A Customer Advocate's Unique & Deeply Personal CHRISTMAS List For 2014

Like many of you, this holiday season is a time of reflection for me.  I think about the road traveled since the beginning of 2014.  I think about the good and maybe not so good decisions made.  I think about actions taken that appear to have had a positive impact.  I also think about things I would do a bit differently if given the chance.  Yes, there is a lot to think about.

2014 has been a year of major change and life altering decisions for me.  After many successful years in the telecommunications industry, I left a corporate position with Level 3 Communications in early 2014.  I made this decision after determining my passion for helping and serving others could best be lived by better aligning life with my core values.

While there were and remain certain risks associated with the move, I do not regret the opportunity this decision has given me to pursue my mission of customer service advocacy.   It is a mission I love and share with many great people.  People whom I consider kindred spirits in our desire to make this world better by improving upon the commercial, charitable and other societal interactions we have with each other.

In the spirit of this special season, I briefly share my personal reflections on 2014 below.   I believe some of these thoughts will ring a bell with you.   At a minimum, I hope they give you a brief respite from the busy holiday season and bring you a little C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. cheer.

C  is for Customers.

I am thankful for the opportunity 2014 has given me to establish a business focused on improving the customer experience.  Working on something you truly care about is indeed a labor of love.

H is for Home.

Home and family are blessings to be cherished above all.   I am grateful I was able to spend more time with family during 2014 than at any other point in my career.

R is for Rejection.

I appreciate each rejection received during 2014.  Each has made me stronger. Each has ensured I stayed on the right path, divinely bringing me closer to achieving the goals to which I aspire.

I is for "I".

2014 underscored the truth I have always understood.  The extent to which my dreams are realized is related to the amount of passion and the effort I put forth.  In addition, I am solely accountable to those who put their trust in me.

S is for Self-respect.

As has been the case throughout 2014, I must always be able to look in the mirror and not be ashamed of any decisions I have made or actions I have taken.

T is for Thankful.

I am forever thankful.  I am thankful for a strong family, faithful friends, new dreams and opportunities 2014 has yield.  I am also thankful for the many new associates and great people I have encountered in my customer service quest; such as those in my Google+ communities and Tuesday  #custserv Twitter chats.

M is for Meaning.  

2014 seemed to pass by quickly.  It serves as a reminder that time on this Earth also passes quickly.  If I am to leave a noteworthy legacy of helping others, I must live a life and pursue actions that have strong meaning and purpose.

A is for Achievement.

Good efforts are commendable, but actual achievement of clear goals and objectives rule the day.  Being my best in service to others requires achievement.

S is for Salvation.

I am thankful for the spiritual salvation and the corresponding faith that sustained me throughout 2014.  I remain encouraged by the love for humanity and salvation that is celebrated this time of year, and the "love" for people intrinsic in improving the customer experience.

Merry Christmas everyone.  May all your customer service wishes come true.

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Your Process Is Killing Me. You Need Customer Service T.E.A.

Credit: zirconicusso via FreeDitigalPhotos.net

I am continually amazed at the never ending source of customer service improvement stories that come my way.  Below I briefly share the latest two stories and key business lessons, courtesy of my wife, Theresa, and sister-in-law, Beverly.

My wife's story involves a nearby +McDonald's  franchise.  An interesting tale involving a simple drive-thru order for a combination meal that took an unexpected turn.

After being informed the soda dispensing machine was broken and they could not serve Sprite at the drive-thru window, Theresa was given a choice of either water, tea, orange juice or milk.  Being a fan of McDonald's $1.00 sweet tea, she chose that as her drink and proceeded to the pick-up window.  Upon reaching the window, she was given her meal with tea; however, the drink was served in a medium size cup that normally accompanies the combination meal and not the larger cup size in which McDonald's serves their $1.00 sweet tea.

Given that a medium sized drink's cost is normally slightly higher than the $1.00 charged for their sweet tea, my wife asked if she could have the larger tea.  She was told they could not make the exchange; however, if she wanted to walk into the store, the soda-dispensing machine in their seating area was working and she could have the Sprite initially requested.  After a moment of quiet disbelief at what she was just told, Theresa decided to let the situation go, accept what she had been given and drove off.  We have since discussed why they could not have obtained her drink from the working soda machine and other customer service challenges experienced at this McDonald's.  As one might expect, our visits to this store have diminished since it opened, now occurring only when a more desirable, viable food option is not present.

My sister's early morning visit to a local +Dunkin' Donuts  provides the setting for customer service story #2.  As she often does on her morning commute, Beverly stopped for coffee and a bagel one recent morning.  To her delight, there was a sign outside advertising a special promotion for the coffee she loves so much.  3 bags of coffee for $19.99.  A good deal considering the product's normal price.

