This is the introductory letter to my USA Today home delivery I received with my first paper.  It was crafted, copied and conveyed by Hazel, my local newspaper carrier.  Take a look at its tone and information!

Research shows the number one concern of customers of home delivery newspapers is: “not getting a paper.”  Hazel’s letter deals with that loyalty driver right up front.  And, it clearly leaves you with the distinct impression you and your business are truly valued.

What are ways you can make your new customers feel important?  Are you addressing their concerns early and in a fashion that reflects authenticity and confidence?  Are you providing easy ways for them to communicate with you?  Are you offering a back-up plan in case they cannot reach you?

Imaginative service is not “rocket surgery!”  It’s simply making customers matter and carefully managing the details important to them.  Thank you, Hazel, for being a great example of service that is simply the best!Other articles you might like:

• Don’t always tell your customers the truth
• Little Things Make the Difference
• The power of a handwritten note
• The top five customer service mistakes companies make and how you can avoid them
• Imaginative Service: Honesty is not a policy

By simply putting writing that note she created the beginning of a relationship with me. Do you think I made sure I left another tip the next day? You betcha. I would guarantee that this woman receives more tips than her counterparts.

But, unless you are in a similar position you might wonder how this might help you and your business. In March I blogged about a Dentist who used handwritten notes to help his business.

No matter what business you are in, your customer will notice when you take the time to write them a note. It doesn’t matter if it is on the bottom of the invoice you send, a postcard, a thank you note or a letter. Just take the few extra seconds it takes to write a note.

We have become adept at using technology to communicate in a variety of ways. Twitter, Facebook, E-mails, IM’s, text messages allow us to instantly communicate to our friends and our customers. That’s great. Instant communication can keep our customers in the loop. But for making a real impact on our customer nothing can beat a handwritten note.

Write someone a note today. See what happens.Other articles you might like:

• Never Leave Your Customers Wondering
• Two Simple Rules for More Loyal Customers
• Customer service and Twitter
• Are You Listening To Your Customer
• Imaginative Service: Simply the best

I was waiting in line to pay for my purchases, but as my turn arrived, the Manager showed up to make sure the cashier had enough change. Of course this is a good thing because it ensures that the cashier does not hold up customers because they don’t have correct change.

The issue was that I was ignored while they attended to the task.

When I stepped up to the counter, rather than the cashier acknowledging me before turning her attention to the task, she immediately turned to the Manager to discuss her needs. They quickly shuffled through the dollars and cents to decide what she needed.

It was only 30-45 seconds, and then the cashier rang up my purchases and sent me on my way with a cheery “Have a nice day!”

However, it let me know the priorities in this organization.

My Perspective: To be clear, I don’t hold the young girl responsible for this misstep — but the manager/management.

Management needs to ensure that tasks of good customer service don’t interfere with delivering good customer service.

When tasks need to be performed in full view of the customer, a simple acknowledgment of the customer would let them know they were seen and appreciated. Then you can address the organizational task. This could be getting change or restocking a shelf, but the customer needs to be the first priority.

The simple steps of viewing these types of tasks through the eyes of the customer will give you a quick clue on how to handle them.Other articles you might like:

• Put customers before tasks
• Don’t multi-task when helping your customer
• Do you stand behind your employees?
• How to have a fantastic Monday
• Acknowledge Your Customer’s Presence

When she arrived home, we discovered that the “special sauce” was not included in the order.

I called the order desk to report this lapse and the conversation went something like this.

First she confirmed the order by asking for my phone number.

My thought: Doesn’t every order come with Chalet sauce? Why would I be making this up?

Then she apologized — a number of times.

My thought: Good, you should. Our dinner has been ruined because Swiss Chalet didn’t execute the order correctly.

Then she indicated that I could return to the store to pick up the sauce.

My thought: But what about our dinner now getting cold in the kitchen? Not much of a solution.

I declined to return to the store, indicating the solution wasn’t very practical because our dinner wouldn’t taste very good cold, while waiting for me to head back to the store

She apologized again and offered me a $6.00 credit on my next order (the initial order was approx $30.00)

My thought: Would $6.00 really inspire me to return when the product had disappointed me. No!

My Perspective: We all know that a good recovery can actually have a positive impact on loyalty after the initial disappointing customer experience.

