Follow Up on Service
Jeff makes a good point in his comment on my article, Superlative Service.
Excellent service is a process, not an event. I would say that there are very few places/people who provide great service 100% of the time. That's unfortunate, but true.
I'm not sure that commenting on good service necessarily causes laziness and feeds into bad service, but it may be the case in some situations. I think we always have to allow for "off days" in any situation. I also think that we can give positive criticism (is that an oxymoron?) when necessary. For example, if you're used to great service and one time receive poor service, that should be noted without being overly critical. If that type of comment is received poorly, then perhaps it's time to move on.
I will say that when you find someone or someplace that really excels at what they do, you should pass that along as often and as with as much emotion as you do when you have a bad experience. Justin Cook is an example of consistent, fantastic service in his area of expertise. Here are some more places/services where I have received excellent service:
- The Melting Pot - Fondue Restaurant Chain. This is a dining event.
- DirecTV - Seriously, I love DirecTV. They have been so great about upgrading and keeping my service current.
- Netflix.com
. What could be easier?
- Z'Tejas - Restaurant. Always great food. Always great service.
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Comments
Very well put. I like what you said about good service being a process.
I think that what Holly said about restaurant experiences is something that people who tip think about a lot. Leaving a few pennies may send a message more than leaving nothing. I worked as a server for several years and also was an assistant manager at a Caribou Coffee for a few years. At Caribou, we had around a hundred regulars that we would see at least 3-4 times per week (and some that we saw 2-3 times per day). We worked on building customer loyalty. Customer service was directly proportional to the volume of tips received.
Holly also commented about being positive outside of restaurant/service situations. That really makes people think. I live in a city of about 15,000 people- many of them are retired. The older individuals are the ones that seem to recognize and appreciate kindness. It still boggles my mind when I am walking down the street (even in this small town) and another adult walks by, I offer a friendly, "Hello," and even though they made eye contact, they say nothing and don't even smile. But, I suppose, you never know what is going on in their world...
Posted by: Jeff | March 29, 2006 07:52 AM