What do hot chili peppers have to do with customer service?
My husband and I love HOT Indian cuisine. In 1992 when we first moved to upstate New York, we found a great Indian restaurant just west of Albany. It is at this restaurant that we met Sonny, who managed the restaurant (I do not know if he owned it.) We loved the food so much we went there every Saturday. Sonny nicknamed us "the weeklies." In 1994, we moved to Texas. In 1996, we moved back to New York. We went back to that restaurant and Sonny remembered us after 2 years of not seeing us! I was amazed.
We still went there occasionally but also found other restaurants closer to home. Then we found out that Sonny owned a new restaurant north of town. We had not seen him in several months, but again he remembered us when we visited. We were there last night, and I observed Sonny's great customer service. He visited with customers in between when the wait staff was there, making sure everyone had everything they needed. He brought us our bill and teased us about how hot we like our food. He brought back the credit card slip and placed it in front of me. I am always surprised, although it happens often, how many servers put the slip in front of my husband. They either assume the man always pays, or they assume Dale is a man's name. Sonny saw me take the card from my wallet, so he gave me the slip to sign. He is observant.
My husband has often commented that hot Mexican food is different from hot Indian food. While I like both, he prefers his Mexican food milder because of this difference. We always assumed it was a difference in the peppers used but had never been able to confirm it. So we were talking to Sonny about it last night. He knew exactly what we meant, that Mexican food is "mouth hot" while Indian food doesn't burn the mouth. After you swallow hot Indian food, this wonderful (to me!) sensation of warmth wells up inside you. If it's really good, your head sweats!
Sonny told us the difference is the "ghost pepper". I looked it up on Google and this is a nickname for the Bhut Jolokia pepper. They say it is the hottest pepper in the world, while I had previously thought the habanera (often used in Mexican food) was the hottest. Anyway, isn't it interesting that one such hot pepper creates that "mouth hot" while the other does not?
To me, excellent customer service is:
Anticipating the customer's needs
Providing the right thing at the right time
Not hounding people with the wrong thing or at the wrong time
If something is wrong, take care of it!
Under promise. Over deliver.
Have you been to a restaurant where the wait staff seemed to appear from nowhere whenever you needed something, yet you never felt rushed? This is what Sonny creates at his restaurant by helping his staff and getting to know his customers. You don't feel "burned" but you do get that wonderful warm sensation!
In any business, you will never be able to give great customer service without getting to know your customers, at least knowing their needs as they relate to your product or customer service. My friend Liz Calandrino, who wrote the book "Red Hot Customer service” advises business people to ask their customers for customer service feedback. Have you ever noticed that you feel the most cared-for when a business owner or customer service representative asks if you are satisfied? It's not just the fact that they asked you that makes you feel this way. It's the fact that they ask many customers, and improve their business over time, so they "get it right" more often. You likely felt cared-for even before they asked if you were satisfied.
If a customer does have a legitimate complaint, handling it well (and promptly) is very important. This is another element of great customer service. You always feel best about doing business with someone when you feel like you got more than you paid for. That is what creates loyalty! So if you want your customers to keep coming back, make sure you are providing them with what they want, and more, at a value price. They will not only return, but refer many more people to you.
