Recently my travels took me to Indianapolis. No, this entry is not about racing again....
Following the normal procedures of getting my bag and proceeding to the Avis rental counter and that's when things began to bring more energy to my day. Erin was working the Avis counter, smile on her face and joy in her voice as she processed my reservation promptly and super-friendly. That took about 3 minutes and then I proceeded into the gorgeous afternoon sunshine only to be picked up by Ron. You see Ron had pep in his step and pride in his voice as he greeted me and helped me with my bag. Ron was the shuttle driver, better yet - SHUTTLE LEADER because he was leading me to my destination and creating a better day for me simply with his attitude of service. I heard Ron call in to the car terminal and I heard my name and evidently the spot number where my wheels were waiting on me. Well, when I sprang off the bus to my designated spot, there was Jennifer waiting on me and greeted me by name and wanted to know what else I needed from her, directions, etc. When I smilingly responded that I had some directions, she was sure to give me some pointers to the most efficient route to exit the airport. She did not want me to get caught up in the construction that Google maps may not have known about.
This level of friendliness and excellent service added a spring to my step and made the sun even brighter for my mood state.
You notice that in a span of perhaps 10 minutes, three pieces of Avis' business process were laced with rocking service. Erin had the tool of the reservation system to pull my name up, but her CPU is not what put a smile on her face and joy in her gestures. Ron had the shuttle to transport me and the tool he needed (Hand held Radio) to call in to Jennifer. The bus nor the radio put the pep in Ron's step, they just helped him do his job well. The radio did not make Ron call ahead to Jennifer with my name and space number and Jennifer did not have a machine in her hand that greeted me like she did nor offer the directions with a smile!
There was a tangible culture in place! likely lead by an emotional angel who understands service every step of the way. The mood state of this team was infectious and they manufactured a smile from me and certainly a repeat customer time and time again.
What is the service level like in each step of your process. Whether you are renting cars, unloading trucks or running a restaurant, are your customers pleasantly surprised by your people during each step OR do they make it through the first piece of the process only to be let down 2 minutes later during the second or third step of the experience?
Recommendation: Gather your troops for a lunch n' learn and draw a simple schematic of the process from your customer's first point of experience thru their exit. Who are the people @ each step? Are they the correct person? Do they have the physical tools and the emotional intelligence to be that pleasant surprise? Put a simple check mark beside each step that is prepared for excellent service and an X where there may be a breakdown. Be honest with each other. Perhaps you need to send in a secret shopper who has been educated as to your points in the experience process. Make this a priority project within the next 30 days. Take fast action to repair or better yet prevent the breakdown areas.
Within 10 minutes, your customer could decide to go somewhere else or tell the world how good you were!
Oh yeah - Thank you Jim for leaving a note in my car to let me know you were the one who serviced it for me! It was immaculate!
Comments