Have you ever discovered a cool new business like a restaurant that promised a great experience, but it left you feeling less than thrilled because of customer service that couldn’t back up that concept?
Real World Story:
Recently, a friend took me to a new organic food restaurant. I was excited because this type of restaurant is hard to find. So I was looking forward to a great dining experience. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, I noticed a desk directly to the left with three employees standing behind it. They were preoccupied talking to one another, so they didn’t acknowledge us. We stood there for a while looking around for some sort of instruction on what we needed to do. Should we seat ourselves? Should we wait to be seated? I became anxious as I looked but found nothing to tell us what to do next. A waitress walked by so I asked, “Excuse me. Do we seat ourselves?” She pointed to the three employees at the counter who then gave us a look like Um, we’re standing right here. This was NOT a good first impression. Needless to say, I was not eager to give them my business. BUT my friend insisted that the food was great.
We were finally seated and the waitress returned with menus. I LOVED the menu title and the names of the dishes. (See photo 1.) The waitress explained
how to order: you had to precede the name of your dish with the words “I am.” For example, I could order I am Gracious. I am Extraordinary, or I am Happy. What a cool idea!
While waiting for our food, I noticed the printing at the bottom of our menus, which read: “Café Gratitude is our expression of a world of plenty. Our food and people are a celebration of our aliveness. We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses: loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful every day, and experiencing being provided for, have fun and enjoy being nourished.”
So why didn’t the people who work here embody this spirit?
While I found the waitress to be friendly and positive, the employee who cleared the table looked angry and some of the other staff never smiled.
I left the restaurant confused. Yes, I liked the menu, the food and the concept of the restaurant. No, I didn’t like the attitude the staff who didn’t embody that spirit.
I’m not sure if I will return.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Cool concepts are great. But do you and your team believe in the spirit of that concept, and are you able to consistently demonstrate that message?
- People are vital. So have your employees been trained on what behaviors are expected to deliver your exciting message? Are you modeling those behaviors yourself?
- Reinforcement and praise are key. Do you consistently reward for correct behaviors and work to fix undesirable ones?
Remember: When customers receive consistently extraordinary experiences, they will become extremely loyal and will tell the world about you. Great experiences are especially important when they are at the center of your purported brand.
What do YOU do to deliver consistently extraordinary customer service? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments section below.