.  Exceed the customer's expectations.  Make an impression.  Believe that you are the best at what you do and act like it everyday.  And while you're at it, have a latte or two.

George W. Daye, III
Founder and President
BarServ

I'm an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal. I don't always read in depth about the financial news, but I do like the ideas the publication presents about new business ideas and entrepreneuership.  I've received the Journal for about a year now and very much become used to the layout, formatting, etc.

Recently, the WSJ sent me an email telling me about changes that are soon coming to the paper.  A slimmer page, more color photos and more in-depth reporting on the 'why' not just the 'how'.

Beginning January 2, 2007, you will receive a more relevant Journal designed to better meet your needs. There will be increased focus on interpretation, insight and ideas…more of what the news means and not just what happened.

And your Journal will look different too.  It will come to you in a slimmer, easier to handle size, with a more legible typeface. There will be better section labeling and more daily summaries to help you find what you need more quickly.

New features will include the forward looking Today’s Agenda, alerting readers to the meaning of the news they will see later in the day, and Informed Reader, providing notable insights from sources beyond The Journal.

You will also find Value-added Statistics that graphically communicate market information and global market trends each day and the NEW Online Markets Data Center at WSJ.com available free to all subscribers. This site will provide full stock listings and easy ways to put data into context.  Innovative features include stock and index charting, access to market-moving headlines and email delivery of key market information.

Please visit now at wsj.com/mdctour to find out for yourself how easy Markets Data Center is to use.

We hope you like what you will see on January 2. Be assured that what has not changed is the high quality content and credibility you have come to expect from The Journal. As always we welcome your reactions, comments and thoughts.  You can contact us at newlookfeedback@wsj.com.

Sincerely,
The Wall Street Journal

I not only received this email once, but three times.  Each email worded differently.  I think this is a perfect example of setting expectations.  Who knows the real reason why the WSJ made the change.  Reader demand?  Cutting costs?  Maybe the WSJ is getting their ass kicked by The Times?  Who knows.  But the fact is they are setting the expectations of their audience in advance of the changes and spinning them to their favor. 

Ths is something you should do in your business often.  Set expectations.  Your customers need to be informed, and in advance, not after the fact.  Changing you logo?  Tell them why.  Dropping a line of merchandise?  Tell them why.  Tell them how it benefits them as a customer and how it makes your business better.  Communicate with you customers and set expectations.  Who knows... one day YOUR company may be on Wall Street, reaping the benefits.

My wife and I went to Fry's yesterday, an electronics store that seems to carry anything and everything you could ever want as far as audio, video, building computers, stocking your office and more.  The store itself is not designed to serve the average consumer, but moreso the computer geek or hobbyist.  As a result, the store layout is confusing for someone who doesn't frequent the store.

Fry's showed a good example yesterday of why they excel at customer service.  As my wife and I were no more than two feet inside the door when we were greeted by a Fry's employee standing at a desk,  with a crowd control rope standing behind him.  "Welcome to Fry's.  Do you have a return?" the man asked.  We said no, so he directed us to the left, which led to the store.  If we had said yes, he would have directed us to the right, where crowd-control ropes were set up to handle the large number of customers making returns after Christmas Day.

The point is this:  Fry's proactively addressed what they perceived as a challenge and assisted their customers before those customers even knew they needed assistance.  They went above and beyond to provide superior customer service to people who may have been walking into a Fry's store for the very first time.  And, they provided clear directions to their customers on how to address their issue.  Directions are key, because often customers are left to navigate how things work on their own.  Your operations methods may be crystal clear in your mind, but communicating this to a customer with minimal confusion is an entirely different challenge.  So, remember to "Expect and Direct".  This builds customer loyalty and ultimately, good word of mouth.

So, how can you apply this to the customer service at your operation?  Is there a time of year where there is high potential for customer stress?  Is it Christmas? Does it surround a community event such as college homecoming or a high school graduation?  Maybe you carry a product that is highly anticipated, such as a video game system, collectors item, DVD, CD, etc. Take time to analyze your customers' experience in advance and how you can make it easier, stress free and memorable.  Your customers will thank you for it and come back for more. 

I didn't have a return this year at Fry's, but the seed is firmly planted that when I do, this retailer has their act together and I have no questions that my return experience wil be a smooth one.

If you've started analyzing your service using the "Square One" technique, have you considered what your valet service can do to make a memorable experience?  How about the valet placing a thank you card on the person's car console when delivering the vehicle back to the customer?  Or maybe a mint?  Remember, be different... be memorable!

2006 is coming to an end and I've decided to make a new start with my Dayely Thoughts, a blog where I will discuss my favorite subject, customer service, along with other thoughts and guides.  Podcasts will be back on track as well.

Since I founded BarServ back in 2004, I've learned a lot about customer expectations.  They do not always demand perfect service, but moreoften attentive service.  The most frustrated customers are often ones left without any course of action or solutions to their needs, because their server is not there when needed.  BarServ's level of expectations are much higher than simply "attentive", but if more servers would spend time in their sections rather than in the kitchen or at the hostess stand many customer frustrations could be easily avoided.

For example, I'm at a Starbucks location right now in Arlington, Texas.  Even though the baristas, as Starbucks calls their coffee experts, were very busy as I walked in, they were quick to greet me in a loud, friendly voice.  "Welcome to Starbucks, we'll be right with you," one barista said with a smile.  Not a big deal, I'm used to it by now since I come to various Starbuck's stores regularly, but still, I was acknowledged.  I would notice much more if I were not greeted.  Even if the line is 10 people deep, I know that someone has noticed me, is glad I'm buying my coffee here and has a wider vision than just the latte they're working on at the moment.  They're in control of the entire store, and as a consumer that makes me feel at ease.

Restaurateurs might take as a cue to encourage their staff to do the same.  What if you, as a restaurant manager, demanded that your hostess staff greet customers with, "Hello!  Welcome to _____, thanks for joining us for lunch today," rather than the otherwise unappealing, "Smoking or Non?"  It takes initiative on the management's part to train and enforce such a practice, but just imagine all the customer loyalty they will begin to build from that small effort. 

Think of your operation's customer service as a board game, one that has a starting square, a path to follow, and a finishing square.  This example can be used in any type of retail or hospitality environment, but I'll use a restaurant for this example. How does your customer move down the path of your board game, and how you can enhance each square they land on a more enjoyable and memorable experience?  For some customers, the starting square is the valet parking service out front.  For others, it may be the hostess answering the phone when they call for directions, or the hostess greeting them when they first walk in the door.  Whatever your starting square, isolate that experience from the customer's point-of-view and make it a superior and memorable one.  Then, follow the path, square by square, until your customer reaches the end.  If you've done your job well, the last square will lead your customer right back to the beginning of the path and provide them positive anticipation of their next visit.  And the bonus?  They'll tell someone else about it, and they'll want to take the journey too.

Merry Christmas!

GD