Inside the store she picked up 3 bags of coffee and proceeded to the register for check-out;  however, upon being informed of the total cost, she questioned the clerk about the coffee special since it was apparent the special promotion price was not being applied.  The clerk stated he was not aware of any special pricing and called over the store's manager for assistance.  The store manager was also unaware and went outside to view the promotional sign after being informed of it by my sister. Once back inside, the manager stated that specific promotion was no longer in effect.

My sister, being the ever vigilant consumer she is, asked why they would still have signage in place promoting the special if it was no longer valid.  She continued to press for the promotional price.  The manager then informed her they could not give her the promotional price because they did not know how to overwrite the initial price charged in the register with the promotional price;  nor did they know how to separately ring-up the promotional price since it was no longer in the system.   They could void the initial price charged, but that was about it.

After a brief period of silence to see if any other solution might be offered, Beverly assumed the "forget it" mindset.  She asked them to void the sale minus her individual coffee and bagel (which her early morning commute demanded).  She then left the store, much less satisfied than she otherwise would have been.

The common theme across both stories is the way in which operating processes prevented my wife and sister from receiving the product or service expected.  Their experiences underscore the need for truly customer oriented enterprises to incorporate steps that ensure established procedures do not result in disgruntled and subsequently "former" customers.

Credit: 2nix via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Process" is defined as:

 "A continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner; a systematic series of actions directed to some end."  

If, in addition to achieving operational cost efficiency, the end result of an organization's process is to ensure customer retention and growth, then businesses must be keenly aware of process deficiencies that negatively impact customer service.  If the company's operating manual does not include an "immediate recovery strategy" for customer service situations that do not follow standard operating procedures, then a process gap exists that must be addressed.

In her blog post entitled 15 Ways to Improve Customer Service at Your Business, Mary Shulzhenko includes as item #12:

"Know how and when to bend certain customer service policies, especially for long-term , loyal customers."

This concept is mission critical to any organization's long-term growth.  It also serves as a backdrop for my 3 keys for maintaining alignment between operational processes and positive customer service experiences.  I refer to these as the T.E.A Strategy, due in large part to my wife's customer service experience at McDonald's.

#1. Train employees thoroughly. 

A business should never place their customer facing personnel in a position where a lack of process or systems knowledge could potentially create a negative customer experience.  Organizations should ensure customer facing employees understand where and how its operations directly touch the customer; furthermore, these employees should possess the knowledge to handle customer issues in a timely, satisfactory manner.  This includes having immediate, direct access to management and operational personnel who can provide lifeline support to help resolve customer issues, regardless of time of day.

#2. Empower employees.

Businesses should hire and retain customer facing personnel whom they can empower to manage its most important asset, the customer base.  Organizations should establish a framework within which front-line employees are empowered to go outside of standard process when deemed necessary to solve customer problems.

This empowerment should include a streamlined feedback loop from customer facing employees to business process owners and decision-makers.  This channel should be used to funnel real-time information on process detours required to solve a customer service issue as well as employee recommendations that can aide in continuous process improvement.

#3.  Adjust financials.   

While not an easy task initially, organizations should determine the best means of adjusting standard financial projections to account for unexpected, "out of process" customer service costs.  This becomes easier as the tracking and correlation between customer service problems and financial impacts resulting from unexpected operational events improves (e.g. material shortages, processing delays, returns due to quality, etc.).

When have you seen a company refusing to step out of process to resolve a customer service issue?  We would love to hear your story.

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The Most Remarkable Restroom Visit Ever: A Model Customer Experience

Credit: Artur84 FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Earlier this month I had an important business meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Since I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area, my travel plans included departing from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  What normally would be a routine journey through the airport en-route to my flight resulted in one of the most inspirational customer service moments of my career.  I was utterly amazed to find such inspiration accompanied by the sound of flushing toilets.

Over the din of hurried travelers, running water and closing doors, imagine hearing the following as you enter an airport concourse restroom.....

"....Welcome to Atlanta gentlemen.  If a door is closed it is being occupied by someone else.  Please be patient.  This is the smallest bathroom on the concourse. Bathrooms 23 and 29 to your immediate right are 2 times larger than this one. Bathroom 9 to your left is 2 times larger than this one.  Please exercise the urinals in the front as well as the back.  Please allow the technician to service your restroom for cleaning purposes. For those who smoke, your smoking area will be in B-9 and B-24, that's B-9 and B-24.   Welcome to Atlanta gentlemen....."

