Cubby's Customer Service Station

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company -- A 212 Example

2011-03-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Why do some organizations seem to consistently "get it" while others are unpredictable? A few years ago, I was spending a significant amount of time in San Francisco. I discovered the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company on the Wharf and made fairly regular visits. A view of the Bay, a good selection of seafood -- but outstanding service and the "atmosphere" always made the visits enjoyable.

Just a few weeks ago, I was working in Minneapolis and with my business colleague we were at the Mall of America -- and looking for dinner. My colleague was unaware of the existence of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company but upon seeing it remarked that "Forest Gump" was perhaps his all time favorite movie. Knowing the atmosphere of the restaurant -- and the trivia questions that would certainly be asked by the servers -- I strongly suggested that we had to make that our dinner stop.

And it was everything as expected with a friendly, knowledgeable, server and what I've concluded is the consistently outstanding friendliness and quick service of my visits to San Francisco's Bubba Gump's.

The point, if not already obvious, is clear. How do certain establishments create and maintain outstanding "212" service? They hire the right people, train them, and I believe recognize and reward this high level of performance. Enough said!!!

Historical Simplicity

2010-03-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

According to a new book ("Appetite for America") detailing the success of Fred Harvey's railroad restaurants, the "Harvey Girls," and what many would agree, the first "fast food" chain, the success was based on many of the same things demanded in the fast food restaurant world today.

But among the many success factors, one stands out immediately. Harvey had "rules" for both on and off job behavior of the "Harvey Girls" (who lived in company housing). The first rule on the list was: "Have a Sincere Interest in People."

Some things never -- and should never -- change!

A 212 Story from "Cheeseburger in Paradise"

2010-03-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

From a manager who knows the importance of great guest service (for a client of mine), here's another example of the importance of guest service, especially when things go wrong -- and the value of "recovery."

This manager and his spouse went to dine at a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" in Illinois. To say that things went wrong is easy. They waited an hour for their food to be served. By that time, the restaurant had "comped" them for their meals and drinks. When the food order finally arrived, it was incorrect -- at the point the restaurant added a $25 gift certificate.

Comment: This is a pretty good recovery -- "comping" drinks in addition to the meals -- then adding the gift certificate when another error occurred. The proof is very simple. The customer's first comment when he posted this on his Facebook page: "Mark it a win!" "Paid to eat and drink!" I pushed a little bit further to get detail and he told me clearly that "we left happy!"

Customers or Guests?

2010-03-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

Today, 2/2/10, the comic strip "Retail" featured a clearly sarcastic commentary on the department store wanting to "get back in the habit of referring the customers as "guests." The practice is ridiculed and labeled "awkward semantics."

Comment: The easiest response to this would be "guess they're uninformed" but I suppose there's an alternative that somehow, somewhere the writers experienced a poor application of the concept. For the most part, I'll go with the "uninformed" part. The writers must be completely oblivious to the success of organizations, like Disney, whose success has been attributed to a number of great practices, one of which is a complete vocabulary that helps define the culture of the organization. I've worked with one client for almost a dozen years who has similarly built this language into the culture. I'm even struggling with how "guests" qualifies as "awkward semantics" -- which better describes the criticism itself.

Customer Service or Just Stupid Management

2010-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

OK, I suppose customer service doesn't really count if you're closing the restaurant -- but this one is worth sharing anyway.

Fifty employees of Big Boy Restaurants in Ohio recently lost their jobs when the company that owned several restaurants walked in on a Thursday morning, while guests were eating their breakfasts, and announced that the restaurants were closing. Inspired service, I'm sure, for the next few minutes as employees were told they'd lost their jobs -- while they were serving guests.

In a wonderful spirit of great service, the guests were told they could finish their meals and that they breakfasts would be "on the house." Wow! That would leave feeling great about the company -- would certainly inspire me to visit one of their remaining locations. NOT!

Family or Locally Owned?

2009-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

Why do family or locally owned business often seen to have great customer service -- even if it's being provided by employees who are not part of the family or ownership? Is it because the presence of an owner can better instill in the minds and hearts of the employees the importance of good customer service? Can they better translate their vision to employees? Do they provide better, maybe more personalized training, even if it might be shorter?

