This week I want to talk about the value of providing good vs. great customer service.
I often say that when I go out to eat I need the food to be good and the service to be great. If I’m honest, I actually have two lists of good restaurants in my head—one list where I know the food will be great, and one list where I know the food will be great AND the service will be great. You can probably guess which list gets more referrals.
I just don’t have the same feeling of connection to a place that has great food but the service is lacklustre. Don’t get me wrong, great food can incentivize me to become a loyal patron of a restaurant but great service gets my referral and a good Google review 100% of the time.
Here’s an example. On the weekend, we went out for dinner. The service was slow and the restaurant ran out of a lot of food because they were so unexpectedly busy. It could easily have been a bad experience. But the owner of the restaurant made a point of stopping at every table, to chat up the patrons. He shared the news about the menu limitations and made recommendations about the food that was available.
He put us at ease and made it easy to overlook the fact that the food items we’d planned to order weren’t available because there were other great options to choose from. He managed our expectations and we felt valued as customers because he had taken the time to talk with us. He didn’t hide out in his office in the back somewhere, leaving it to his service team to inform customers that they were unable to serve more than half of the menu. Though, I think we would have felt the same way if our server had taken the same care and consideration in letting us know about the menu.
I often think about what makes for good customer service within the context of how we create and deliver content for our clients, and this experience demonstrates what we should all be striving for in our business. Opportunities to build great client relationships come by showing up, being transparent about limitations and exceeding expectations on what you can deliver on.
The things you do to go above and beyond are what will be the difference between a one-time customer and a loyal client. The key is making your customer feel important.
This restaurant owner did not expect to run out of food, but by showing up, being authentic and managing our expectations he found some new loyal customers that will spread the word about his world-class food and excellent customer service.
So how do you take this concept of increasing loyalty and referrals by providing great customer service and integrate it into your business?
Advice: Be Present For Your Customer
Good customer service = showing up + listening to the customer + speaking honestly.
Choose to spend part of your day with customers if you can. Experience what they are experiencing. Connect with them and share your knowledge or ask them if you can help them find what they are looking for. Be their trusted source. If you’re a service-based business, move away from the task-oriented mindset to a connection-focused mindset. Take the time to ask questions and build a relationship beyond the service that is being provided. The more they connect with you the more likely they will be to become loyal customers.
And if you can’t be in front of your customer in this way, give your team the tools to do this on your behalf. Hire staff that are knowledgeable and passionate about what you’re selling. Create a culture where staff can take the time to follow up and speak with clients. For example, it’s easy to bog your receptionist team down with tasks, but make sure they understand the importance of spending time with customers, and setting aside tasks to pay attention to the customers in front of them.
What if Something Goes Wrong?
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan. And more than finding “exactly” the right words to say when something goes wrong, showing up is the action step that will make your customer feel important and appreciated. Just like Ray from the Transit Hotel Smokehouse, when you run out of ribs and brisket on Father’s Day, show up, be friendly, listen and recommend the amazing pulled pork.
Need help with your marketing? Whether it’s advice on customer service, or target audiences, or content creation, we’ve got your covered. Contact us at Fesyk Marketing, or check out our blog for more resources on marketing your business.
Need a little more help with your marketing planning? We’ve got more on target audiences here:
- Have Fun Identifying Your Target Audience
- Understand Your Target Audience to Give Better Customer Service
- What Kind of Community Do You Want to Create?
Or check out our previous blogs on goal-setting: