The Seven Sins of Service Quality

"In the service industry, are you 'clerking' or are you working to meet the individual needs of every customer?"

-- Janet Bartman

In order to excel, we need to identify areas of opportunity. There can be no remarkable service with apathy, a brush off, extreme casualness, words of condescension, robotism, quoting the rulebook, or the ever-annoying runaround. Those are the seven sins of service quality.

The seven sins speak to daily challenges in your company's quest to become known as a remarkable organization.

They speak volumes to your customers too.

1. Apathy means, "I don't care that you are here, at least while the boss isn't looking."
2. The brushoff means, "Don't bother me. The way you look, we don't want your business today, or ever."
3. Too casual means, "You are not important to us, and I am too cool to act more respectful."
4. Words of condescension mean, "I still get paid, even if I talk down to you."
5. Robotism means, "This is so boring. Take the bag. When do I get paid?"
6. The rulebook means, "I may look (younger/older) than you, but I get to show how much smarter I am than you."
7. The runaround means, "I don't care if I waste your time. I'm still getting paid."

Eliminate the seven sins, and you will gain greater customer loyalty. Repeat business comes not only from product satisfaction, but also, from the experience of consistent professional courtesy.


Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: The Seven Sins, spoken.

What is the Opposite of Remarkable?

Earlier in this series, I spoke highly of Seth Godin's book, "The Purple Cow, Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable."

In it, the author asks, "What is the opposite of remarkable?

According to Godin, the opposite of remarkable is "being very good." He says that there is a fine line between being very good and being remarkable, but if you're just very good, you're actually invisible.

He cites Herb Keller, longtime CEO of Southwest Airlines who says,
"If you buy a ticket on an airline, and they fly you there safely, you don't have a very rousing story to tell."

If a store opens at the appointed time and the receipt is correct, you don't have a very rousing story to tell.

If you get from Point A to Point B in your business, and collect a check, you don't have a very rousing story to tell.

So, where are you "being very good" right now?

Are you marching along just like all your other professional colleagues?

What is the rousing story you want others to tell about your remarkable service? Start putting those stories out there front and center, on your web site, in your marketing materials, and as part of the story you tell to every new prospect when they ask, "Why should I hire you?"

Suggestions:

Think of those really remarkable client success stories. The ones where you felt "a burst of pride" as it unfolded and came to its conclusion.

Present those stories to others, as you talk about your service, your products, your features and benefits. Client confidence comes from an emotional understanding that you will solve problems in a stellar way for them. Upgrade to remarkable language. Its really out of personal pride in yourself, not "for show."

Prepare remarkable reports.

Be remarkably appreciative.

Be remarkably reliable.

Create and circulate a rousing, remarkable story about your organization... You are the source and the messenger of all that is remarkable in your world.

Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: The Seven Sins of Service Quality

Your Power Hour, Part 2

Continuing the Power Hour idea: When I worked there, Nordstrom would unlock their mall doors at 9:50 a.m., even though the official opening time is 10:00 a.m.

The store manager knew that anyone waiting outside ten minutes before store opening was there with a business purpose. She personally welcomed them early, showing respect for their needs. This jump-started the store's Power Hour with ten additional minutes of customer convenience, based on demand.

At your organization, I am sure that service is often very good for most customers, but who are the ones that fall through the cracks, and who are the ones that truly experience the remarkable? Focus on the first and last hours as "Power Hours" and watch your overall organizational productivity climb. This is the time to reward achievement!

Suggestion: All participants with early or late-day sales can be entered into a weekly or monthly incentive drawing. Have them document their dollar value on duplicate sales slips (all entries qualify) and you will see the overall cumulative financial power of your Power Hours.

A word on the flip side: It may be time to have a private high-level discussion about apparent slackers, too-casual business attitudes, visible computer games on company time, and negativity in the workplace, which can affect any hour of the workday. A valued customer can be unwittingly offended with one "stray f-bomb." You will never know, because they will never return.

Are all employees ambassadors of your corporate brand? Becoming remarkable takes an organization-wide commitment to fine tune every Power Hour opportunity. Just like running a marathon, each effort takes you closer to the goal.

Use Power Hours. Make the choice today to become a remarkable organization.

Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: The Opposite of Remarkable

Your Power Hour

"The needs of early and late-day customers are no different than peak hour selling. Be ready for every customer, squeezing excellence out to the edges of each day. This is the time to reward achievement!"

-- Janet Bartman

Today, I share one of my best secrets: "Your Power Hour."