Why am I posing these questions? For two reasons... One, I was in Omaha last week (11/11/2009) and I drove over to a local restaurant to pick up a take-out order for dinner. I've been to the restaurant on two previous occasions and customer service has been outstanding each and every time. The women who have taken and fulfilled my order have been courteous, attentive, helpful, and prompt... Second reason for asking these questions: just wondering??

Don't Pay the Tip -- Get Arrested!!??

2009-11-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

What a Story!

Comment: This one speaks for itself -- but I gotta smile. My guess is that this restaurant is going to have some much smaller crowds in the near future. Why would any business treat unhappy customers this way in today's environment? I'm labeling this a -212 story but it really deserves a -424!

Travel Adventures - October in Omaha

2009-10-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last week (10/12/09), I was on a business trip to Omaha. It ended up being a wonderful adventure of some of the best and probably some of the worst customer service imaginable. The experiences were heightened because I was traveling for (and with) more than a dozen managers who I've trained in customer service principles -- and who are all intimately involved in providing customer service every day. I'd say "tough audience" but really just a very good audience.

The restaurant disaster was on Monday night -- fortunately because of airline incompetence I decided to miss this one. But several of my students went to a restaurant recommended by our hotel and experienced a disaster of poor, slow, almost totally incompetent service (by the way the food was good but they didn't care!). Their food order wasn't even "put in" until almost 50 minutes after being placed. Their complaints were ignored, to some extent even ridiculed.

But there's a flip side to this story. On Tuesday night, I was part of a group that went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner; on Wednesday night, part of another group (with some similarities) that went to P.F. Chang's. The service in each of these places was outstanding -- it exceeded expectatons in several ways. The servers were pleasant, knowledgeable, alert, informative, and quick to respond in every way.

My professional comment is the obvious. The servers at P.F. Chang's and Ruby Tuesday were obviously given very clear expectations -- and they were obviously very well trained. Such a simple formula!

Grocery Store Service...

2009-09-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

A new Pick 'n Save grocery store has opened in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (a Milwaukee suburb). I have visited the store twice since its grand opening a week ago. What pleases me most about the store is not the layout or selection of items, it's the service level. The first day customers were greeted at the front door with brochures showing the layout of the store -- OK that was expected.

But on both visits, I was addressed by store personnel working in the store, asked pleasantly -- NOT "Can I help you?" but with a much preferred: "Can I help you find anything in particular?" or "Are you finding everything OK?" Both of those are much preferred than the robotic "Can I help you?" But most importantly, although I used the self-scanner check-out both times, I was approached very politely, thanked, and even quickly assisted with a code for bananas.

The reality is that none of this is a surprise for a brand new store -- my question is why can't this happen at the Pick 'n Save just a couple miles away where nobody ever says anything...

Customer Appreciation?

2009-08-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

I guess with a national organization promoting the concept -- even though logic and many of the best customer service experts decry the concept -- it's going to continue to happen. This is actually a company from which I've purchased a few items. But this special offer is one that I'll ignore -- plus it mentally lowers my impression of the company.

If anybody's wondering -- this week the company "appreciates customers." The rest of the time they don't care at all?

Sprint as "Twit"

2009-06-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

To put the whole story here is almost impossible -- if interested it's online at www.belling.com. It's available as a podcast from the first hour of Mark Belling's show on 6/22/09.

In brief, Mark purchased a new phone from Sprint (and now I know even more about why I left them years ago because of this same type of miserable service). Despite purchasing the protection plan plus the "protection" accessories, it was obvious within three days that the phone was defective. But returning to the store, he was basically told by several people that "there's nothing I can do about it...," not at the store level, not at the manager level, not at the national Sprint Customer Service level. Interestingly I had a similar (different type of defect) problem a couple years ago with an AT&T phone about a week after I got it. Took it to the store, in less than fifteen minutes, I left with a new phone.

Mark ended up paying $126 for an "in-store" replacement -- and I'm sure 100's if not more potential customers are re-considering their potential purchases after hearing Mark "rip" Sprint for a good 30 minutes. Wow -- does that raise the average of "how many people tell others when they're unhappy."

