Two Secrets to Creating Customer Experiences from the Inside Out
© Holly Stiel
Once the employee recognizes that they are responsible for the experience that they personally receive, as well as what the customer receives, we can move on to talk about some of the more difficult aspects of creating an experience of delight for others on a consistent basis. Because it is all about feelings it becomes emotional very quickly. Talking about deep-seated emotional issues can be very difficult for managers as well as employees. One of my very favorite and simple ways to talk about these issues is through a concept that I call the ME sign.
Every single customer that employees encounter and each of us when we are customers, wears a giant sign and that sign says ME. The sign has flashing lights all around it! In fact they are so bright, they temporarily blind the person. They cannot recognize that an employee may be busy helping someone else. They cannot see that talking on a cell phone while attempting to check in or order a meal is rude. No, they cannot see anything because the lights on the ME sign are flashing too brightly.
The ME sign is a very simple idea and an easy way to talk about what is really happening in service situations. Start by accepting it as unchangeable. While customers may appear different, every single one of them is wearing this ME sign. Some are friendly, some are easy and lovely to work with, some are abrupt, some have attitude, and some are flat out nasty. Behind the flashing lights of everyone’s ME sign are universal principles. I think of them as the human needs behind the business needs. It is these human needs that need to be addressed, both for the customer as well as for the employee.
Instead of just complaining about the customer’s behavior or subscribing to the management practice of ignoring the employees’ frustration, you can create breakthroughs in behavior by opening dialogue about the human needs that are really going on behind the flashing lights of the Me sign.
I have broken it down to four ideas. Each can be used as a focus for a meeting or pre-shift huddle. When you pay attention to these human needs, the business needs are easier to handle. These human needs are to be Heard, Acknowledged, Remembered and Respected. Delivering service based on these needs is the great challenge employees face every day. The reality is that most people receive indifference. Talking about these simple ideas in these simple ways, opens up the opportunity to change indifference to making a difference. Because they are simple does not mean that they are easy. Because you have already heard ideas like these does not mean your employees are delivering on them. Creating consistent and memorable experiences requires an ongoing conversation. Knowing and doing are two very different things.
The first human need underneath the flashing ME sign is to be heard, to be listened to. People are screaming ME because they feel they haven’t been heard. Listening to someone else is so important that it can actually be considered as an act of generosity.