Top Ten Real World Customer Experiences
Sometimes it’s fun (and helpful) to take our customer service classroom to the streets and see how real people are getting treated as customers. So today I will share with you my top ten list of real world customer experiences: nine winners and one sinner in the battle for delivering Amazing Customer Service.
The Customer Service Winners
We wrapped up our dinner on a Sunday night. As we left Debbie forgot to bring her leftovers. By the time she went back in to claim them, they had been trashed as the staff cleared the table.
But, rather than send her home disappointed, the manager walked her back to the kitchen, asked her what she had ordered, and had the cooks make her another one. About 5 minutes later she walked out (beaming) with a brand new, full order.
Every time I go to JoJo’s I get something enjoyable yet surprisingly rare : a friendly conversation. The people there always take time to chat. They greet everyone who walks in. They pay attention to and actually care about their customers. And if you’ve not been there for a while, they’ll notice next time you come in. In my city it’s probably as close to Cheers as it gets. (But don’t you dare call me Norm!)
Caribou Coffee (Minnesota’s answer to Starbucks) is a winner because they are consistent. The people are always friendly and the coffee is always good. Plus I love the sign on their door as you leave: “See you tomorrow.” (Gotta love their optimism!)
Their #1 corporate goal must be to greet every customer with a hearty hello. I love this. No matter what Jimmy John’s you go to you always get acknowledged and greeted as you walk in the front door. Some Jimmy Johners do it with more gusto than others. But it’s always there. They’re not just freaky fast. They are freaky friendly!
This might seem to trivial to even mention. And it should be. But think of how many retail businesses you walk in and you feel invisible.
I stopped by the local Pilgrim drycleaners one day after leaving my office. Not long after I got a friendly letter from the store manager thanking me for choosing Pilgrim. This was a PAPER LETTER mailed in an ENVELOPE. With a real signature (in blue ink).
This might be another “huh?”. Why would such a simple act make this company a customer service winner? And that tells us how our customer service world has changed.
I amsurprised thrilled amazed when someone takes the time to write, sign and mail a letter thanking me for spending $23 at their business. Because nobody does this anymore. (Or so I thought.)
It was a busy night at the Barnes & Noble store in the Mall of America. Nothing unusual there. From a customer perspective, this mall is almost recession proof. I heard about a new book and I wanted to see if they had it yet. The lady at the customer service island was fast yet friendly and genuine. We talked about books and travel and the upcoming holidays all while she tracked down this book for me.
You might ask, “Isn’t that her job?” And it’s a fair question. But too often the people we deal with do much less than “their job”. So this lady’s charm and grace, while doing her job, makes her a customer service winner.
Starbucks, Arby’s and Potbelly Sandwich Shop (all in Maple Grove, MN)
I think there’s something in the water in Maple Grove. Or at least in the retail area that includes Starbucks, Arbys and the Potbelly Sandwich Shop. Their employees are all monumentally happy. Every time I visit one of these shops the people are not just friendly. They really seem to enjoy their work and their customers. They smile, they talk, they laugh. And not like scripted robots either. They are real. (It’s easy to tell the difference.)
The Customer Service Sinner
Since the good people at Target Corporation were kind enough to drop a brand new SuperTarget about a mile from our house, we’ve rewarded them with tenacious loyalty. (My wife calls Target her “happy place”.) The Target brand plus the convenient location, relevant product mix and competitive pricing make it a winner. My only ongoing complaint is their employees (usually) do a lousy job bagging our groceries. Just chaos in paper bags!
Because they don’t pay attention.
What makes this sadly funny is I do all the hard work for them. I literally arrange our groceries on the conveyor belt exactly as I want them bagged. My goal is to have them bagged according where they will live in our kitchen. One bag for refrigerated items. Another for the pantry, etc. So it makes the unbagging job go faster once we get home.
Yet almost every time, my neatly arranged flow of groceries gets torn up as if a hurricane passed through. No order, no logic no rhyme, no reason.
In the grand scheme, this is not a big deal. But its frustrating because the cure is so simple. And it does earn Target a “Fail” for this edition of our Top Ten Real World Customer Experiences.
Conclusion
You can see the winners here all have people who care about customers. They engage with them, they go the extra mile without being asked, they recognize them. They are human and they treat people well. And this seems to permeate their businesses.
In some cases, maybe they got lucky and scored some fantastic employees. But I think the majority of these companies have built a culture of caring in their organizations. They’ve discovered the secret sauce of how to treat people consistently well. And they spread it liberally on every customer experience.
That makes them winners in the real world of customer service.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved this post because it focused on all the real people who are doing a great job of offering memorable customer service.
I’d add my local Publix stores in Boca Raton/ Delray Beach FL along Federal Highway. Everyone makes eye contact as they say “hi”, offers assistance if you look even slightly puzzled, and treats customers like visiting guests to their homes. It feel great!
Emily’s Deli in Northeast Minneapolis delivers friendly service even if they DON’T know you – funny thing is, they knew almost every customer in their crowded small restaurant yesterday. Servers greeted many table patrons by name and knew their specials. They were surprised we asked about something on the menu: “You haven’t been here before??” But patient in describing details from the Middle Eastern style sides to Kibbi’s spice quotient. Sitting on top of each other practically, but not a worry.
Could have been cranky in such a crowded place but instead it was fun. Wait staff taking it all in stride, hustling. Nothing bland in the place.
One man came up to the deli and ordered – “I’d like a side of tabouli – with attitude!’ He got friendly attitutde.
Thumbs up – Emily’s must treat its employees well.
Food was quick, reasonable, delicious.
Hi Joanne – sounds like my kind of place! It shows creating a winning customer experience is not hard. Nothing complicated about it. And it’s all in the hands of the customer facing people. All the policies, scripts and scorecards in the world couldn’t replicate the experience you get at Emily’s Deli.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Next time I’m in Nordeast, I’ll stop by Emily’s!
I’m interested in the Barnes & Noble example. I have found B&N to be a little hit and miss and wonder just how rounded their approach to customer service is. As an example, while I do note and applaud the strength of the customer service island that you cite, I will say that I have at times found it to be just that, an island. The cashiers often come across as bored, inconvenienced and truculent. From a process point of view this is a disaster as, irrespective of any positive experience you may have encountered during your visit, the odds are that your final memory will be less than positive
The key lesson here (and not a new lesson by any means, it’s a basic) is that customer service is not just for “customer service” staff
Hi Shaun – I agree with you, consistency is key to long term success in customer service. People who work at Barnes & Noble have told me their number one priority is customer service. It’s a top priority in their training of staff. But does that mean every employee does it well? No. Process, as you mention, is important. If they hire friendly people, train them, coach them and build a culture of service, then that consistent, quality service might be there. I think a big challenge many companies have is simply having enough employees on the retail floor to help customers. So, creating that culture of service also means the company needs to spend the money to make it happen. It’s not just a matter of telling employees to do it.