9 Great Customer Service

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1 9 Great Customer Service When a customer comes into your shop, forget about your vision and your product. Just remember one thing, How can I help you? Malcolm Stogo Let s be frank. Great customer service is all about perception. Regardless of how much you learned from a book or seminar, if you don t practice what you have learned or if your customers don t perceive you to have great customer service, then you don t. The flip side of perception is that most store owners think they have great customer service, being blinded by their own ego or absentee-management style. But once you get it, great customer service becomes great marketing. In the early years of every ice cream store s existence, owners think the operation gets better with each passing year. It s a natural thought. But research tells us otherwise. Just giving adequate customer service is not enough. It s setting the bar too low. What we really want is for our customers to happily pay for their ice cream and say, boy, that was great! Whether you have one store or three, the basics of giving great service is the same. And because you know your store better than the competition, you have a competitive advantage. So, let s be frank. People expect service. And part of the reason they don t get it is because giving good service is really hard. It s never too early in the planning phase of your concept to think about great customer service. During this stage, you probably have visited many ice cream stores to get an idea of what the business is all about, and how each store owner and its employees interact with customers. Take notice, because I am sure you have seen both good and bad. The question I am asking now is, What did you learn and what would you do differently? The Ten Commandments of Customer Service These are the ten commandments of customer service to keep foremost in your mind: 1. Think customer first; the customer is the boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can do that only if you know what your customer wants. 2. When you first open your store, spend as much time as possible up front. Introduce yourself to each customer, explaining why you created your concept and offering to be the customer s personal guide. Listen to their words, tone of

2 voice, body language and, most importantly, how they feel about their experience in your store. 3. Identify and anticipate needs. When customers come into your store, the sale is already half completed. It s not like going into a restaurant where someone needs to eat, and in many instances with no smile. When they enter your place, they have a smile and seek enjoyment They are buying good feelings. 4. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Get to know their names and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feelings and trust. 5. Always look for ways to please your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable), tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make them repeat customers. 6. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It s easy and customers appreciate it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win. Deal with problems immediately and let customers know what you have done. Make it simple for customers to complain. 7. Give more than expected. Since the future of your ice cream store is in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition. Consider the following: What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere? What can you do to follow up and thank people even when they don t buy something? What can you give customers that is totally unexpected? 8. Get regular feedback, not just from your customers, but also from your employees. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in which you can find out what customers think and feel about your services: Listen carefully to what they say Check back regularly to see how things are going Provide a method that invites constructive criticism, comments and suggestions 9. It might sound trite, but treating employees well does not always mean giving them money as a reward. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation comes from the top. It s equally important to treat customers and employees well. 10. Never, never, cheapen the product. Customers will notice, but rarely comment. They just won t come back. Your Number 1 Weapon: Your Employees

3 Customer service starts with the owner s attitude. If it s a positive one that emanates throughout the store, the employees will pick up on it quickly. It is very important to realize that your employees will treat customers the way they are treated, and employees take their cues from management. Do you greet your employees enthusiastically each day? Are you polite in your dealings with them? Do you try to accommodate their requests? Do you listen to them when they speak? Consistent, rude customer service is a reflection not as much on the employee as it is on management. Remember, there is no way that the quality of customer service can exceed the quality of the people who provide it. If you pay attention only to profits and every decision is based on that and you pay your employees the lowest wage, give the fewest number of benefits and provide minimum training it will show. Why Smiling Is So Important The key word is smiling. And that means you, your employees and your customers. We can only assume that when a customer comes into your store, the only reason is to get a treat and probably 95% of the time customers are in a positive mood with smiles on their faces. How many times have you gone into an ice cream store and the employees have this glum look on their faces? It s really pathetic. If you view your ice cream store as entertainment, and not simply as a food establishment, then the way you and your employees interact with your customers in a positive way is very important. In reality, it s the one and only way to market your business and offer great customer service. Perceptually, there is probably nothing more important in the customers eyes than seeing an employee with a smile on his/her face and ready to serve. After all, this is a fun business, isn t it? A smile on an employee s face usually means that the employee is happy to be working for you, likes ice cream and wants to make your customers experience in your shop a pleasant one. If you view what you do as entertainment and view your shop as a theater, you will have created an atmosphere that will be fun for everyone. So let s start our theater production with a couple of scenarios! Scene 1 Customer comes into the store laughing and asks the clerk, What new flavors do you have this week? Narration Clerk: You must try our new Dulce de Leche flavor. It s incredible. And it s now my new favorite. Customer: If you like it so much, can I have a sample? Clerk: No problem. Customer: You are so right! I must have an ice cream cone now and a pint to take home.