Credit: Bill Longshaw FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Over the course of the next few minutes, I heard this announcement clearly, pleasantly and professionally repeated by the restroom attendant as he happily went about his work.  While many rushed in and out as they hurried toward their next destination, several people gave the attendant tips and verbal compliments for his attitude and approach to the restroom job.

I had to meet this man.  Not only to tip and compliment him, but also to learn what drove him to turn a routine restroom visit into one of the best "customer experiences" I have ever had or observed.

With all due apologies for the less than professional photography, please meet Vincent.  What a man he turned out to be.  His story is compelling and reminded me of the following quote from the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi.

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the task at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

Vincent

I learned Vincent lost a good job in the medical field when Atlanta's South Fulton Hospital closed.  He was able to secure a job at the airport and currently makes slightly more than $7 per hour.  While the pay is less than his prior job, Vincent views himself as going through a "valley experience".  This being a reference to the Biblical story of Job and the trials God placed Job through before rewarding his faith; eventually delivering and blessing him with more than he previously possessed.

I asked Vincent what drove his positive, enthusiastic approach to the restroom attendant job.  Did he receive any special customer service training at the airport? His response, "Nope.  I just try to make the best of every situation.  I have always approached life that way."

Vincent continued by explaining that he likes to make people feel happy and welcomed.  He loves serving people stating, "I am a people person."  He wants to give people his best regardless of the situation he may be in.

It was amazing to learn that the passion evident in serving his restroom customers emanates from within and not from any specific directives or training received.  In addition, by calling himself a "restroom technician" he elevated what others might view as a mundane job into one with a perceived higher status.  His passion and perspective have been unmatched by any restroom attendants encountered during my business travels.

Vincent's story reinforced my believe that those who excel in serving customers have a special DNA.  He is the living, breathing embodiment of the customer service DNA I wish could be cloned and implanted into all customer-facing personnel.

At his core, he is a genuinely good person.  The type of individual those seeking true customer stewards should treasure.  A person who would be a great customer advocate for any organization, regardless of industry.  One who could be trained on a company's product or service, placed in front of customers and a love affair would develop.   A love affair fueled by the customer's appreciation of the demeanor, working approach, and commitment to serve displayed by the individual.

I left my conversation with Vincent with a sense of heartfelt appreciation.  He reminded me of why I have a passion for customer service and continue to fight the daily battles.  It's basically all about fostering the type of joy created in this world by inspirational people like Vincent;  envisioning the "better place" this world can be when you have people like Vincent who seek to serve in ways many would never dream of.

What is the most interesting place you have found remarkable moments of customer service?  Please share your story and comments.

To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website where you will find a link to all blog posts on the homepage.

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The Scariest Customer Experience Ever

courtesy Ambro freedigitalphotos.net

No matter how painful or nerve-wrecking they may have been, some events stay with us throughout our lifetime.  Our ability to live with these memories depends upon the degree to which time has lessen the sting we felt while going through the storm. I believe this sting is lessened by the lessons learned and the degree to which we emerged from the situation a better person.  I would argue there is no better canvas to capture the picture of painful lessons learned than those created in the world of customer service.

Given that Halloween is right around the corner, following is my story of the most painful and "scariest" customer experience I have encountered; accompanied by the customer service lessons learned.

courtesy Dr Joseph Valks freedigitalphotos.net

At one point in my career, I was responsible for executive escalation management for an international communications company.  In this role, I worked with all departments to ensure service delivery or other issues escalated to senior management were resolved as expeditiously as possible.  I also interfaced with key customer stakeholders who were driving escalations on behalf of their companies.

Due to an unforeseen technical issue, our projected service delivery date for a large customer was revised beyond that previously given.   This last minute delay severely jeopardized our customer's delivery commitment to their customer.  Their inability to deliver on-time would have a significant revenue impact and cause irreparable harm to their ongoing business relationship.  To paint the frightening picture a little clearer, both our customer and their end-user are major players on Wall Street.

The gravity of this matter resulted in an immediate escalation to our executive team, subsequently landing on my desk.  I reached out to the key customer contacts to assure them we understood the gravity, our senior team was engaged and we would resolve the issue as quickly as possible.  I also assured them we would provide ongoing updates.  We had a 24 hour target, 48 hours worse case, to resolve the issue and deliver.

courtesy MisterGC freedigitalphotos.net

As the 24 hour clock wound down and resolution efforts continued, a status call was convened with the customer and our lead departmental personnel working on the project.  It was during this call that the everlasting "chills" and lessons from this customer experience emerged.

