By Douglas Freer, CSP
Unfortunately, dining out is more common than it should be for my family. As a business owner, I'm impressed with many of the restaurants I go to and use the experience to look for examples of good business practices. I wonder what makes some more successful than others. While I don't typically get my feathers ruffled over poor service, sometimes I walk away disappointed.
A recent experience caused me to think about customer satisfaction and service failures and how it translates to the snow management business. How do you keep customers coming back, and are there problems that you may not be aware of that could weaken your relationships with clients?
A night out with the kids
My family arrived at a well-known, respected restaurant and were seated without delay. The nearly perfect October weather allowed us to be seated on the patio, where our children (ages 2 and 7) prefer to sit. For us, a good dining experience is often gauged by how well our children behave and how quickly we can proceed from ordering to paying. Quality is important, but service means more to a family focused on getting the kids home and into bed.
We waited longer than normal for a server to deliver water and take our drink orders—in hindsight, that should have been the first indicator that things were going to go downhill. With kids in tow, we're experts at having our orders ready when the server first arrives. Letting little bellies go hungry is like poking a caged bear with a stick—not advisable. We ordered, and I looked forward to my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Our drinks arrived, followed shortly by the soup and salad. After flagging down our server, we were able to lasso a basket of bread that had been overlooked. By the time our caged bears were beginning to wiggle, squirm and moan, our dinners arrived ... just in time.
As the server walked away, I noticed that onions were missing from my cheeseburger. I decided to wait to eat until I could catch the server's attention to ask for the onions. I ate some fries, finished my soda and waited ... and waited ... and waited. I finally—and discreetly—caught the server's attention and requested the onions and another soda. The server confirmed my request, so I decided waiting a few more minutes would be worthwhile.
Enjoying the company of my family as they ate, I continued to wait as I savored the thought of my medium-rare cheeseburger with onions. The servers were hustling to keep up with their tables. My wife and I—and other guests nearby—acknowledged that they must be busier than expected since they appeared to be understaffed.
By this time, my fries were gone, pickles consumed, soda glass empty (no refill yet) and my cheeseburger—now lukewarm—was still naked. My wife and children were nearly finished so I began to eat. "Maybe the onions will still come out and I can have them on the second half of my burger," I thought silently.
I'm not sure if being optimistic is considered a handicap or not, but in this case I should have left my optimism in the parking lot. The kids were past ready to leave so I rushed to eat my well-done, tepid cheeseburger. I was frustrated, disappointed and a little embarrassed that I had waited so long for onions that never arrived.
After hustling about, our server came around to ask whether we wanted coffee or dessert—without ever acknowledging that my onions and soda refill never arrived. "No thanks. Just the check," I said, curtly.
What's the big deal?
As I reflect on the experience, I can see where my concerns might seem petty.
"Really, Freer, you're going to be that upset about missing onions?" There are certainly more important things in life, so why make such a big deal out of missing onions?
It wasn't like I asked for something out of the ordinary—onions are pretty standard fare in a restaurant. Once the server confirmed my request, I had no reason to believe that she wouldn't follow through. Her failure to execute resulted in a disappointing experience that cost the restaurant a customer—we haven't been back.
Reflecting on this experience, I began to think more about my business. What do we do to our customers that we don't see or realize that causes them to become disappointed, irritated, let down or frustrated? What do we do that would cause them to feel lukewarm about our relationship?
Customers will certainly defect if there is a significant service failure. If you fail to show up and clear the parking lot and sidewalks as expected and agreed upon, they will find another contractor. That would be like me showing up for dinner and the restaurant forgetting to bring our dinner. Big failures occur. What is more likely, though, are small details—unfulfilled commitments, poor or inconsistent service, etc.—that your customers may not mention for fear of seeming petty, but cause them emotional distress. It's failing to deliver on the small stuff that makes your clients prime targets for your competitors to swoop in to save the day.
I encourage you to look at your menu of services and ask yourself: "What's my onion?"
Douglas Freer, CSP, owns Blue Moose Co., Inc. in Cleveland. Contact him at 216-371-1001.
