The penultimate entry on Shep Hyken’s Forbes article, The Ten Commandments of Superior Customer Service, is “Thou Shalt Lighten the Lines.”
Hyken begins by observing that no one likes waiting in line. He goes on to explain “the word ‘line’ is a metaphor for making the customer wait unnecessarily for anything. Don’t make people wait in line, and don’t put them on a long hold.” After all, “It’s disrespectful to the people who are willing to spend their money with you.”
What are some ways to shorten the lines in your business, be they literal lines where your customers wait to place an order, pay for a purchase, or ask a question—or be they metaphorical lines like long hold times, multiple phone transfers, waiting for a food delivery at the table, etc.? Imagine you’re a customer visiting your restaurant, retail store, or hotel—or you’re a caller trying to reach in your sales floor, warranty department, or customer service. What’s the wait like, especially if you’re trying to do so in a limited timeframe, like a lunch hour? (You don’t have to imagine, of course: The Brandt Group would be happy to do a couple of sample mystery phone shops for you.)
When you’ve identified eddies that interrupt your flow, you have to start considering how to remove the obstructions that frustrate your customers. Is it about having the right amount of staff during the right shifts? Increased training so your employees don’t have to look up the answers to every question? Additional authority for your staff so they needn’t involve a manager for a simple request? Are your cashier terminals too slow, or is your phone tree too complex to navigate quickly? Maybe there’s not one authoritative voice in your kitchen expediting the orders?
There’s a myriad of small nuisances and inefficiencies that will add up and put your staff behind schedule, or just generally annoy your guests. How can you iron out these wrinkles? To turn this back on to what Hyken said earlier, how do you show more respect for the people willing to spend their money with you?
You start with perspective. You should poll your staff with an anonymous employee survey so you can learn what their pain points are, what it’s like to work at the company. At the same time, you should go on a fact-finding mission with phone shops and in-person physical shops, so you can get the viewpoint of the common person who visits or calls your business. Once you have all of the information, only then can you act.
The Brandt Group can help you with all of that. We do employee surveys and training, and we do over-the-phone and in-person mystery shops. We’ve dedicated our lives to understanding every facet of customer service so that you don’t have to, so that you can concentrate on your products and services. Reach out today to learn more.
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