Among the parties on this call was the customer's Senior Project Director.  He was the key managerial point of contact with whom I had initially interfaced and provided updates during this matter.  When we informed the customer we were still working to resolve the issue in order to meet their "drop dead" deadline, the director went ballistic.  I can still feel the heat of his anger which came through the phone in a loud torrent of profanity-laced sentences describing his disgust and total lack of confidence in our abilities.  My personal dagger came when, upon attempting to further explain our efforts, the director curtly stated:

"I need you to shut-up right now. I don't want to hear from you. I need to hear from someone else on this phone....."

courtesy imagerymajestic freedigitalphotos.net

While I had successfully dealt with my share of upset customers, this was by far the most personally attacked I had ever felt.  Suppressing a desire to respond in my own heated manner, I leaned upon my customer service experience and yielded the phone to another top manager.

Before the call ended, our team was able to explain heightened steps being taken to resolve the issue and provide a window to meet their customer's expectations.  While I was emotionally still fuming once the call ended, upon reflection, I realized several key customer service lessons were re-enforced for me.  I am sure they will resonate with you.

- Be Teflon.  Don't Take It Personally.

In the world of customer service, one's emotional well being and ability to best resolve a customer complaint requires Teflon. Much like the non-stick properties of Teflon, we must be equipped to let customer rants slide off and not absorb them personally.  There are indeed lines of professional courtesy that should be honored, especially in business-to-business transactions; however, when the lines are crossed, the best customer service advocates can rise above the fray and focus on the issue at hand.

- Don't Block The Vent.

Like a boiler with a pressure release value, letting the customer vent can be extremely therapeutic. The dark, emotional cloud an upset customer might bring to an encounter can often be lightened if their building frustration is allowed to escape. Once vented, greater focus and collaboration can be brought to the issue at hand.

- They Have A Point of View.

The basis of an upset customer's frustration lies in an actual or perceived failure to meet an expectation.  Whether accurate or not, the bottom line perception is that an agreement was broken. Regardless of company size, its product, service, or the process by which sales, marketing and delivery occurs, it is critical to understand how expectations are set and viewed from the customer's perspective.  This will help one better understand the customer's emotional touch points and triggers.

-  The Mighty Trinity:  Apologize for It.  Claim It.  Fix It Fast.

There is not a business today that has a record of flawless execution.  Things sometimes go wrong and customers may be impacted.  When this occurs, ensure customers receive empathetic apologies, a clear picture of who owns issue resolution and action that demonstrates the issue is being addressed as quickly as humanly possible.  Stuff happens.  What happens after stuff happens can tip the customer's emotional scale in one direction or the other.

- You May Not Know What's Behind The Curtain.

My story ended with what we sometimes call in U.S. football terms a "Hail Mary". We were able to clear some substantial hurdles in a very compressed time-frame to miraculously meet the customer's delivery requirement.  I subsequently learned the Director who blasted us during the call was under a tremendous amount of pressure. It turns out his job and accompanying financial security was at stake.  The scope of the project was such that had it not been delivered on time, his release from the company was expected;  further proof that throughout all aspects of the customer service and customer experience discipline, the human component reigns supreme.

What was your most painful or scariest customer service experience and what did you learn?  Thanks for sharing.

To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website where you will find a link to all blog posts on the homepage.

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#BadService

How About This Alarming Statement To A Customer? "You're Obviously In The Wrong Place. Please Leave."

It never crossed my mind that a scene from one of my wife's favorite guilty pleasures would serve as a centerpiece for one of my post; but it has happened.  A 90 second scene from a Hollywood movie has intersected with a recent observation at my local +Walmart  to underscore a key #CustomerService lesson.

Those familiar with the movie "Pretty Woman" will recognize this screen shot.  It shows the lead character Vivian, played by Julia Roberts, in a very swanky Beverly Hills boutique.  Vivian has been given an uncapped amount of credit to spend by a wealthy businessman, Edward, played by Richard Gere.

Edward had previously met Vivian, securing her services to be his weekend escort for various social events. They subsequently fall in love and the transformation to classy, sophisticated, "Pretty Woman" unfolds.   In the scene depicted, the boutique's sales personnel coldly confront Vivian based upon her appearance, refuse to inquire about her needs and rudely ask her to leave after telling her she was "obviously in the wrong place".  I won't go into the subsequent chain of events, just in case there are some who have not seen the movie.  Let's just say that payback can be personally, financially painful at times.

Unfortunately, this Hollywood scene often unfolds in the real world of customer service to varying degrees.  Assumptions customer facing personnel make about individuals based solely on their looks are sometimes just flat wrong.  These preconceptions can result in negative repercussions for a business, ranging from lost sales opportunities to lingering word-of-mouth about the insensitive way a business treats certain customers.  Regardless of severity, each misguided assumption about a customer potentially drives revenue from one company's income stream to that of a competitor.  Given the amplifying power of today's social media, if the offended person or group is so inclined, this could cascade into more than just an undetectable lost sale on a company's financial report. 

