A Little Known Way to Increase Customer Interactivity

Gene stopped me as I walked past him.  “I’ll be a little late getting to the bus,” he began.  “I’m waiting to talk to the manager about my waitress.  She was just superb!”

“That’s wonderful,” I replied.

“Our dessert was so delicious that I asked her if she could bring me another,” he volunteered.   “She didn’t just bring me one.  She brought me two!”

I smiled broadly.  “I’m glad you are taking the time to praise her to her boss.  Don’t worry.  We’ll hold the bus for you.”

As I continued toward the bus, I thought about how little it takes to make a customer happy.  Since a couple of people had not been able to make the trip but had paid for the meal, I knew the restaurant had extra desserts.  The waitress didn’t have to make more to fulfill Gene’s request.  She had extras right at her fingertips.

The dessert was a very rich decadent small piece of brownie in a shooter glass topped by raspberry sauce and brandy whipped cream.  While it may have been small, its impact on me had been filling.  An hour later, I wondered how Gene felt.

This incident has stuck with me.  I have been mulling over an additional lesson from it that I want to share with you.  Giving employees feedback on their work, both positive and negative, is critical to having them understand their jobs and perform their work well.  Since customers’ interactions are varied, teaching employees the parameters, understanding, and responsibility to handle customer requests on the spot is important.  As shown by Gene, this immediate response can make or break the customer’s attitude toward the experience at that restaurant.  What would Gene have thought if the waitress had politely said, “I’m sorry, sir; I cannot do that.” 

At the very least he would have been disappointed.  He certainly would not have been praising the experience.  He may even have complained to the manager.

Some days do you feel that all you hear are complaints?  How do you get the customers who have positive experiences to praise employees to their faces and to yours?  How do you stimulate more customers to have Gene’s reaction?  How do you increase customers’ interactions with your employees that leave a lasting impression on both the employees and the customers? 

Encourage customers to praise employees.  Make it a priority.  Print this encouragement on materials that go on the table, doors, and bathroom stalls.  Create buttons for all personnel that prompt customers to praise employees.  Celebrate the stories of customer praising in your staff meetings, at the entrance of your business, and on your Web site.  Show that interactivity with your customers and that their praise is important to your organization.

This week's marketing trivia challenge is How have you celebrated customer praise?  E-mail me your answer.  

Plan B

You may not believe the incident I am about to tell you, but it is true.

Against her better judgment, a friend of mine made reservations for her family to enjoy Easter buffet lunch at a local restaurant.  She was dubious about this from the start because holidays are very busy and this was a group of nineteen people.  However, others in the group wanted to eat out rather than cook so she bowed to pressure and booked the reservation.  She did this six weeks in advance and was assured by the restaurant manager that a table would be designated for her large party.  “That will be your table,” he stated.  “Nothing will change that.”

His statement was a foreshadowing of the events to come.

On Easter, all of the party arrived early.  By the time my friend got there fifteen minutes before the reservation time, the restaurant was in turmoil.  Sadly, a lady who was part of an earlier group had died while consuming her meal.  Several of my friend’s family saw the lady taken out of the restaurant on a gurney by emergency personnel.  When my friend arrived, those family members told her what had happened.  She announced to the manager that her party was there and ready to be seated.  “Haven’t you heard?” the manager replied in shock.  “We have had a tragedy here today.”

“I heard the sad news,” my friend responded, “but that doesn’t affect us.”

“Yes, it does,” the manager returned, “because the lady’s party is seated at the table reserved for your group.”

“While I am sorry for their loss,” my friend said, “we have a reservation and are ready to be seated.  I have children who did not eat breakfast in anticipation of this lunch and a diabetic who needs to eat soon.”

“Have some compassion,” the manager scolded.  “We will give the lady’s party as long as they want with the table and let you know when it is ready.”

After waiting forty-five minutes, my friend approached another manager to voice her complaint.  She was instructed to talk to the first manager.  Her group had to wait an hour and a half for their table.  During that time, no one from the restaurant offered the party a beverage, an appetizer, another table option, or an apology. 

The restaurant did not have a plan B for situations such as this.  While I realize that, fortunately, tragedies of this ilk are few, management ought to be prepared for them.  I also know that management at most small companies is immersed in conducting business on a day-to-day basis.  However, management of these companies has the responsibility to make contingency plans, particularly for the situations that directly affect customers.  Contingency plans must be created outside of the situation.  The middle of a crisis is not the time to decide what to do.  That’s why fire and tornado drills are conducted. Practicing them gives participants an idea of what to do.  If this restaurant had had a plan B, the manager would have known what to do and been able to implement the plan.

Instead, the restaurant has nineteen unhappy customers telling this story and spreading bad publicity about the place. 

What does this have to do with marketing?  Marketing is not simply getting the customer in the door.  Marketing is satisfying customers and wanting them to return.  Marketing is an endless process of keeping customers happy.

This week's marketing trivia challenge is  What plan B in dealing with customers have you encountered?  E-mail me your answer.

All It Takes Is One Moldy Bun

A couple of weeks ago, I was excited to read an article in the local paper about a new restaurant that had opened in the area. The menu tantalized my taste buds, and I resolved to try it soon. However, my excitement was due to more than an interest in food. Seeing a business get good press always excites me.

Shortly after reading the article, I was talking to a friend who related a horrific story about the same new area restaurant. An acquaintance of hers had been at the restaurant and ordered a burger. When the burger arrived, he picked it up and, as he was about to take a bite out of it, noticed mold on the underside of the bun. Shocked, he set the burger down and motioned to the waitress. "This bun has mold on the bottom," he pointed out to her.

After much discussion, management reluctantly agreed not to charge him for the burger, but insisted that he pay for the French fries and coleslaw which were a part of his meal. He unhappily did so, and, as he walked out the door, he overheard the staff talking. "Some people are so picky," one of them commented.

At this point in the story, I said, "No way! Why would someone be so foolish as to not just give the entire meal for free? Then why would you rub salt into the wound with negative comments about the incident within earshot of the customer?"

This story seems too ridiculous to be true. Unfortunately, it is.

But the problem is not the moldy bun.

The problem is the response of management and staff to the situation.

Mistakes happen. Most customers understand that. How you handle a customer complaint or problem determines if the customer remains your customer. Further, your handling can actually develop that customer into someone who does more business with you. Perhaps most importantly, your handling either encourages bad word of mouth or good word of mouth.

In this case, management and staff created very bad word of mouth by their handling of the situation. While I wasn't there to verify the details, what matters for the restaurant is not if the details are correct but that this horrible story is being passed from one person to another. The management and staff created very bad press for the establishment.

I always get excited about good press for a business. I highly recommend that businesses seek good press with the media and particularly with their customers. However, no amount of good press or good marketing can cover for the bad treatment of a customer. Some things happen in a business that are out of our control. How you treat a customer regardless of the situation's details is always within your control. Treat customers well, and you will do more business. Treat them badly, and you will do less business, not only with that customer but with others as well.

Remember, all it takes is one moldy bun and how you react to it.