By Al Zehnder, CEO of Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth
There has been so much written about service. Whole books have been published. Individuals have built whole careers assisting with other companies to build a service culture. In nearly every trade publication there is an article that discusses service. We are in the service business.
I like to simplify our staff’s service responsibility and just ask that we work each day to at least meet the expectations of the guest and then look for opportunities to exceed guest expectations. Meeting guest expectations puts us on par with other service organizations, exceeding guest expectations builds trust and loyalty. We’re in the business of building relationships by selling experiences even when things go wrong.
Our response when we’ve obviously fallen short of guest expectations can set us apart from other organizations. I like to coach our staff and say don’t worry about making mistakes, that’s going to happen. I would rather they concentrate on how to provide fantastic solutions to the mistakes we make. When mistakes happen, don’t just make it right (anybody can do that); make it better than right! How can we exceed the expectations of our guests with a solution to a negative guest experience that builds trust and confidence for future visits.
Great service must work both ways; exceeding guest expectations when things go right and exceeding guest expectations when we’ve fallen short. That’s the foundation to a great service organization.
You have my name on it!
Al Zehnder
STAY CONNECTED!
Be sure to subscribe to Zehnder’s blog for updates, future contests and more fun!