So how does my local Walmart fit into this story?  Well, I was recently shopping there for a household item.  Suddenly, I heard the "thump, thump, thump" of what obviously was a basketball being bounced through the toy and home repair sections. After a few minutes, a store associate approached the three young men responsible for the noise.  The associate engaged them with a stern demeanor.  She admonished one young man for bouncing the ball and demanded he stop, telling the three it could potentially cause an accident should the ball slip away.  If they did not stop, they would be asked to leave the store.  She did not inquire as to why they were in the store, only learning of their need when the three, now obviously upset with her approach, told her.

It turns out they were shopping for an item that was behind a locked display case. The trio had previously requested support and had been waiting for quite some time without anyone coming to their aide.  The store associate, still very direct in her demeanor, stated she would find the support needed and walked away.  

My customer service radar was on high alert at this point as I lingered to see how this might play out.  Regrettably, the anticipated support did not arrive as quickly as one might expect.  Soon after, the "thump, thump, thump" of the bouncing basketball resumed, followed by a reappearance of the store associate who again, with a very direct tone, reminded them not to bounce the ball.  As one might imagine, the young men were now more confrontational.  They strongly voiced their displeasure with the entire interaction, given their sole desire to make a purchase and "get outta here". To her credit, this time the store associate asked the young men to accompany her, as she personally planned to help them with the purchase.

Given the way this encounter evolved, it seemed apparent the store associate engaged the young men with a preconceived view about them.  I have not mentioned that the three young men were older teenagers, 17 to 19 years of age. Since they were walking around, displaying a lack of courtesy and concern by bouncing a ball in the store, it's conceivable the associate assumed the group was simply lingering, without any intent of making a purchase.  While I agree bouncing a ball through a store is not behavior one should condone, this was not a complete picture of reality in this instance.  By not knowing the complete story, the store associate's assumptions caused her to fall into a common customer service trap.  A trap all businesses are better off avoiding when seeking to create a culture that includes positive #customerexperience.  The Walmart example highlights that losing control of the customer interaction and possibly angering your ready-to-buy customer are part of the unintended consequences that could result from making incorrect assumptions about your customer

I recently read two good articles that came to mind while writing this post.  I recommend them as additional food for thought given the perspectives shared here.

The first is by +Small Business Trends and addresses the need for customer service to be part of an organization's established operational processes.

http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/10/customer-service-must-part-process.html

The second is an interesting piece from +Micah Solomon concerning Starbuck's new tattoo policy.  Given assumptions and perspectives people have about individuals with tattoos, I found it a refreshing read.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/10/17/starbucks-employees-to-show-us-their-tats-how-this-improves-customer-service-and-even-hr/

To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website where you will find a link to all blog posts on the homepage.

I also have several Pinterest boards with content that may be interest to you.

#CustomerService
#CustomerExperience
#CustomerSatisfaction
#BadService

Do You Follow This Top Customer Service Guidance from Mother Teresa and My Barber?

"...We Can Do Small Things With Great Love."

- Mother Teresa

I am a strong believer that while it can be very challenging, delivering good #CustomerService and experiences is an objective that is always attainable.  There are, of course, key questions stakeholders responsible for an organization's customer experience must ask themselves in this quest. These questions include:

• Do we have a vision of what a good experience looks like from the customer's perspective?
   
• To what extent are are we willing to to make the financial and operational investment needed to achieve the vision?

Regardless of the vision or the amount of overall investment an organization is willing to make, all efforts will be futile unless the following question can be answered with a resounding "yes".

• Are we willing to consistently do even the smallest thing to let our customers know we truly care?

While others may have a different view, I assert the strongest foundation for delivering good to great customer service and experiences begins here.

It's really amazing.  What appear to be the smallest and easiest things to accomplish can reap substantial customer service benefits when handled appropriately.  As a case in point, let me share a story about my local barber and the service legacy that has grown from a simple greeting.

Since opening its doors in the early 90's, Nick's Barber Shop and its owner Vance Harper, have become institutions in Stone Mountain, Georgia.  Beyond its core business of hair care, Nick's frequently uses it resources to help projects aimed at improving the community and the lives of others.  As a result of these efforts, Nick's has accrued substantial goodwill with its clientele.

The shop has remained in the same location from day 1, retaining the ambiance that has caused many to flock to its chairs and Vance's team of barbers.  Nick's Barber has cut the hair of many; both recurring local customers, as well as the occasional sports celebrities who have ties to the area.   It is an "old school", non-pretentious environment that has everything you would want from a neighborhood barber shop;  good conversation on every topic under the sun, sports on television, music, as well as frequent joking and jabbing among all the employees and customers.  By the way, they also give great haircuts.   I almost forgot to mention the haircuts due to the overall experience found at Nick's.   An experience that begins from the moment you enter the shop's door.

