If your client had a blog, would you read it every day?
If your customers have blogs, do you and your team care enough to subscribe to them?
Why do you expect these same people to subscribe to your email newsletter or your Twitter stream when you don’t return the favor?
Little Rock has a relatively nice airport...comfortable, easy, a pleasant experience by airport standards.
So, who makes the decision to let this sort of thing get in the way? I've seen this fan just like this for months. How many employees and managers are saying, "it's not my job to fix this" even though it clearly disrupts the marketing program?
Hospitality is in the Details from Michael Chaffin on Vimeo.
This video is just over an hour long...but worth every minute.
One of my favorite takeaways...when asked about what advice he would give CEO's...Start by Doing Phenomally Good Work (from the Germans no less)
I put together a Google doc bullet point list of takeaways. Feel free to share.
Rules are good for a lot of things...keeping airplanes and cars apart, managing kids at school, getting people paid on time, etc. But, as much as they make things orderly, they can really hamper your chance of being remarkable, especially in hospitality. This was the scene at a local shopping center at 10 AM. Out of camera range were five other similar congregations...just waiting to get in other stores. Guess what time this store opens, yep...10 AM. So, does it make sense for a shop keeper to keep a group of people waiting outside in the heat until the rules say it's time to open? Of course, not. It makes more sense to welcome people as they arrive, even a few minutes early, invite them in, offer them a cool drink and allow them to browse while you get the register fired up. That's what a shop keeper who's livelihood depended on every customer would do. Problem is...not many of them around. But, plenty of clerks following rules.
Your company wants you to perform at the top of your game. When you do, it greatly improves their chances of winning. But, why should you care? What's in it for you?
If you have 3 or so minutes to spare, here are my two cents on the matter...
I'd be much more inclined to respond to this if a real person would have written it...perhaps the nice man who quickly processed my car return inthe parking lot. But,that would be hard. It's so much easier and cost effective to send out form letters.
Dear Michael Chaffin,
Thank you for your recent car rental at Thrifty T-RIC.
We continuously strive to improve our service to you.
Please take a moment to complete this brief survey. Your thoughtful response is very important and will help us serve you better in the future.
We hope to see you the next time you travel.
Click here to begin the survey
Estimado Michael Chaffin,
Gracias por su reciente alquiler de coches en Thrifty T-RIC.
Nos esforzamos continuamente para mejorar nuestro servicio para usted.
Por favor, tome un momento para completar esta breve encuesta. Su respuesta reflexiva es muy importante y nos ayudará a servirle mejor en el futuro.
Esperamos verte la próxima vez que viaje.
is the response I most often receive when interviewing people for hospitality work. My guess...you hear it a lot as well. Interestingly, it's not how much you like people that counts most. It's how much people like you.
The most successful people are those which others naturally gravitate toward. The ability to demonstrate care and to deliver it in a meaningful way are extremely powerful. Some of it comes naturally...a friendly smile and positive approach to things. The rest you pick up along the way through experience and mentors...handling unexpected challenges, calm under pressure, etc.
Technical competence is necessary. You don't get far being dumb. But, the highest levels of success are achieved with more than smarts. They're attained by developing relationships, no matter if you're a waiter or a CEO. Hopefully, you have proof how much people have valued your hospitality. Perhaps you have a drawer full of thank you letters, a list of promotions or you can point to comments of appreciation on your Facebook page. Sometimes, it's more subtle...people want to work the same shift as you, or ride on the same bus.
Liking people isn't enough to get by on, especially if no one likes you.
All marketing/branding should begin with some hospitality framework...no matter what you're selling.
Hospitality..."Give people what they want, deliver it in a meaningful way and act like you care."
Why wouldn't you start with that?
It doesn't matter what you do really. Whether you're selling a car, ice cream or a hotel stay, the goal shouldn't be to meet someone's expectations...it should be to do something unexpected. That's what gets people to talk, write and come back.
Do what you can to move away from the norm...deviate whenever possible.
People like efficiency...not automation. People want to feel special...not part of a program. Every time you place someone in an automated telephone answering sequence and force them to go down a predetermined path, there's a good chance you'll lose them...if not at the outset, then at some point when the paths don't work for them.
If you're stuck with an automated system, the first choice should include talking with a live person...no questions asked, 24 hours a day (or, at least anytime the business is open). Anything less is inhospitable.
What you say and how you say it tells people how you feel about them and what you're doing. As I sat in two airports, two planes, a train and two taxi's last week, I realized how little these companies cared. All of the announcements and interactions were monotone, scripted and lacked any sort of customization or spontaneity. Not one person made me feel important to their business.
While this sort of "business as usual" attitude obviously continues the graveyard spiral for most of these organizations, it leaves a grand opportunity for the rest of us. This is a terrible time for any operator who maintains the status quo. It's a great time for anyone sensible enough to realize that doing things better is no longer an option.
Permission is powerful...one of the most coveted assets for any business. Misused or falsely represented, it's even more powerful...with the potential to destroy everything you've done to build trust with your customer. Sometimes, companies (usually big ones) fall victim to using "customary practices", which are cleverly disguised as permission, when in actuality they're asking for forgiveness...just in advance.
In the near term, it's easier to place your burden on the customer and to rationalize that it makes sense. The alternative, engaging and asking someone if it's ok to talk with them, is far more difficult...it takes real effort, time, money and a genuine interest in how someone feels about what you're doing.
