Now Thats Service

Writen by T.J. Schier

An elderly lady gazed at the array of smoothie options as she approached the counter at Freshens Yogurt in the DFW Airport. The line was quite long and I was eating within earshot of the counter. The interaction (note: an interaction, not a transaction) went something like this:

Manager: "What type of smoothie are you in the mood for today?"
Guest: "There are so many, I can't decide."
Manager: "Well, No.1 and No.16 are the most popular ones ordered, but I'll let you in on a little secret, No.18 is my favorite."
Guest: "I'll try one of those."
The manager quickly made the smoothie and tendered the payment. As the lady began to leave, the manager said, "Please take a taste—I want to ensure you enjoy it as much as I do." She obliged and responded, "Outstanding!" The manager replied, "That's what I like to hear!"

Now That's Service!

Great service not only for the guest who placed the order, but the eight others in line, as well as a lesson learned for the other employees working behind the counter. While many managers believe in good service, it's rare to see them actually demonstrate it. Kudos to the Freshëns Yogurt manager in the DFW airport who proved once again that memorable service can be delivered in a limited interactivity environment.

Along similar lines, the Chick-fil-A staff in my neighborhood responded recently to a request for a drink refill with a "My pleasure." The following Saturday after requesting Buffalo Sauce for my chicken sandwich, they responded with "I'd be happy to." And I wasn't charged for my gluttonous request of three sauces either—even though the chicken sandwich doesn't come with a sauce.

Now That's Service!

Brands thrive on the stories told about them and the hype it creates. Nordstrom's is legendary for returning a set of tires. Freshëns Yogurt in the DFW Airport and Chick-fil- A in Flower Mound, Texas deliver great recommendations and service. So what story are you and your managers creating today? Those stories build positive buzz and hype—so get going!

T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.