However, what happens if the recovery is also disappointing?

It further reinforces the negative experience and drives a further wedge between your company and a repeat visit.

Swiss Chalet clearly didn’t think their recovery process through from the customer perspective.

In my mind 2 options were appropriate.

1. First choice: Replace the entire meal and have it delivered to the customer home. Woo Hoo!
2. Provide a credit for a full meal to entice me to return and experience how great their service/food should be. At least I might give them a second chance.

Great service will make up for a miss with the product. But mediocre service will only reinforce the poor product.

Three Tips:

1. Make sure you review your recovery processes from the customer perspective.
2. Ask the customer. Do this when determining your recovery process and again after each recovery to ensure that you have indeed recovered.
3. Make sure your people are trained to ask for customer feedback and empowered to make it right. Every customer is not equal — don’t treat them like they are.

Other articles you might like:

• Are your customer service recoveries really recoveries? Part 2
• Customer service means making good on your mistakes
• Are You Accountable?
• Customers don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care
• Give your customer a cookie

See things from your customer’s view

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Every Saturday a bunch of us have breakfast at a local restaurant. We always ask for separate checks. This makes it easier when we pay. And, unless we have our regular server, we always get the same response. They total the checks separately but they’re still printed on the same piece of paper.

Maybe the server considers them separate because they’re each totaled on their own. But from the customer’s view, they are still combined. If they are on the same piece of paper, they are not separate.

And this happens every time unless we have our regular server.

If this many servers miss something this trivial, I wonder what else they are missing. What other ways are they seeing and doing things from their perspective rather than the customers? And how is that affecting their customer loyalty?Other articles you might like:

• See things from your customer’s view
• Remember the basics
• These Servers Only Want Generous Customers
• KleinBank Knows How to Treat Customers Well
• The top five customer service mistakes companies make and how you can avoid them

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

This can be difficult to correct because people who do it rarely realize it without frequent and direct feedback. It happens when an employee does almost everything right. They are friendly, polite and attentive. Everything seems fine and then wham! Instead of stopping at your table, handing you your food and interacting with you, they rush by, barely slow down and almost throw your food at you. Or they swing by your table to fill a drink or remove empty dishes and they never stop, never talk, never even make eye contact.

Their actions are not completely aligned with their attitude. There’s a mismatch. As customers we see it and feel it. It’s like someone hitting the wrong note during an otherwise beautiful song.

One reason I think this happens is employees get busy and their sense of urgency takes over in parts of their job. It’s not that they’re upset or angry. They are just moving too fast. And they never realize how their actions send the wrong message.

When you are a customer, be aware of situations where an employee’s behavior seems at odds with their attitude. What situations feel wrong, like something is out of sync? Pay attention to these and apply them to your own work so you can avoid doing the same thing to your customers.Other articles you might like:

• Getting back to basics (of customer service)
• Never to part (with your customers)
• Recipe for a great customer experience
• We choose our attitudes and our actions
• Enjoy your work and you’ll deliver better customer service

Put yourself in their shoes

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Think about when you’re the customer. How do you feel and what do you want from people you buy from? What are the top three things you want from them? Most people want similar things like courtesy, helpful information, solutions (rather than dead-ends), a friendly smile, fair value and quick service.

What about when you’re angry or frustrated with a company or person you do business with? Think about the emotions you have in those situations. And consider your motivations too. What drives you in those interactions? What actions do you want from the people you do business with? How do you want them to resolve your complaints?

We all wear at least two hats. One is our “service” hat which we wear when we are serving others. Another is our “customer” hat. Keep both of them handy at all times as a reminder to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.Other articles you might like:

• Remember to put yourself in their shoes
• Top Ten Ways Retailers Can Sell More This Holiday Season
• Radio Shack Employee Charged with Hitting Customer
• Enjoy your work and you’ll deliver better customer service
• Here’s what real customers say about customer service.

-Ron Zemke
Author of Managing Knock Your Socks Off ServiceOther articles you might like:

• First impressions count!
• Be More Responsive Than Anyone Else
• Your first contact sets the bar for customer expectations
• It’s Easy to Be Better Than Your Competition
• Customer Service Quote for June 22, 2009