My overarching rule for sensible permission...it benefits the customer more than it does the company.
Then, in the case of unsolicited communication, I'd add that if we're penalizing the majority of our customer base to collect money or information from a few, I'd find another way. I certainly wouldn't do it like this...
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NEWS FROM WELLS FARGO
Effective January 12, 2009 in order for the Bank to better service your account
and collect any amounts you owe, we may from time to time make calls and/or
send text messages to the telephone number(s) associated with your account,
including wireless telephone number(s) that could result in charges to you. The
manner in which these calls or text messages are made to you may include, but
is not limited to, the use of prerecorded/artificial voice messages and or an
automatic telephone dialing system. In addition, to better service your account
or collect any amount you owe, we may also contact you via email at any email
address you have provided. If you do not want to receive prerecorded/artificial
voice messages, automatic telephone dialing system calls and/or text messages
on your wireless telephone, please contact us at 1-877-647-8551 Monday-Friday
between 8am and 6pm and Saturday between 7am and 3pm PST.
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I'm not one for writing Christmas cards...or any cards for that matter. I think it comes from having such bad penmanship...at least that's my excuse (my mother never bought it either). In any case, why not abandon or at least augment the hand cramp tradition with a video. Simple idea really...probably been done. Create a short "Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday/Insert any special occasion" video for each of your clients and post to Youtube. Get line staff involved, dress up as Santa...have some fun with it. I bet it gets passed around more than the paper version.
Placed a take-out order with one of our favorite local eateries...Purple Cow (just a coincidence I think). Ten minutes after the order, our plans had to be changed. I called back, explained our predicament and offered to pay for the order no matter that we couldn't pick it up. I was place on hold...for about two minutes...of course, it always feels longer. A manager came on, listened to my situation...and said no problem, she would offer the food to some employees. Problem solved...good enough.
But, good enough isn't good enough. Not if your goal is to be remarkable. Having a problem, being placed on hold to speak with a supervisor is average. The first employee who took my return call had a chance to be remarkable...to take the matter into her own hands, own the problem and do something. Had her manager prepared her for that, given her the tools, authority and training, she would have been memorable...everyone wins.
We'll be going back to Purple Cow...it's better than most and fun for the kids. Could be so much better though.
which is the problem with most customer communications. The bigger problem is that customers don't want to be treated like businesses. They want to be treated like people. Or, better yet, like people that matter. I just received this note from American Airlines. At first glance, it doesn't look kind or friendly...like something even worth reading. Correct...not only not worth reading, it made me feel like I don't matter. It made me feel more like I do when I receive that envelope from the IRS or how I feel just before jumping in line at the post office or DMV. If you're sending out letters like this, especially when taking something away...stop! Find a better, softer, nicer way to get your point across. Make a phone call, hold a special appreciation event...in the case of my letter, give me a mileage boost, perhaps 500 miles for every year I've been part of the club to show that you value my patronage. A letter like this one destroys everything you and all of your employees have worked so hard to accomplish...to turn me from stranger into friend and to keep me as a customer.
Upcoming Policy Change On Shorter Flights
Dear Michael Chaffin,
Effective January 1, 2009, we are discontinuing the minimum mileage
guarantee for non-elite status members for flights on American
Airlines, American Eagle®, AmericanConnection®, oneworld® member airlines, AAdvantage® participating
airlines as well as rail service and codeshare service booked under an AA flight number.
With this change, customers will earn AAdvantage miles equal to the
actual distance flown or the applicable percentage* of the miles flown,
and any associated bonuses will be calculated accordingly. Similarly,
elite status qualifying miles and points earned for travel on eligible
flights will also be based on the actual miles earned. AAdvantage
Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum® and
AAdvantage Gold® members are exempt from this change.
The new policy will apply to non-elite status members traveling on or
after January 1, 2009, regardless of when the ticket was booked or
purchased. Flights flown on or before December 31, 2008, will continue
to accrue AAdvantage miles under the current policy. For more
information, visit AA.com/AAdvantage.
Thank you for your business. We look forward
to seeing you onboard soon.
Sincerely,
Rob Friedman
President
AAdvantage Marketing Programs
It used to be tougher...meetings, memos, phone calls and lot's of time put into keeping the other side informed...just so you could keep from looking foolish. Now, there's hardly an excuse...technology makes it easy and fast. But, somehow, people still find ways to create the gaps...those companies eventually die.
Worried about the market chaos? The likelihood of travel cutbacks and reduced demand? I wouldn't be...not much you can do about it. What I would do however is lead a charge of flawless execution. Because that's what it's going to take to see you through.
Tough times are actually wonderful opportunities to build a business. While the competition is in cost cutting, hunker down, stay the course mode...you get better. You take some chances. You become even more fanatical about service. You demonstrate even more care for your employees and customers. And, you improve execution...of all of it. Meanwhile, your customers are worried, nervous, looking for value and safe harbor. Are they going to turn to someone with less staff, less hours and a marginalized product? Probably not. But, at the same time, people aren't going to change, take a chance, seek out something new either. Unless you give them reason to.
Now is precisely the time to try something new, add a new flavor, another ounce or make one more follow-up call. Now is the time to infuse more care and service into everything you do. Now is the time to do something...and do it well. That's what people are looking for.
How about a Radio Flyer full of toys upon arrival...I wish they had this sort of thing when I was growing up...maybe they did and I wasn't lucky enough to stay in the right places.
