I was running a little late last week on my way to a client in Ormond Beach, FL. I was due there to do a Wisdom Circle1 at 1PM and I was hungry. That meant fast food.
I’m a bit of a health nut, so when the “usual suspects” are the only options open to me, I’m always a little concerned that there’s something on the menu for me.
I saw a Chick-Fil-A and my level of confidence rose. The moment I walked in the door I was delighted. There seemed to be a positive energy and buzz about it, not the usual frenetic lunchtime rushing. Everything looked clean and even the signage was refreshing to look at. Smartly designed signs introduced their salad creations along with their calorie counts and I found my concern melt away.
After ordering my grilled chicken salad, the woman behind the counter asked kindly, “Do you really know what’s IN that salad?”
“Chicken? Greens? It’s a little hard for me to see the picture.”
“More than that – just so you know – there’s strawberries, blueberries and some strong blue cheese” she said. “Some people don’t like that cheese.”
“That’s okay,” I assured her. “I’m sure it will be perfect.” And it was.
The salad was yummy and I was struck by the cleanliness of the place, even during the busy lunch time. There were fresh flowers on every table and towards the end of my meal a young man delivered a hand wipe and a mint. I took out my phone to take a picture. Wow.
This is what a Moment of Magic looks like I thought.
One of the many topics in our Customer Care Coach® training program teaches about turning Moments of Truth into Moments of Magic.
Every time (and anytime) a customer has the opportunity to create a judgment about the quality of service they are receiving, a Moment of Truth occurs. At that moment the customer might feel that you have delivered any one of three things:
– Misery (Why are you making it so hard?)
–Mediocrity (Ho hum this place is just like the rest)
OR
–Moment of Magic (Wow! This place is really different! It makes me feel good to be here!)
How many moments of truth and opportunity occur every day in your business? 100? 200? 2,000? 20,000? Every single interaction a customer has with any aspect of your organization – the phone, the internet, the mail, the salesperson, the invoice, the lighting in your lobby – every moment of truth is an opportunity for you to make a positive and lasting impression on the customer.
Every moment is an opportunity to say “We CARE!”
Often the difference between a Moment of Mediocrity and a Moment of Magic is the kindness or attentiveness of a customer facing person, an empathetic tone of voice, a little bit of extra help in filling out a form, a listening ear.
We distinguish ourselves one moment at a time.
Jan Carlzon author of the book Moments of Truth turned around a failing airline teaching that SAS Airlines could build their brand “15 seconds at a time” by using those moments to create a positive impression.
Take a look at the Moments of Truth in your organization – take a good look. Isolate the places where a simple adjustment might make all the difference in the world in how the customer perceives you and the value you deliver.
Go ahead – make the shift from mediocre to magical!
Have all the training you need – internally – to transform your customer service to Exquisite Customer CARE. 100% Guaranteed – and it comes with weekly email reminders to learn something new and prosper.
My Customer Care Coach® is a self-study program. It covers ten essential topics related to providing what we call ‘Exquisite Customer Care.’ Join me today and receive 10 topics, 40 lessons that will make you a more positive and focused leader.
Buy it, print it and keep it on the shelf for when you need ideas on how to motivate and inspire your team.
One of my customers did just that. Each time he had a weekly team meeting he opened it up and taught one of the 40 lessons and did the exercises. Sometimes he just opened the book he created with it and opened to a page at random. According to him – it was always just the right training for the day.
Who knew?
1 Wisdom Circles are a methodology I use in my Positive Leadership practice to help clients understand how their employees think about their company and its strengths. I’ve used them to help a client better understand their culture, develop values and in one case, to help me help them to create a set of standards for behavior. If you are interested in understanding how doing Wisdom Circles in your organization can support you Customer Loyalty and Positive Leadership efforts – just ask! 561-279-0027