"Alright!!......"

That is the greeting Nick's barbers shout in unison each time a customer enters the shop.  It is a practice begun by Vance when he initially opened the business.  It blew me away the first time I visited and I never cease to be amazed by their day after day, month after month, year after year consistency in executing this greeting.

I always knew the greeting made me feel special each time I went for a haircut; however, I truly came to appreciate its power after becoming a student of customer experience strategies.

In response to my question about the greeting's origin, Vance informed me he started the greeting when Nick's first opened.  He only had a few barber chairs at the time and had not yet learned to cut hair himself;  therefore, he perched himself in a chair next to the door and gave a hearty "alright!" to everyone who entered.  Vance explained he did this as a means to provide emotional empowerment to the African-American males who were his customers.  Unlike they might experience in other barber shops, restaurants, retail stores, or elsewhere, he wanted the men entering his establishment to feel special and welcomed.   What began as a salutation designed to empower and say "thanks", over the years evolved into the signature piece of Nick's Barber Shop's customer experience.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Nick's has tapped into greetings magic.  They have consistently done a relatively "small" thing to show customers they truly care. Each customer is greeted immediately, energetically, and is made to feel truly welcomed. This sets the stage for the entire customer service process and the recurring customer experience one finds at Nick's.



With Nick's Barber Shop as his flagship operation, Vance has become a noted and successful businessman in the local community.  The thread of customer care symbolized by "alright!" and woven into the fabric of Nick's Barber is evident in his various business and community pursuits.  To piggyback off the Mother Teresa quote heading this post, doing a small thing with great love has help guide Vance and Nick's Barber in constructing a customer experience based upon a vision of what their customer's need and desire.....We all should be so fortunate.

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I also invite you to view my website and Pinterest content.

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Want to Party? Do You Truly Serve Customers? If So, Read and Celebrate. If Not, Read and Refocus.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I love special occasions.  Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, buying the latest electronic gadget.  If there is a reason to celebrate you can count me in.

The current reason for celebration and my token gifts to you follow.

Just in case you didn't get the invite, October 6th through October 10th is National Customer Service Week 2014.  It's time to party hearty.   If you are not familiar with this week, below is a very brief description, courtesy of the Professional Association for Customer Engagement (+PACE Association).

"In 1984 the International Customer Service Association (ICSA), which since merged with PACE, created and launched National Customer Service Week™.  In 1991, the Executive Board of the ICSA, working with members of the Commerce Committee of the United States Congress, drafted and passed Senate Resolution 166 designating the first week of October as Customer Service Week.   On October 8, 1992, President George H. W. Bush signed Presidential Proclamation 6485 establishing the first week of October as National Customer Service Week™......During National Customer Service Week, many companies across the United States celebrate the week with fun and creative celebrations  with their staff." 

Presents always make celebrations much more fun;  therefore, I am offering two.

First, is a link to a great Forbes article from +Micah Solomon.  It concerns the focus on customer service every enterprise should have.  Recommended reading if you want the spirit of customer service to shine all year long.  Thanks Micah!

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/10/05/customer-service-week-6-ways-to-make-it-last-the-whole-year/

Secondly, I am sharing a present received from +Zaxby's.  My last post concerned a disappointing experience with my local Zaxby's restaurant and the customer service lessons we all should remember.  I tagged Zaxby's social networks in my blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook page posts.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt response to my Tweet.

This nicely wrapped response provides evidence that Zaxby's gets it when it comes to the importance of social media in today's customer service environment.   Businesses that wish to succeed should have the listening frequency of their customer service operations tuned to every social network channel that could impact the brand.  

Due to manner in which they have been handling this matter, even though it appears they are training some new personnel, I have visited the local Zaxby's several times since my initial post.  Good customer service personnel, supported by the appropriate systems, keeps the revenue flowing.

Happy National Customer Service Week!

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#CustomerService
#CustomerExperience
#CustomerSatisfaction
#Badservice

Want To Know How To Truly Disappoint A Loyal Customer?

Image Courtesy of Toa55 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Even though it was near closing time on a Sunday evening, my request at the drive-thru was simple enough.  All I needed was two fried chicken salads, one without cheese, both with honey mustard dressing.  I also needed a large sweet tea, no ice please.

After a long day of redecorating at home, my wife and I looked forward to satisfying our hunger with a meal that has become somewhat of a guilty pleasure during the diet we are currently on.  We quickly headed home, eagerly anticipating a well deserved meal as a reward for our redecorating heroics.

