It’s been often said, “it’s the little things that count.” I look at this idea a little different in that the return on investment for doing the little things in service yield multiple times the investment in time and sometimes take no time at all!
Here are a few examples of personal experiences that either made or failed to make the most of small opportunities that could have made a big difference.
While at Ring’s End hardware, I was purchasing a handle for a pocket door. Now Ring’s End is known for having better products and service. The sales guy was very helpful and patient in helping me pick out the right hardware. And like a good service representative gave me a tip about installing the handle. He said the screws have a tendency to strip so he suggested that I buy and use better screws instead of the ones provided in with the handle. I thought that was really helpful and not the kind of tip you’d get from a Home Depot experience. Although I appreciated the tip and anyone who has stripped a screw half way through completion knows how aggravating it is, I felt like he stopped short of excellent service. I’m thinking this is a hardware store, why not go get the screws instead of suggesting I get them. Everyone knows how much time it takes to get the right screw for the job. Better yet, go get them and don’t charge me. How much would 2 screws possibly cost? 25 cents? 50 cents?
What is the return on investment of his time? How would I have felt if he went the extra step and not only got them but didn’t charge me? At Fabricare we encourage CCR’s (customer care reps) to “keep going” with a service idea. Don’t stop at the suggestion, do it for the customer. Here’s a good example of this:
I had a lunch scheduled at Barcelona restaurant in downtown Stamford where parking is often a challenge. I needed change for the meter so I gave the hostess a dollar. She didn’t only come back with 4 quarters, she came back with 8 saying she thought I might need more time. Wow! A dollar on the house and I haven’t even sat down to eat yet. Is the restaurant going to make that up from me with a tip or when I come back again or recommend someone? You bet. It wasn’t until later that I found out the restaurant didn’t have change for a dollar and the hostess had to go across the street to the convenient store for the change. Wow again! Return on investment? I’d say that one dollar on the house and the effort made by the hostess impressed me enough to write about it and tell others (as well as gladly give a good tip the waitress).
One more story: My friend and I like to grab breakfast after a long Sunday run. We were at this one restaurant sitting at the bar before lunch. The waitress gave us the lunch menus and as the two of us looked them over we saw a waitress off-duty eating an egg sandwich the chef made for her. When we asked the waitress for one of those because we weren’t really feeling like lunch, she said no, “it’s not on the menu.” Really I thought? You just made a sandwich for a non-paying employee but you can’t do it for customers? Return on investment? Or, cost of not investing in the effort? It’s amazing how often service employees say no to things that take no effort and have a big upside. What’s the cost of 4 quarters vs saying “you can get some change across the street.” How hard is it to make an egg sandwich for a restaurant?
What’s an example of a little thing you can do that yields a big return on customer satisfaction? What small act of kindness will touch your customer and make his day?