No Reservations?

I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his approach to food and travel (within the context of being a pescatrian). That being said, why do so many restaurants in Richmond not take reservations? I know there are issues of people not showing up on time (solution: make it clear "all your party must arrive within 5 minutes of reservation or you lose your table"). In Boston they take your credit card when you make your reservation and will charge you a fee if you don't show up.

Neither of these options screams "customer service" but on the other hand, many of us have turned into selfish, thoughtless consumers who have no respect for the hard working retailers and restaurateurs out there trying to make a living in a "the customer is always right" world.

At MBM we're lucky - our clients respect us and enjoy working with us. And for that, we bend over backwards for them. But it's more than luck. It's a calculated strategy of understanding and defining who is a good client for us and making sure we're all in agreement of the expectations of our relationship. And part of that agreement is that they can fire us if we don't live up to our end. And if they no longer respect and appreciate the work and the effort we put into the relationship? "Bye bye" we say. With no reservations....

Customer Service & Empowerment

OK, those are words that we all hear too often in the business world. We need to "exceed customer service expectations" and "empower our employees" to make decisions. Just yesterday we were talking about these in the context of storytelling, and by example the Nordstrom tire return story. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not - either way, it's a powerful story that's repeated often as a shining example not just of customer service, but also of employees who are empowered to make decisions regarding how to treat their customers.

Today at the Willow Lawn Chipotle, I experienced the same customer service and employee empowerment. And I swear it's true. I'd faxed in our order, called to confirm receipt and headed over to pick up the order. I was a few minutes late picking it up. The guy at the counter said the order wasn't received, did I call to confirm? "Yes, I did." And off he went to find our order, jump onto the line, make the food himself and deliver it to me in record time. And then the zinger: "no charge," he says. "I've got this covered. Really. Sorry about your wait, come back again soon."

Wow. I was stunned. I offered again to pay, then thanked him, and was so flustered I left without picking up napkins or forks (which are essential for Chipotle). I headed back to the office, still shaking my head over this encounter with customer service, and employee empowerment. I mean, this is basically a fast food restaurant and this guy wasn't even the manager.

If Chipotle can get it right, then there's no excuse for the rest of us not doing so.

What's A Girl Gotta Do?

Seriously, I had two really disappointing customer experiences this weekend and it makes me wonder what people are thinking. Both were in the services industry - a beauty salon and a restaurant. I'm thinking these are both industries challenged by current economic times so wouldn't they be bending over backwards? Or at least be accommodating? I had to wait 15 minutes at the salon while the employee put on HER OWN Makeup! I mean really, it was 12:30 in the afternoon - what had she been doing all morning that a paying customer had to wait for her. The store was not crowded, in fact my girlfriend and I were the only clients in there. And yet WE waited for THEM to get pretty before they could make us pretty. The same afternoon a restaurant/bar couldn't be bothered to open 1/2 hour early, even though I had a group of 30 thirsty wedding attendees standing at their front door pleading for an over-priced cocktail. We walked an extra block and the staff at Tarrant's went out of their way to make us happy - and were rewarded handsomely.

I left both disappointing shops knowing I'd tell the negative story over and over again - meaning my friends and coworkers won't be at their doors anytime soon. It's a shame, really. But it reinforces our commitment to client services here at MBM. In the end, our long standing relationships are because of the way they treated and the experience they have working with us. And it better be positive, or else - right?