Image Courtesy of James Williams at www.flickr.com/photos

I had placed this order countless times at our local +Zaxby's.  Each time the order was "spot-on".  So much so, that long ago I reached a point where checking the take-out bag before driving away seemed unnecessary.  I had reached the point of faithful expectation; assuming my needs would be fully met and my stomach completely satisfied.  This was indeed the blissful height of #CustomerService and #CustomerSatisfaction. Upon arriving home, our little bubble of confidence was about to be burst.

To our dismay, the salads received were not up to the restaurant's usual standard. They were not well prepared.  The amount of chicken placed on each was less than usual.  It was obvious cheese had been placed on both salads, with a hurried attempt to remove it from one to match our order.  To top if off, we were given ranch dressing instead of honey mustard.  I am not a ranch dressing fan.

Since the restaurant's closing hour was reached during our drive home, returning the salads was not a viable option.  We set forth to salvage them by adding some chicken from the fridge and scraping up the small amount of honey mustard dressing we had on hand.

Image Courtesy of Hector Alejandro at www.flickr.com/photos

We concluded that our disappointing experience was attributed to placing an order at the drive-thru 5 to 10 minuted before the restaurant's closing time.  Apparently in a rush to close down operations for the night, our salads did not receive the degree of care during preparation we had become accustomed to.  As a loyal Zaxby's customer, we were disappointed.

The confidence we have in the restaurant's ability to consistently deliver and fully meet our expectation, regardless of the business hour, has slipped.  While this recent experience has taken away a bit of the luster, the customer goodwill Zaxby's built with us over the course of time will keep us going back for now.  I guess it's again time to double check our orders at the drive-thru window.

Who knew that key customer service reminders for my next blog post would emerge from a salad bowl?

Image Courtesy of Jeroen van Oostrom at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First, remember that "goodwill deposits" are made with customers each time service fully meets or exceeds expectations.  These deposits provide a safety net that can catch businesses when operations occasionally fail to deliver;  however, deposits of customer goodwill can be depleted if customer focus becomes bankrupt.

Image Courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Second, regardless of its track record, no operation is bulletproof when it comes to the negative impacts resulting from disappointed customers. Consistency in quality of product and service delivery is critical to business success.  "Consistently consistent and incrementally improving" is the operating state all customer-centric enterprises should seek to attain.

Thanks for reading.  I would love to hear your food inspired customer service story.

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#CustomerExperience
#CustomerSatisfaction
#Badservice

These 3 C's Help Us Through A Painful Personal Loss

Hello everyone.  This is a picture of Clifford, a beautiful West Highland Terrier.  He came to our family in 2000 when my son was 5 years old.

Sadly, we recently lost Clifford as the effects of aging and various ongoing illnesses took their toll. He was a member of our family for 14 years and will be dearly missed. As with the loss of any family member, we are coming to terms with the loss, believing that he is now in a "much better place."

So why all the sad background about our dog on a blog whose core subject is customer service?  The answer lies in the quality of individuals that cared for Clifford; both during his lifespan, as well as during the final hours when we made the painful decision to let him go.

Each of these individuals and their businesses helped us by practicing 3 key C's. These C's are interwoven and have universal application where the goal is to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

THE 3 C's:  COMPASSIONATE CUSTOMER CARE

For the majority of his life, Clifford's veterinarian needs were handled by the doctors and staff at  +Deshon Animal Hospital.

Dr. Jamal Toler and his staff's love for animals was always evident from our perspective.  It was manifest not only in the way they treated each pet, but also by their "Customer" focus. They ensured our needs and concerns, as the paying customer, were addressed.

The Deshon team understood owners seek assurance their pet will be treated with the same level of care they would receive at home.  Each of their interactions with Clifford gave us that assurance.  Furthermore, the Doctor and staff would contact us proactively to discuss Clifford's health and provide their perspective on treatment options. Even when we had questions or doubts about recommended courses of action, we always felt our position as the customer was being respected and took precedent over other considerations.

On his last day, Clifford grew increasingly weak and exhibited other symptoms that indicated his physical condition was quickly deteriorating.  We rushed him to +VCA Dekalb-Gwinnett Animal Emergency Hospital with hopes he could be treated and fully recover.

During our late night Sunday visit, Dr. Beverly Hughes and her assistant Stephanie Payne exhibited the utmost in customer (and patient) "Compassion".  The genuine empathy they exhibited for our situation, as well as their knowledge and counsel, were critical as we navigated through one of the most emotional periods of our lives.

Within the span of 90 minutes, the manner in which they handled all aspects of our customer experience left an impression that will last a lifetime.   While I hope no one we know has to endure what we did that night, if a reference is ever needed for an emergency animal hospital, our recommendation will be automatic.

