by Bill Collier
Last issue, I told you about my car dealership customer service nightmare. It was so bad it inspired me to use the word “diabolical” for perhaps the first time.
The vehicle manufacturer called my wife after reviewing the scathing survey we completed. They informed her that the dealership was going to send us a $12 refund check to help make up for the wretched service.
Twelve dollars! It’s almost as if they wanted to rub more salt in the wound. What’s a synonym for “diabolical”?
In the dealership’s defense, the check did arrive a few days later. I took a photo of it, so watch for that slide in my speaking engagements.
Anyway, I’d endured a couple more dreadful service calamities since then and was reluctantly on the verge of concluding that good service is on its deathbed.
Then I walked into my new favorite coffee shop for the first time.
The two young guys behind the counter were friendly and attentive. As I perused the list of available drinks, I commended them for offering a flat white on their menu. Flat white is a terrific drink similar to a cappuccino and usually found only Down Under. That led to a nice conversation as I placed my order of a flat white and a croissant.
I asked for butter for the croissant, and one of the guys advised against it: “There’s plenty of butter in the recipe. Try it before you add more.” He was exactly right, and I admired his willingness to give such advice rather than robotically filling my request.
The drink was visually a work of art and was delicious. The food was great, as was the service.
Whew! Good service is alive and well!
“So,” you’re probably wondering, “what’s the name of this exceptional coffeehouse?”
I’m glad you asked. My visit there was just a few days before this column was due. I asked the counter guys to have one of the owners call me. I made it clear that I wanted to write about their superior customer treatment in this column and wanted their permission to mention their establishment.
But I never got that call.
That got me thinking: Do the counter guys deliver great service because that’s just how they’re wired? (Pun intended.) Or, is delivering great service part of company culture and an expectation of the employees? Did the owners fail to call me because the guys forgot to tell them? (Nah. Those are my coffee guys!) Do the owners not provide good follow-through themselves?
The takeaway: When you receive good service, who gets the credit: the employee or the business? Moreover, who deserves the credit?
It’s an important distinction. If your employees provide outstanding service, is it because of the business or in spite of the business?
Don’t let good service be an accident.
Bill Collier is the St. Louis-area coach for The Great Game of Business. He works with organizations who want to improve financial results, engage their employees and create a winning culture. Bill can be reached at 314-221-8558, GreatGame.com/stl, GGOBSTL.com or billcollier@greatgame.com.
Submitted 9 years 182 days ago