4 Scene 2 Customer comes into the store and asks for two flavors on a single cone. Narration Clerk: No problem! Paying Attention to Service All too often the attention paid to service takes aim at the servers, i.e., your employees, who are easy and convenient targets. The reality is that most dissatisfied customers are seldom critical of the server, but rather they perceive the owner as not supporting the server or simply not caring how he/she runs the business. And that means everything from the strategic marketing plan or the owner s vision to the cleanliness of the bathrooms. Servers stand on the front line and need the support of the owner behind them. It s the owner s responsibility to take care of the little things such as teaching the servers how to look the customer in the eye when asking what they would like and saying thank you after giving them their ice cream. When the server has the ability to read what each customer wants and can put aside assumptions, that is great service and great everyday marketing! Don t Let Good Customer Service Come and Go Depending on the Season In the busy summer season when an ice cream shop is packed with long lines, good customer service is at its worst. Employees are usually tired from looking at hordes of customers and seeing no end to the long lines. And customers are tired of waiting in line. When business is slow and the weather is bad and there are barely enough employees to both serve customers and keep the shop clean, the situation is usually the same. Is there a solution? Yes, there is. It s called better training: the training you give your employees the very first day they start to work for you. It s that initial block of time you spend training your employees about your philosophy regarding your shop that will stay with your employees to the day they leave you. Before you begin every new summer season, plan to spend at least one day training new and old employees on the following points regarding customer service: The importance of everyday customer service What flexibility employees have in dispensing recommen-dations and samples How to hold an ice cream scoop How to hand the cone to the customer How to take money from customers The importance of the words hello, goodbye and thank you simple words that enhance the friendly demeanor of your shop. Here are some other key phrases: How can I help you? Would you like to try a sample of some flavor? What flavor would you like?

5 Know Your Customers The people aspect of business is really what it is all about. It s going the extra mile. Think of customers as individuals. Once you think that way, you will realize that your business is your customer, not your product or services. Putting all the focus on the merchandise in your store, or the services you offer, leaves out the most important component: each individual customer. Try and learn who your customers are instead of trying to make them fit your image of who they are. This is a major mistake that many ice cream owners make. Here are some ways that you can keep in touch with your customers and bring them closer to you: Be the greeter, the master of ceremonies, by spending time talking with your customers. If they see you, would they recognize you? Could they call you by name? Visible management is an asset. Talk to your customers. Ask them why they come into your shop. Ask them frankly, Is there anything we are doing wrong? Create an image of your shop that is in keeping with your customer base. While comment cards are helpful, don t always depend on them to find out what your customers are thinking. When a customer purchases an ice cream cake, include a thank-you note and instructions on cutting and serving it. Send an to a customer on their birthday offering a free ice cream cone or cup. If you read about a customer who has done something really positive in your community, congratulate him/her with a free ice cream cone or cup. Deliver What Customers Want A successful ice cream storeowner, for the most part, will give customers whatever they want. While this is not a 100-percent rule, it does work. The most common complaint I hear from owners is customers trying to get two flavors in a single-size cone or cup. So what s the big deal? Are you going to lose a billion dollars over it? I say give it to them if they want it. Doing this builds customer loyalty. Even more importantly, you should authorize your employees to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy, being sure to give it to them accurately, politely and enthusiastically. This leads me to the following fabulous words that will do wonders for your shop s image: no problem. Most Important Words: No Problem If there are two words that you should consider your trademark marketing tool, these would be at the top of the list. No Problem simply means that anything your customer wants within reason should be provided. It s an everyday marketing tool that your customers will remember. It s what will bring them back over and over again as a destination spot for their frozen dessert treats.

6 Why do these two words work so well? It s because in everyday life, as we know it today, everyone is in a hurry, materialism is rampant in our society, and people have no patience. If a customer makes a request for something special, do everything you can to say yes. The fact that a customer cared enough to ask is all you need to know in trying to accommodate him or her. It may be an exception to your customer service policy, but if it isn t illegal, try to do it. Remember, you are just making one exception for one customer, not making new policy. The reality is that when they come into your store and ask for something out of the ordinary and your response is, no problem, they are taken aback. Believe me, this everyday marketing tool works! Sampling Sampling is mentioned in many parts of this book because it is the essence of what we ice cream owners are all about. We want our customers to taste, purchase and enjoy our products. We want them to love our store. We want them to talk about us, crave what we sell, come back time and time again to purchase our items, and we want them to tell their friends about us. There is no question about it, sampling is a key ingredient in making all of this happen. And if you do it right, you will be offering great customer service because in the customer s mind there is nothing better than getting something for free, even if it takes the form of a very small sample. The big money isn t as much in winning customers as in keeping customers. Each individual customer s perception of your store will determine how well you do this, and this perception will depend on the level of customer service you provide. References Friedmann, Susan A. The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service. About.com. n.d. July 12, < com/od/relationshipmarketing/a/crmtopten.htm>. Gilleran, Susan. Kids Dine Out. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Stogo, Malcolm. Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts: A Commercial Guide to Production and Marketing. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998.