Those who professionally cared for Clifford are primarily motivated and driven by their love of animals.  Our providers understand the "Care" they extend must encompass a strong relationship with the ultimate customer. They love what they do, ensuring they also care for the pet owners who make it possible to pursue their passion and mission.

We were blessed that those to whom we entrusted our Clifford "get it" when comes to the power of the 3 C's...."Compassionate Customer Care".

Rest In Peace Cliff.

Thanks for reading.  To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.

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#AllDogsGoToHeaven

The Atlanta Hawks Customer Debacle: Will They Follow These 4 Best Practices To Help Solve Their Crisis?

Credit: http://www.basketwallpapers.com/

I was born in the state of Georgia and have been a fan of the +Atlanta Braves (baseball), +Atlanta Falcons Falcons (football) and +Atlanta Hawks (basketball) my entire life.  Even though there is not a history of professional championship seasons to brag about, I have remained a loyal fan.  I have been emotionally and financially invested in my teams' wins and losses, as well as their ongoing efforts to continually improve performance.  It is for this reason, this week's alarming news about the Atlanta Hawks troubled me.  

For those not familiar with the matter, racially insensitive e-mail and comments from within the team's organization were recently made public.  To the team's credit, this information was released following their own internal investigation;  however, deeply troubling were documented, prejudicial comments related to the ethnicity and demographic makeup of the team's current customer base.  Also troubling were very prejudicial comments related to a high profile player within the National Basketball Association (NBA) whom the Hawks had scouted.  

Credit: goldenstatewarriorsblog.wordpress.com

The Atlanta Hawks' home, +Philips Arena, is marketed as "The Highlight Factory".  As many in the nation watch to see how the team works through this issue, "The Spotlight Factory" may be a more appropriate, temporary brand.   As one who is passionate about #CustomerService and creating positive #CustomerExperiences, I have been watching the organization's initial response to the scrutiny being received. 

There has been a backlash locally and nationally from Atlanta Hawks customers, the media and general public. There also is a degree of confidence lost in the organization by its most important employees, the players.  To help weather the current storm, it would be wise for the team's management to diligently follow proven best practices for handling irate customers and challenging customer situations.

1. Apologize (repeatedly) and Accept Responsibility

People are generally forgiving if:  (a) you can convince them you are sincerely sorry, (b) you accept responsibility for the issue, and (c) you actively work to expeditiously correct whatever wrong was done.  

The Hawks' CEO, Steve Koonin, appears to have done a good job of this thus far.  He has appeared on media outlets and met with key individuals and groups to apologize.  He has agreed to reimburse season ticket holders, communicated his personal e-mail address, and taken other steps that signify genuine remorse.  This type of action should and must continue. 

2. Listen and Understand the Customer's Expectations

A vast majority of the team's fans are upset. This issue has given rise to expectations from existing and targeted customers that must be addressed to mitigate a significant, negative revenue impact.  

Given the very emotional aspect of this matter, the range of customer expectations is broad; regardless, Hawks' management must keenly listen to the spectrum of expectations, allowing its customer base to vent.  They must formulate action plans that clearly meet expectations voiced by the majority of customers that comprise current and targeted revenue streams.  To Steve Koonin's credit, he has publicly stated a commitment to listen.

3. Solve the Issue While Keeping the Customer Informed

In customer service training circles there is a role play game known as "Explain Yourself".  The purpose of the game is to demonstrate the negative reaction and lack of cooperation a service representative will encounter when their actions are not explained to the customer.  The Atlanta Hawks will encounter negative reactions and push-back if they do not proactively keep their customers and other key stakeholders informed.  

While every business operation must maintain a degree of confidentially about its operations, the veil that surrounds the Hawks' handling of this issue must be as thin as possible.  It will lead to faster restoration of the trust that is so mission critical for overcoming this business setback.

4. Maintain Your Integrity

Integrity is defined as "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty".  Suffice it to say the Atlanta Hawks must rebound (pun intended) by ensuring organizational integrity is the foundation upon which their recovery plans are based.  Any crack in this foundation will cause losses, not only of customers and associated revenue, but also of the hearts of fans who call the Hawks, "our team". 

Management of the Atlanta Hawks' has much work to do.  Retaining current customers, winning back those lost, and assuring potential new customers their corporate mission is inclusive of everyone will not be easy.  

Atlanta Hawks, many are counting on you to rise up and give us another reason to cheer.

Credit:  wikipedia.org

Thanks for reading.  Please share your comments and viewpoints below, especially if you have a different perspective.  To receive notice of future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or Goggle+.  I also invite you to view my website and Pinterest content.



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