May 31, 2010

Letters That Dazzle

Most written responses to customer complaints merely quote company policy. They basically say “The reason you are upset with us is you don’t understand our policy (and if you did you really wouldn’t have gone postal on us!). Of course, all such replies just upset the customer off even more!

When a customer is upset with an organization, they don’t want to hear about “Company Policy” since it was the policy that probably created the frenzy in the first place.

Action Plan:
- acknowledge their pain. They need to FEEL that they have been heard.
- apologize for screwing them around.
- state the specific action that will be taken to make things right for them. Something concrete that removes the irritant is expected. Anything short of this will make matters worse. Did I say DON’T QUOTE POLICY?
- do something extra for the customer. Remember, successful Service Recovery demands that you “Fix it and Do the Unexpected”
- speed! Time is of the essence here. You have literally 24 hours to deal with the issue. Any longer will remove any possibility of redeeming yourself.

How about capturing this action plan and create a Letters that Dazzle course for your employees? Train people on the Service Recovery Process and teach them how to reply to a complaint in a way that actually builds loyalty and not destroy it?

It will be well worth the investment. Trust me. I have done it. It works.

Cheers, Roy
Remember to follow me on Twitter

Related Blog Articles
How to Dazzle Customers

Posted 5.31.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 30, 2010

The Groupie-Forced Gratuity: a Dumb (Stupid, Ridiculous, Incomprehensible) Rule

This is another Dumb Rule that I can’t resist commenting on.

I was recently in Kaanapali, Maui for the annual holiday with my family and on two occasions took ‘the team’ out to dinner - 4 adults; 2 children in our party. The restaurants were: the Tropica at the Westin Maui and the Cane Taro Restaurant in Wailers Village.

The Tropica added an automatic 20% gratuity to my bill ; the Cane Taro added 18% in the same manner. INSANITY prevails and GOUGING continues! The ultimate “I’m-Going-To-Do-The-Utmost-To-Shoot-Myself-In-The-Foot” rule. It’s not a money issue to me; it’s about the illogic of using Arbitrary Rules and Policies that can seriously damage a business.

Let me see if I get the logic:
> a tough economy,
> ‘hungry’ competitors,
> elusive (or non-existent) customer loyalty,
> narrowing profit margins.

Businesses should be looking for ways to delight their customers, to give them a warm feeling about their establishment so they would tell others and return. But no! These two places respond by holding on to a policy of FORCING customers to pay a TAX disguised under some bizarre notion that it is ‘more trouble’ to serve a party of 6 (than 5? than 4?).

Their logic? To recognize the ‘extra work’ the server has to to deal with 6 (rather than 5?) people. First of all I reject out-of-hand the conclusion that ALL parties of 6 generate more work than, say, a party of 4 (I have seen parties of 4 cause a lot of pain and agony for a server, and parties of 8 be extremely easy to do business with). That said, however, I presume the logic of this policy is to ensure the server gets adequately compensated for the added effort that multiple-person party presents.

I totally get what they are trying to do, but IT’S NOT MY PROBLEM!. If the servers need more money the restaurant should be sorting it out, not imposing the onus to solve the problem on the customer. Sure, a part of 6 creates teamwork challenges between the front and back of the house. So deal with it!

Add a nickel to every item on the menu if you have to but don’t resort to arbitrary (why punish a party of 6 and not 5? Why count a child the same as an adult?) policy that can infuriate people to never return?

Why dis-empower a customer of the ONLY real tool they have to recognize a delightful service experience?

FACT: The service experience with any business is THE most loyalty-building event there is.

FACT:Customers are becoming more empowered every day. They have more choices and are prepared to flex their muscles.

FACT: Customers have the power. Businesses don’t.

FACT: Its the little BIG things that piss people off (thanks, Tom Peters).

FACT: I will NEVER return to either of these GOUGERS. (Do the math: average bill = $300; 6 meals a year for the next 10 years. VALUE of Roy = $18,000. Put at risk for $90 worth of tips. Do you get it?)

FACT: The food was actually good, but was overwhemed by the RIP-OFF and will not be remembered,

FACT: I will tell this story thousands of times in my seminars, speaches and workshops over the next several years.

Whew! I feel better. I truly hope that some restaurants will decide to eliminate this De-Dazzling (Stupid, Dumb, and Ridiculous) Rule. Pass it on…

Cheers, Roy

Remember to follow me on Twitter

Related Blog Articles on Serving Customers
Serving Customers NOT Providing Customer Service
The Four Steps to Dazzle Customers
Kill Dumb Rules

Posted 5.30.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 29, 2010

Gift #2 from BE DiFFERENT or be dead

Quick Hits summarize the critical Success and Survival Practices discussed in each Chapter in my book.

In addition, each Section of my book contains a summary of the key Learning Points made throughout the Chapters in the Section.

My intent is to make it easy for my readers and provide them with as many tools as I can to enhance the understanding and learning process.

My second gift to you is the Learning Points for Section Two.

I hope your curiosity is aroused!

More to come….

Cheers, Roy

Remember to follow me on Twitter

Gifts
Gift #1 The Strategic Context for BE DiFFERENT
Gift #2 Strategy Creation

Posted 5.29.10 at 09:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 29, 2010

Gift #1 from BE DiFFERENT or be dead

Each Chapter of my book includes Quick Hits which summarize the critical Success and Survival Practices discussed. In addition, each Section of my book contains a summary of the key Learning Points made throughout the Chapters in the Section.

My intent is to make it easy for my readers and provide them with as many tools as I can to enhance the understanding and learning process.

My first gift to you is the Learning Points for Section One. I hope your curiosity is aroused!

Stay tuned for more….

Cheers, Roy

Remember to follow me on Twitter

Posted 5.29.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)