It's rare that I meet someone who has not shopped at Nordstrom. I worked for them for more than 10 years, and in several of those years, I achieved the distinction of being a leader in annual sales volume in my division.

To achieve annual goals, my mindset was that of a marathon runner. One day, the store manager asked me what I was doing to consistently bring in top sales results. I told her about what I called my "Power Hours." They included the first hour and the last hour of my sales day. I knew that the needs of early and late-day customers are no different than peak hour selling, so I took it as a personal challenge to be ready for every customer, squeezing excellence out to the edges of each day.

Have you noticed that retail colleagues often chat at the register at the beginning of the day? Seeing this afforded me several early opportunities to jump-start my daily performance. Also, I never gave up on the last hour of my day - Power Hours were my bookends. Often I could double my daily volume by staying fresh and engaged for late customers, when everyone else was fading and ready to go home.

You may not be a retailer, but how do you use your first and last hour of the workday? Can you squeeze excellence out to the edges, for more daily productivity?

Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: Power Hours, Part 2

The Concierge & The Chocolate Chip Cookies

"I am on a personal mission to wipe out the phrase, "No Problem" from the service industry.

-- Janet Bartman

Recently I was traveling, and I was staying at a familiar business-class hotel. Each afternoon, the hotel baker brought a large, irresistible tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the concierge desk.

On my second day there, I walked up and selected a cookie. As I did, I made the comment that I had been looking forward to this special treat all day. The concierge glanced up and gave me a cursory nod and a brisk "no problem," and then his eyes reverted back to his computer screen.

All that effort into baking cookies, and the goodwill was gone in an instant. I knew it was "no problem," but I would like to propose an alternate ending to this story.

The concierge glances up, hears my comment, smiles and says, "My pleasure. Enjoy!"

Which concierge knows the language of remarkable service?

I am on a personal mission to wipe out the phrase 'no problem' from the service industry. Here's why: Look in the mirror and say "problem." Now, look in the mirror and say "pleasure." Which one makes you smile? If there is no problem, don't bring one up. Just smile, and say, "My pleasure!"


Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: Your "Power Hour"

Part 2: Yes, there is a Language of Really Remarkable Service

"It is a long way from your brain, with a good idea like this, to your lips which want to cooperate, but take time to train correctly."

-- Janet Bartman

I discovered that there is a language of remarkable service, and you can change an entire company by changing one little word.

"Yes."

Not, "yeah," "uh-huh," "okay," "sure," or "no problem."

EXAMPLES:
Yes, certainly. (Instead of "yeah.")
Yes, I'd be happy to do that for you. (Instead of "uh-huh.")
Yes, we can do that. (Instead of "ok.")
Yes, consider it done. (Instead of "sure.")
And, my personal favorite: Yes, my pleasure. (Instead of "no problem.")

A word about the word "no." If you begin a reply to a client with the word "no," it is just like slamming the door in their face.

Challenge yourself early on to find a way to say "yes" first. It shows your concern for the client and goes a long way as an assurance of understanding.

EXAMPLES:
Yes, I understand.
Yes, let's look at that together.
Yes, I see your concern.
Yes, I will check on that.
Yes, we normally can do that.
Yes, tell me more about what happened.
Yes, we have a specialist to help you with that.

Imagine the positive energy if everyone in your company made a commitment to "Yes." I caution you, though. This little upgrade is more difficult than you think. It is a long way from your brain, with a good idea like this, to your lips which want to cooperate, but take time to train correctly.

Here is a regional challenge, Spokane. It can easily become a theme through Greater Spokane, Inc, to creatively promote "Spokane's Summer of Remarkable Service," if they get behind the idea. (I can feel creative minds at work already.)

For business owners here today, you can start small, and reap big rewards immediately. Make your commitment to this one little word, and your organization will become transformed. As a company-wide kick-off event, why not give everyone lapel buttons or stickers that simply say "Yes."

For a week, make a game of catching others when they slip up with slang, instead of using "Yes," thereby forfeiting their button. The winners will be wearing the most buttons at the end of the week, and the upgrade will be widespread by then. (You can tell your customers it is "Yes, we give Remarkable Service" week, if they ask about the buttons.)

Are you in? Let's all get started and bring the language of really Remarkable Service to work today.

Janet Bartman is the Communications Director for a large professional membership organization in Spokane. She welcomes your comments.

Next Post: Chocolate Chip Cookies

(c) www.wordle.net
This is a cool "wordle" of all the words used in my blog.
Click the image to enlarge it. Yes, I'm a word-nerd.