So imagine this – I am at an airport again. Crazy, eh? Here we go, you can carry on two bags. However, due to zone boarding, you may not get your approved second bag on. Zone 5 is a tough zone. I was asking the gate agent about my bag and got the proverbial “yeah, we will need to check it if you cannot get it into the overhead.” But I followed the rules and do not wish to wait for the bag for 45 minutes after landing. Does the customer matter or does the rule matter? More importantly, does how you say the rule matter to the customer or not? Apparently this does not matter to this airline. Maybe they are too big? The best part was a few moments later as I was writing this. The same gate agent was speaking to a peer and stated “You are not listening to me.” Can you think of a better rally call for customers?
This week we look at what the customer wants and needs in an interaction. We have a new Barista. Sarahlynn has been with Moxie Java for about two and half years. I am asking two more questions and exploring what may be important to the situation.
You are a customer and you also serve customers, what does a customer want and expect?
Her first response was that it varies between each individual. Regulars expect quick and friendly service and to be known (think relationship). They want to be welcomed into the environment. I inferred it was about remembering the tiny details. I have on many occasions discussed this with organizations that you do not compete on the big stuff – it is the little stuff. I refer to it as the “10 percent factor”. It is the little things which customers notice and decide to what degree they will do business. She mentioned a customer who comes in at the same time every day. Sarahlynn knows (and has taken very careful issue in knowing) every detail of the family. By the way, this is a coffee shop. Convenience is not the first issue. Yeah, quality (or value) is always an issue. And order; well to be fair, there needs to be a certain flow. She sees the important aspect of service as the knowledge of the customer and what apparently is important to them. I use the word “apparently” because the customer will only allow you so far into the relationship. Convenience, quality and order follow close behind. They still matter, but are you seeing a moment here…the customer matters. What a concept. However, some customers will only care about the three and not the relationship. Especially if nothing else is given. This is at the heart of why some organizations do not give any more than is (presumably) expected.
What impacts how the customer generally experiences “that” here?
She mentioned a Starbucks in town that has a great customer experience. She knows the manager and from her perspective, he treats his team very well. He pays attention and has taught the customer experience. In a way, he clarifies the quality of the character of the business and how this matters to the customer. On a side note and reference, she mentioned Best Buy. Her comment was someone at least engages the customer as soon as possible. What was the most amazing comment was that on one occasion, she a bad experience at Best Buy. It was obvious, but she was willing to give them a break. This implies something occurred at some point to cause this. Which also implies something else was instructed, coached or developed within someone to initiate that occurrence.
Does team matter? It does but it also does not. Everyone has different ‘giftings’. This potentially says “I may act differently than others and each of us have qualities”. The challenge is placing them together properly. That is where the job has to rear its inevitable head. Someone has to factor in creating the schedule of characters. The shift matters; especially when considering the efficiency and interaction between co-workers. The customers at Moxie Java call the employees “the moxie girls”. Sarahlynn said “As long as we are the moxie girls we are doing them (the customers) right”. She is stating they have a responsibility beyond the ability to produce espresso shots (and smile on cue). They must be themselves and genuine when on the job.
Management causes that, right? It must. You see, if management does not, the employee will begin to define it for them. This is possibly the most incredibly underestimated or miscalculated aspect in getting things done through others (more on this next time). However, in some organizations, empowerment to be improvisational has to be created, trained, allowed and encouraged. Management will always have its flaws and its strengths. It has its place. Think front line employee; what do they need, really? Knowledge of the product – for sure. Knowledge of the process – yeah. Knowledge of the customer – well, your answer? The obvious answer is “yes”. The reality is if this falls short, it is OK for some managers. You see, getting the job done is the most important, right? This is the issue we face.
Sarahlynn has a speech to new employees: “Do your best to memorize the drinks, the names and to smile. Be aware of the business and the customer.” She has embraced something with which managers get frustrated – the rub between getting the job done efficiently and getting to know a fleeting customer. From her lens, they are both equally important.
This becomes incredibly important when an employee has to multi-task and has to do something as complex as communicate with another human being. The complexity is not the exchange itself, it is the variety of things which may come into the conversation by that unique individual with a variety of unique influences. Imagine this, is it easier for a front-liner to just get the job done (the one they are paid for) or have to work on the job and improvising all the possible customer realities? Are you asking to them to balance both? Think about your team, what is their answer? Perhaps the most important question, are you training both (the job and the customer) equally?
The last element is the job has rules. It has set guidelines and procedures. This has to happen for the desired result from the job to work properly. Having said that, that is only known to you. Let me say that again and in a different way. The manner in which you conduct business must happen in sequence for a specific desired impact and that is known only to you. That does not matter to me (as customer) as long as you deliver my needs. My needs exist within a relative context – that is the hard part for you. Now, if the procedures (or rules) do not match or will not produce my needs, it is up to you to still connect with my needs somehow. This can be and usually is as simple as how you communicate the reality with a degree of empathy (even in the face of hostility). Moreover, you might need to express this while I may not understand why. You must be as skilled in telling me why the bags may not make it on the plane as you are able to recite the rules for the bags not making it on the plane.
In the end I find, there is the job (rules) and there is the customer. While the customer does not care about the nature or guidelines per se, they do care how their discomfort might matter as they align with the rules. You may think, “yeah but they are guidelines – I have no power over changing things to accommodate you and your bags”. Pay attention, I am smart enough to get that; trust me, I get it. It is not the rule I am at fault with, it is the manner by which you express the obvious. This is the Achilles heel for most organizations; they set the rules and yet have absolutely no reality in how each customer will respond to the absolutism of the organization. By the way, each situation is unique and every customer will have a different story regardless of how you establish standards. Does it not suggest at minimum, your organization needs to train and develop the “chat”? Or does it matter to you at all? A coffee shop in Fort Collins figured that part out. Amazing, huh?