and
make sure that they constantly RETURN TO SENDER because they’re
totally STUCK ON YOU?
To retain customers you need to pay attention to the people
who interface with those customers.
If the BIG BOSS MAN is afraid that an empowered front line
will be stepping on his or her BLUE SUEDE SHOES, the chances
of consistently satisfying customers becomes limited. These
days, everyone, customers and employees alike- seem to be
screaming DON’T BE CRUEL and TREAT ME NICE. If you want
to steer clear of turning into HEARTBREAK HOTEL, LET YOURSELF
GO, and be open to the lessons we can learn from the King
of Rock ‘n Roll. For every front-line service provider,
every interaction is NOW OR NEVER. We will really begin to
win when we ONLY BELIEVE that one guest at a time, one interaction
at a time, really depends on THE WONDER OF YOU!
Some of you will remember how Elvis used to curl his top lip
into a semi snarl after every song and say the magic words
- Thank You, Thankyouverymuch. If you are too
young or not fortunate enough to have actually seen Elvis
perform, you still know the songs, the nuances, the spirit
of Rock ‘n Roll that he represented. His powerful memory
lingers on 25 years after he played his last note. To have
become a pop icon, and to be a part of the collective memory
and fabric of American culture. Elvis got into our very souls
by representing the many facets that companies and individuals
committed to offering quality customer service need to embrace.
Let’s face it, the essence of Rock ‘n Roll is all
in the attitude.
Start with his famous tag line - Thank You, Thankyouverymuch....
the first lesson we can learn from Elvis is this: If we are
in a service business (and aren’t we all) the four most
important words in our business are Thank You Very Much. If
you aren’t hearing those words, and saying those words
many times a day, something has gone terribly wrong. As Elvis
would say, there is T.R.O.U.B.L.E. The first thing I learned
as a concierge was that I was in the Thank You Very Much business.
If I was hearing those words consistently, I knew I was doing
my job correctly and I instinctively knew that those magic
words would separate us from the competition.
If you’re working in a front-line position or managing
people who do, you know that hearing an appreciative Thank
You Very Much can go a long way in fueling the fire that keeps
people saying “May I Help You” in a sincere and
effective way. Unfortunately, most employees are not suffering
from over appreciation and sincere Thank You’s. Sincere
Thank You’s have become as rare as Elvis sightings outside
of Memphis. The word sincere is key here. It wasn’t just
that Elvis said the words, It was how he said them. Everyone
felt it, he said Thank You with heart, which is why people
responded. Most importantly, it was said with humility. To
truly serve customers with heart and humility is to take the
concept of Thank You Very Much to a new level. Customers are
human lie detectors, they know if you are sincere or just
going through the motions.
Elvis’s logo was TCB which means taking care of business.
Using Elvis as an over arching metaphor for service, We can
look at service as the performing art that it really is. As
with all great performers, when Elvis was “on stage”
it was I’m here, look at me, be with me, ‘ll give
you my best right now!
The Disney Corporation has taken this concept of service performance
(cast members in costumes, performing on stage[workstations])
to a high art. If you stop and think about the last concert
you attended, be it the opera or a heavy metal group, ask
yourself this question: Did you care what kind of a day the
performers were having? Did you care if they had a good nights
sleep, were having personal problems, etc? Of course not-neither
do your customers, about you. Consistency is quality, and
Elvis knew he had to shake, rattle and roll every time!
In the last ten years, the culture has changed vis-a-vis customer
expecations. Even the Internal Revenue Service and Postal
Service have adopted a customer service focus. The basics
of doing just what you are required to do to get the job done
isn’t enough. People want much more.
Elvis was unique, creative, electric - he wowed us. Wowing,
is what is required in business today. It’s important
to ask the question, what am I doing? How am I expressing
my uniqueness? Are we just adding more “stuff” or
are we paying attention to the customer’s agenda and
meeting the human needs as well as the business needs? This
can be as simple as using their names or creating the feeling
that you actually care about them personally.
To sustain such personal service requires that we become aware
of and develop our own rhythm and flow in performing our jobs.
Rhythm is an undeniable factor in the lessons we can learn
from the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Creating a Rhythm is so
important, because it elevates us from the role of victim
to the role of chooser. The best example of creating a rhythm
at work can be seen in open restaurant kitchens. Without it,
chaos would result; with it, the line flows and the diners
get to observe the dance. I personally learned this valuable
lesson from my colleague Michael Welsh. We were both sitting
at the concierge desk during a slow moment, when suddenly
a busload of guests arrived. As the lobby rhythm picked up
considerably, Michael turned to me and said “come on
Holly, lets disco through this.” At that, we both stood
up and danced through the multiple phone lines flashing, and
rapid fire questions from guests standing three deep in front
of us. Being in touch with this internal rhythm allowed us
to serve with flair and keep our stress to a minimum.
Anyone who knows anything about Elvis knows he had a great
sense of humor. Bringing a sense of humor to work is one of
the most important tools anyone can bring to a job. Exercising
one’s humor muscle is a way to change the perspective
of a busy, stressful job into one that is interesting and
filled with laughter. Switching the perspective to think comedically
can be as simple as keeping a humor journal with you at work
and jotting down those priceless moments that pass quickly
unless we are paying attention. I always refer to my journal
as the anecdote to stress. It helps me to remember to Choose
laughter over annoyance. Without the tool of the humor journal,
I may react differently to this interaction.
An example: Three guests from New York approached the desk.
The conversation went something like this.
“We are sick of California food, we have had it. We want
New York food, you know, food like you can get in New York?”
I responded by recommending the Palm restaurant, a restaurant
I knew they had in New York. Without skipping a beat, this
family said “The Palm? What do we want that for, we have
that in New York.” One reaction would have been to be
aggravated, or think people were ridiculous. Armed with my
humor journal, my reaction was to laugh, think people are
funny, and actually feel appreciative that I had such a great
story to put in my humor journal. It’s great therapy
and always good for a laugh.
After all is said and done, and much has been said and written
about hospitality and quality service. The bottom line is,
service comes from self. Each one of us brings our unique,
creative, spirit to work with us. It is through our personal
relationships that we sustain the wow. We choose to be in
touch with our own rhythm, perform in good times and bad,
laugh and spread joy, and create an atmosphere of Thank You
Very Much.
It really does boil down to the Wonder of You!
