Customer Service A Chickens Way

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-fil-A. Aside from the fact their chicken is especially good and I can always get sweet tea, I have a valuable business reason for eating there ? they serve up amazing customer service. And these lessons aren't just served in my nearest location. But in any city, any town, any time I have been to a Chick-fil-A, I have left feeling like the most valuable Customer.

Now you may wonder what you can learn for your business, from a fast food restaurant. In short, plenty. Just because your business is different does not mean you can't take someone else's ideas or techniques and make them applicable to what you do. So I challenge you to be open to what you can learn from a chicken.

They are focused.

Chick-fil-a knows their expertise is making good chicken. You don't drive up to their window with options such as beef, pork or fish. Their focus stays on what they know. No empty promises of the best steak in town or a delicious oriental creation, just chicken. We should do the same for our Customers.

Don't pretend to have expertise where you can't deliver. Customers are good at sniffing us out. If you promise something you can't deliver just to get their business; you will be without a Customer.

They give me what I want.

I love Polynesian sauce (dipping sauce for nuggets) for my French fries. Chick-fil-A never charges me extra even though I don't order their nuggets. They are happy to give me what I want.

How many times to we charge our Customers all these added fees if they want something that is not the standard? When your Customer is hungry for something different ? make it easy for them to eat.

They rest.

I often crave chicken on lazy Sunday afternoons but Chick-fil-A is never open for business due to clear company values and beliefs. They choose Sundays as a day to rest. They are never open, no exceptions, and according to their business plan they never will.

So often we cheat our Customers by not breaking from our work. Too much work can lesson our ability to concentrate, cloud our focus, and leave a bitter taste in our mouth. How much help are we to Customers if we are burned out?

They train their employees.

At a Chick-fil-A visit you will hear things like, "It is my pleasure to serve you." "Please." "Thank you." "I look forward to seeing you at the window." The atmosphere includes smiles, laughter, and happy workers who appear to love their job. And I doubt their happiness is based on a love for chicken ? they have been trained to value the Customer.

If you want to excel as a business, hire superstars that believe the Customer writes their paycheck. Set expectations with your employees and staff that outstanding Customer Service is expected, not optional. Add Customer Service as a major part of an employee's orientation. And most importantly lead by example. S.Truett Cathy, chose to do things his way by taking care of Customers and employees by hiring operators and managers that believed in his philosophy. To date, Chick-fil-A, the company he founded has more than a billion in sales annually.

I encourage you to visit a Chick-fil-A when you get the chance. I will continue my weekly visits to reaffirm my Customer service beliefs (and to get a chicken sandwich, no pickle with a large sweet tea!). p.s. You will notice in both articles the word Customer and Client are capitalized. Capitalizing the word is just one way we can remind ourselves of the great importance Customers have for our businesses. After all, without them, we wouldn't be in business.

Holly Powers is passionate about Customer Service in her role as the Client Development Princess for The Kevin Eikenberry Group. She is also the editor of Unleash Your Potential, an electronic newsletter devoted to helping leaders, professionals and organizations reach their full potential. To learn more about Unleash Your Potential or subscribe go to http://www.KevinEikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp.

In The News:

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:55:50 GMT Weather Channel Is Sold to NBC and Equity Firms - New York Times Weather Channel Is Sold to NBC and Equity Firms New York Times - 3 hours ago By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED An investor group led by NBC Universal and two private equity firms clinched a deal for the Weather Channel on Sunday after three weeks of negotiations. NBC Universal, Bain, Blackstone Buy Weather Channel (Update1) Bloomberg NBC and its Partners Announce Deal To Buy Weather Channel and Assets Wall Street Journal The Associated Press - Hollywood Reporter - Variety - New York Times Blogs all 360 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:48:12 GMT Obama Campaign Criticizes Rival McCain's Economic Proposals - Bloomberg Wall Street Journal Blogs Obama Campaign Criticizes Rival McCain's Economic Proposals Bloomberg - 5 hours ago By Alison Vekshin July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's advisers criticized Republican rival John McCain's economic proposals as both candidates prepared to focus on the US economy this week. Obama Advisers Tout Tax Plan FOXNews That topic we love to hate Atlanta Journal Constitution Wall Street Journal - Newsweek - NewsMax.com - Wall Street Journal Blogs all 10 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:27:55 GMT Google, Zen Master of the Market - New York Times Times Online Google, Zen Master of the Market New York Times - 1 hour ago By STEVE LOHR Bill Gates, who walked away from full-time work at Microsoft last month, was perhaps the foremost applied economist of the second half of the 20th century. Why Microsoft will win Yahoo CNNMoney.com Yahoo! re-enters merger talks with Time Warner Times Online TheNewsTribune.com - CNET News - Washington Post - InformationWeek all 244 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:57:50 GMT 'Hancock' a signature opening for Smith - Los Angeles Times Ottawa Citizen 'Hancock' a signature opening for Smith Los Angeles Times - 52 minutes ago The offbeat superhero story brings in $66 million over the holiday weekend, marking the star's eighth straight No. 1. He's hot, but the reviews were not. ‘Hancock’ Powers to the Top of Box Office New York Times Will Smith is box office superhero with 'Hancock' Reuters USA Today - Celebrity News - The Associated Press - BloggingStocks all 322 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:03:03 GMT Obama cites faith as key to change - Boston Globe Obama cites faith as key to change Boston Globe - 17 hours ago Barack Obama called "active faith" an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change in a speech yesterday at the national meeting of a black church group. Veterans Group Urges Support to 'Finish the Job' Washington Post Veterans’ Group Critical of Obama Plans Costly Ad Campaign FOXNews The Associated Press - KPVI-TV - Telegraph.co.uk - New York Times Blogs all 129 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:58:31 GMT AT&T's Odd iPhone Offer - TechNewsWorld Computerworld AT&T's Odd iPhone Offer TechNewsWorld - 13 hours ago By Eric Benderoff Some of the details surrounding AT&T's iPhone prices make little sense, writes Eric Benderoff. The company will sell a 3G iPhone with no contract for a $400 premium. iPhone 3G line forms in NYC for a green cause Ars Technica New iPhone Can Decouple From AT&T, for a Price Washington Post TMCnet - Slashdot - CRN - CNNMoney.com all 568 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:04:21 GMT Bosox, Cubs each put 7 players on All-Star rosters - The Associated Press AFP Bosox, Cubs each put 7 players on All-Star rosters The Associated Press - 54 minutes ago NEW YORK (AP) - Maybe Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and the rest of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs should just play their own All-Star game. All-Star rosters revealed Sports Network Cubs win 7-1 and seven All-Stars; I'd say it was a good day Bleacher Report MLB.com - Chicago Sun-Times - WSBT-TV - Atlanta Journal Constitution all 421 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:58 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages Increase Web Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Restaurant Owners ? How Important are People Skills?