In order to create the experience and the system, you need to think about the steps that each customer goes through. Jan Carlzon described how he turned around struggling SAS airlines by creating what he called “moments of truth.” Every customer interaction is a moment of truth. The Experience Economy book says every time the customer sees an employee, that’s a theatre moment, so we have to break down the steps of customer interaction and make sure we are creating the most phenomenal service experience system, step by step.
My good friend and colleague Ellen Rohr has a great way to think about this. Instead, of trying to think about each positive step you want to create from your perspective, think about what could go wrong from the customer’s perspective.
She used a restaurant as an example: Get in your car and drive down the road. Now turn around and drive back to the restaurant. What could go wrong as you approach the restaurant? The sign is hard to see. Or it’s not lit. Now you approach the door. It’s not clean. You step inside and maybe the hostess isn’t there. Can you see how imagining what could go wrong can give you the steps to take?
Wow. Brilliant!
I recently promoted one of my team members to Operations Manager of my service company. The main point I shared with him was prevention. Imagine what can go wrong and be proactive to prevent any level of service issue to happen in the first place. If it’s foggy out, that’s the trigger to remind the guys to be careful driving. Be diligent in training and making
My good friend and colleague Ellen Rohr has a great way to think about this. Instead, of trying to think about each positive step you want to create from your perspective, think about what could go wrong from the customer’s perspective.
She used a restaurant as an example: Get in your car and drive down the road. Now turn around and drive back to the restaurant. What could go wrong as you approach the restaurant? The sign is hard to see. Or it’s not lit. Now you approach the door. It’s not clean. You step inside and maybe the hostess isn’t there. Can you see how imagining what could go wrong can give you the steps to take?
Wow. Brilliant!
I recently promoted one of my team members to Operations Manager of my service company. The main point I shared with him was prevention. Imagine what can go wrong and be proactive to prevent any level of service issue to happen in the first place. If it’s foggy out, that’s the trigger to remind the guys to be careful driving. Be diligent in training and making sure inventory systems are being followed so we aren’t caught on a job with- out what we need.
Back to Ellen’s restaurant example. Is there enough parking? Maybe there’s trash in the parking lot. Whose job is that? Is that task in the daily procedures? Now we are walking up to the building. Is the front door smudged? Is the hostess at her station? How is the decor? How is the dress code? How do the scripts sound? Is the kitchen ready? This reminds me of “Kitchen Nightmares.” What a phenomenal show for business owners to watch! Might not make a bad staff meeting either.
Maybe the first impression for your business is your Website or brochure. Maybe they call you on the phone. Do you have a procedure to make sure the phone is answered? Do you have a script and a system where that person has been empowered to deliver the most outstanding service experience?
