It’s ALL about Performance!
by Motivational Keynote Speaker Jean Gatz
Seated around the table grill we watched our “chef” entertain us as he sliced, diced and tossed our food in the air. He served my plate last – which was OK – until we both realized he had miscalculated and divided the food into seven portions instead of eight. As he held my plate in his hand, it was obvious to everyone at the table that there was no food left for me.
He shouted in panic, “Wait! Don’t anybody eat yet! Give me your plates!” I watched in disbelief as he scraped food from seven plates onto mine, and then handed it to me. I smiled and thanked him, knowing he had also handed me the gift of a customer service story to share with my audiences and readers.
To set yourself apart from the competition and STAND OUT from the crowd, every person at every level in your organization must do more than meet expectations. They must EXCEED expectations. When it comes to customer service, it’s ALL about performance.
It’s often a challenge for busy leaders to get that message across. It’s easier to convince yourself that everyone knows how to deliver outstanding service, or to assume that new hires will pick it up on their own if they ask enough questions and watch how their co-workers do their jobs. You’ll get “performance” all right … but not the kind you need to stay in business!
An employee recently commented after my hospital in-service, “What’s the big deal? In your story one customer was treated badly and a few other customers saw what happened. So what?”
I replied, “Don’t ever forget that people in your community have lots of choices as to where they dine, shop, or invest their hard-earned money in any product or service – including choosing YOUR hospital for their care. And they will take great delight in telling everyone they know about the poor customer service you delivered.”
There are only two ways your organization can make money: retain the customers you have, and bring in new customers. No matter what your title or job description, never forget for a moment that you are in the customer service business. The choices you make and the actions you take will determine if you and your organization STAND OUT from the crowd in a positive way. When it comes to customer service, it’s ALL about performance.
