The owner of a popular ice cream store was asked how much product he needed to sell to break even. Without hesitation, he replied, “155 scoops a day.”
Given the store’s great location and the popularity of the brand, this seemed like a piece of cake, but the owner continued: “The problem,” he said, “Is that all 155 scoops must be served with a smile, and we tend to run out of smiles at about 115 scoops.” Doing the math, they are 40 smiles short, and actually more than that, since a successful business must do more than break even to be successful.
The problem is universal: How do you consistently meet the goal of providing “service with a smile?” Whatever business we’re in, burnout can be an impediment. If serving a tasty frozen treat in a fun atmosphere to a relatively happy crowd presents a sustainability problem, how on earth do other businesses manage?
One of the challenges is the repetitive nature of many service jobs. I personally ran into this when I was a hotel concierge in San Francisco. Can you imagine how many times I answered the question, “Where can I catch a cable car?” It became absolutely mind numbing, and it was so easy to collapse into a tired, robotic stupor.
Here’s the trick I learned, which I’ve now taught for many years: Think of your job as performing art! In the case of the ice cream shop, the store is the theater and the service staff, performers. The customers, of course, are the audience. On Broadway, actors repeat the same lines again and again, but with every performance, they say those lines as if it were the first time. Why? Because it is the first time their audiences have heard those lines, and theatergoers expect a fresh, new experience. The same holds true for eager cable car riders and ice cream lovers. So, I suggest to service providers that they adopt the mindset of a Tony Award winning actor, delighting every customer as if he or she was their first. To shake the monotony, put on a smile. With every new customer, it’s lights, camera, action!
The other culprit behind burnout is the unhappy customer, especially if there are more than one. Even ice cream stores must experience this every now and then, e.g., “What do you mean there’s no chocolate chip?!” There are many effective techniques for soothing irate customers, and here’s a powerful one: Don’t take it personally!
In reality, customers are not directing their complaints at one person in particular. If we keep it mind that it’s not about us, we can calmly formulate a sincere and empathic response, which gets to the core of the problem and offers the best solution. Not taking it personally allows us to fully give our personal attention to the customer, without our own frazzled feelings getting in the way.
Lastly, for those who manage service providers, it’s important to show your staff how it’s done. Spend some time on the frontlines with your customers and demonstrate the attitudes and behaviors that your expect in your employees. It’s also important to keep a trained eye on the metrics you use to measure the level of service you’re providing your customers. Develop your version of the “smile to scoop ratio,” determine how to measure it, and take immediate, corrective measures if it’s not consistently at least 1:1.
Additional information on these ideas, and many more, can be found in my book, “Neon Signs of Service, Getting to the Heart of the Matter in Customer Service,” available online. And my latest offering Get Real With Holly Stiel.