As Thanksgiving is upon us kicking off the holiday season and all that goes with it, it’s a good opportunity to talk about service.
Our last blog was about hospitality and how that concept relates to service. We talked about thinking of service as entertaining and conversing with guests at our houses versus just giving out customer orders. This simple change of perspective changes one’s mindset from one of doing a task to one of engagement which completely changes the experience.
Last year around this time, we posted a blog about gratitude and being thankful for our customers as well as the other gifts for which we are fortunate. As we stated in our very first Fab Service blog, the CARE in Fabricare stands for Customers Are the Reason we Exist.
This is an easy concept to nod your head to when reading about it away from work. It’s also easy to forget when your dealing with the holiday rush and all of your customer’s stress levels are at their annual highest and they freak at the slightest mistake.
The NY metropolitan area is arguably the most difficult place to work in the service sector. People expect and are willing to pay for good service and often won’t tolerate anything less. You can view this as a negative or an opportunity. Those who view demanding customers as a negative, are often heard complaining about this person or that, business owners included.
But, as we noted in our blog about gratitude last year, customers have the ability to make us better, if we let them. When we learn from our errors and “demand” more of ourselves in anything, we improve. And guess what? Businesses that run excellently often attract demanding customers who appreciate their excellence. And consequently, those excellent companies have less issues and more satisfied customers during the holidays and throughout the year. As such, excellently run companies have less stress during the holidays as well.
So, what can one do during the holiday season to make things run as smoothly throughout the year?
- Anticipate more volume. I think this goes for most businesses. Schedule more people than you think you might need.
Anticipate more rushed orders. Customers want things yesterday and because they’re busier as well, they’re not as organized as usual.
- Communicate with your team. Make sure your system for special requests is understood by everyone and coach your staff on what to expect during the holiday season.
- Be excited! This is the time to shine and also a time when business increases. This is a good thing! Often you see customers you haven’t seen in a while and an opportunity to serve them again.
So be grateful this holiday season and give some Fab Service!
Happy thanksgiving❗️