I’m often amazed at the places where I expect to get Make-You-Happy Customer Service and don’t get it, and the places where I would expect less-than Make-You-Happy Service and get great service.
Where would you expect to get Make-You-Happy Customer Service?
- At a Denny’s Restaurant or,
- The Expensive 5 Star Resort Hotel on the beach?
I’ll let you decide which actually had Make-You-Happy Customer Service.
The first morning, at the hotel, I got up and headed out for breakfast. I asked the guy at the bell desk if the Denny’s was still across the street and down a couple blocks. He replied, “It’s just across the street.”
So I went out to the street, looked across, and didn’t see a Denny’s. So I thought, OK it must be somewhere in that shopping area across the street. So I went across the street and into the shopping area and eventually found that the Denny’s was actually, through the shopping area, down the alley and over another 1/2 block. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near, “just across the street.”
When I finally found the Denny’s and entered the restaurant, I was greeted by a nice clean wooden sign that said. “Welcome to Denny’s. It Will Be Our Pleasure To Seat You.” I thought, they really understand Make-You-Happy Customer Service Secret #28. Are Your Signs Positive or Negative?
I was, almost immediately, greeted by a lady with a sincere smile and greeting who showed me to my seat, gave me a menu and took my drink order. Within seconds I had my coffee and orange juice.
When I ordered my breakfast the waitress told me that I should get a different item on the menu because it was the exact breakfast that I ordered but it included coffee and orange juice and my bill would be less.
She then proceeded to give me great service during the rest of my breakfast.
When I visited the restroom on the way out I saw a sign that said, “Please tell any Denny’s team member if this restroom needs attention.” It didn’t say what I usually see in restrooms, “Please notify a manager if this restroom needs attention.” “Ya sure, I’m going to ask for a manager and wait around until (s)he shows up to tell them their restroom needs attention.” But if the restroom needed attention, I would have taken the time to tell a team member on my way out.
Secret #29 in The Happy Customer Handbook is “Are Your Signs Positive or Negative?”
Signs are not passive. They are capable of delighting as well as disappointing. Review each of your signs and ask yourself, does the way it is written create a feeling of delight for the customer? If the answer is “No”, change the sign to produce the intended emotion.
Minimize the use of words like “no”, “don’t”, “can’t”, “policy”, and “prohibited”. Instead, tell people what they can do. Instead of “No refunds after ten days” maybe “Refunds gladly accepted up to ten days after purchase.”
Rather than “Two forms of identification are required to pay by check.” How about, “Please share two forms of identification when paying by check – Thank You.”
Getting back to the question of, who would you expect Who’s The Boss Service from, The Denny’s Restaurant, or the 5 Star Resort.
The next day I got done with work early enough to make it down to the pool for an hour before it got dark. When I got to the pool I found that it was closed for a private party.
“OK, no big deal, I’ll go for a swim in the ocean.” When I got out of the ocean I found that not only was the pool closed but towel kiosk was closed for the private party.
“OK, no big deal, I’ll just rinse off and dry off in my room.” Well, you guessed it the showers were turned off. “So, I’ll just walk through the lobby with my sandy feet and salty body dripping wet.”
Like I said, I’m often amazed at the places where I expect to get Make-You-Happy Customer Service and don’t get it and the places where I would expect less-than Make-You-Happy Service and in fact get great service.
Remember, according to the Harvard Business Review, if you can prevent 5% of your customers from leaving you, you can increase your profits 25-93%.
You can get my hardcopy book (not an e-book), The Happy Customer Handbook, 59 Secrets to Creating Happy Customers Who Come Back Time and Time Again and Enthusiastically Tell Others About You at www.TheHappyCustomerHandbook.com. Your cost is $2.97 and that includes shipping and handling.