My only real surprise -- maybe Belling is more logical here -- is that I would have left the phone, left my contract even if it was for a period of time -- and I would have headed to the nearest competitor. Yeah, it's a cost -- but over the long term Sprint loses -- and in both dollars and reputation.

Cracker Barrel

2009-06-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

My good friends, Southern Gospel's award-winning Booth Brothers, perform 150 concerts a year, putting them on the road for almost 250 days. Their #1 stop for their main meal each day on the road is Cracker Barrel. I've traveled with the Booth Brothers a few times (most recently for an important related goal which will be described at http://www.performance-project.com/). The Booth Brothers are demanding customers: they'll quickly ask for substitutions, more (sometimes less) of something, etc. What I've noticed on several visits to Cracker Barrel with these guys is that no request seems out of place to the friendly, very fast working, staff members at Cracker Barrels all over the country.

A 212 plus congratulations to the Cracker Barrel!

Hotel Miscues

2009-06-22T03:20:00.001-07:00

A recent stay at a Holiday Inn Express in Atlantic City leaves me with a "-212" story. At check-in I was told cheerfully that I was the first to be booked in a "completely refurbished room." The next step started the downfall: my electronic key didn't work. By itself, that's minor and happens occasionally -- but the "robotic" response after having to trudge back to the desk with my luggage start the score going below 212. When entered the room, it dropped a whole bunch. The room was clearly "newly refurbished" -- proven by the fact that it wasn't finished. The room will be very nice after another few hours work -- when the baseboards are installed and the mini-refrigerator is not just sitting on the floor and the bathroom is completed. The next day I also discovered the whirlpool spa had a pathetically slow drain -- about four hours in the room with water still draining (decided not to use that the next days).

But in some ways these are minor -- except that when I returned home I decided to not be one of the 90% that don't complain -- just don't return (but I won't). I wrote a letter detailing my dissatisfaction. Well, it's six weeks, time's up -- NO RESPONSE!

Holiday Inn Express has been in the top 2 or 3 choices for hotel stays in that "business" category. And because each location is typically independent, it's a tough call. But that failure to respond to my letter in a timely way has them a strong candidate for my policy of a "one year you won't get my business" decision.

Customer Service Training -- The Quit Offer

2008-10-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

The August, 2008 issue of HR Executive contained a brief note on a policy that online shoe retailer Zappos has used for over three years. Halfway through a four-week intensive training program, customer service representatives are offered full pay for time worked plus a $1500 bonus to "quit today."

According to Zappos, "the ones who don't take it...are really committed to the company." Less than 2% of the almost 1000 employees who gone through the training have taken the company up on the offer.

Comment: Simply put: Interesting!

Human Sigma -- Research from Gallup

2008-10-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hundred's of books exist on Customer Service -- many great. But here's one that's great plus -- because it includes powerful data that proves its points.

It's from the Gallup Organization -- and is coordinated perfectly with Gallup's research on engaged employees and management practices.

212: METRA Chicago

2008-10-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, September 23, I boarded a 10:10 train from Union Station in Chicago to return to my hotel in Addison. A frequent rider of AMTRAK from Milwaukee to Chicago, this was my first METRA ride. Honestly, I was exhausted and was concerned I might fall asleep, miss my stop, and end up really at the end of the line.

So after the conductor punched my ticket, I asked if the announcements for the stations was loud enough to hear clearly. She said, "yes, they are." But just a couple minutes later, she returned to my seat, asking "Sir, did you hear that announcement?" I said "No," to which she replied "Something's wrong, I'll check it out for you." Minutes later the next announcement came through loud and clear.

Thanks for 212 Service from Metra!!

The 212 Degree Theme

2008-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

An outstanding story, from www.simpletruths.com, highlights the powerful message of just one degree making a difference in exceeding expectations. This blog will feature stories about customer service where just that one simple degree of difference exceeds expectations and provides 212 Service.

Unfortunately there will also be a collection of stories that will be labeled at various levels below (and way below) 212.