My wife and I were talking last night after leaving the Memorial service of a friend's wife. They had been married for 22 years and although I met his wife only once, I know she was his best friend, much the same as my wife is to me. As best friends, we do most everything together. Not because we have to but because we want to.
As we discussed the things we enjoyed doing together, the one thing we have not been able to accomplish is to work together. I think it would be awesome to have a business where we were able to work side by side as a team. We both had businesses with our former spouses but we have not had that opportunity to do it with each other yet.
I have over 30 years experience in Retail Management with 10 years as a multi-unit Supervisor and over 11 as a Corporate Trainer. My wife has experience as a Corporate Trainer and in finance. Why we were never able to see that we both have similar backgrounds is strange, but what brought it to our attention was our dinner last night.
We were eating at a restaurant after the memorial and to say the service was less than spectacular would be an understatement. It was not horrible but it was not good either. The food took forever to arrive and both of us had food that was cold or to be more precise, lukewarm. The bread we ordered never arrived beofer the food. The food was brought by the manager and when she was asked for bread, she then went into a long explaination (read: excuse)as to why the bread had not arrived and she promised it would be out soon. We finally got it when we paid the check and asked for a to go box and the bread we never got. The waitress told us she hoped our experience next time would be better. No apology and we never complained, so it must have been obvious to her that things were not right. Still there was a missed opportunity for a better tip and a possible return visit.
The restaurant was not crowded and they were not understaffed to my reckoning. What seemed to be the problem was that there was no organization of the people there. There also may have been a training (or lack thereof) issue at play here. The waitress got a mediocre tip (and I tip well when it is deserved) and we would not recommend the restaurant to friends. Since we don't live there, it may not make a dent in their business but I assure you if the service continues at that rate, they may not last much longer as a business.
On the way home, my wife and I began a conversation about Customer Service. More specifically, where has Customer Service gone? Growing up, we didn't eat out much but when we did, the service was top notch. Today, it is getting harder and harder to find a place with good customer service. I am not just talking about restaurants here, though they stand to benefit the most from outstanding customer service since the waiters and waitresses make a bulk of their money via tips.
No matter where you go today: (Walmart, Sears, the grocery store, the car dealer, the post office, ad infinitum) customer service seems to be the last thing on their mind. Walmart has 24 lanes and five cashiers. When Sam Walton started Walmart, it was all about the American made goods and the service. The first Walmart in Athens, Tennessee used to call extra cashiers if they had more than two people in line. Now they call cashiers and managers and they never arrive. The self service check out lanes are a joke. For every item you scan, the next three will not scan or will require some form of cashier intervention. Now Walmart is all about Chinese made goods and very minimal customer service. I only shop there if I can't find what I need elsewhere--even if the price is higher. It just is not worth the effort or the time. A company that was made based on quality and service is now reduced to making us do all our own service and the quality is less than good on many items. To make matters worse, try and get an exchange or refund on a defective item. That will get your blood boiling!
Walmart is not the only one like this. Nearly any place you go, you will experience the same kind of thing. Customer Service is dead!
That is where my wife and I came up with the idea for our new business. Using our considerable experience in Corporate Training, we are starting our own business as Management Consultants. We will be offering any business the opportunity to turn around their business by applying the principles of effective leadership to their management team.
Most businesses now cut costs by buying cheaper goods and paying smaller wages to part-time employees so they can get by without paying benefits as an effort to bring more to the bottom line. I believe that by reversing the trend and paying more for better quality (both help and goods) and by giving the best customer service possible, that ANY BUSINESS could turn their profits around and shoot them through the roof.
More businesses fail than survice today and one main cause is the lack of customer service. I have seen people open a restaurant because they love to cook but lose the business because they don't know the first thing about running a business. Knowledge of product does not translate to success in business if you don't realize one simple rule: The Customer IS KING!!!! Giving the customer the best product possible, with the best service possible, will translate into a profitable business. It is a choice, like many other things I discuss on this blog. The choice you make to be a Customer Service Giant or a squeeze the bottom line for a buck is the difference between profit and closing your doors.
I am all about Customer Service. I know it and I know how to teach it to others. So the order for business cards and stationary are going in today. We start canvassing the neighborhood businesses here first and then we will branch out. I am sick of lousy service and I look forward to working with my wife as well. If you have a business or know of a business that could use a good dose of Customer Service Training, reply to this blog and let us know. TODAY I CHOOSE TO STOP MAKING EXCUSES! It is a conscious choice, what choice do YOU make today?
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