BYO Corkscrew
I think you’ll like this story. You can read it or watch the 142 sec. video. And happy Friday!
A superb bottle of Italian wine arrived at our table with two glasses. We looked from bottle to glasses to each other to the waitress and back again…. “Um…” I said, “can I please have a corkscrew?” A short time later, she returned, saying she couldn’t find one. Something about her appearance conveyed the idea she was done looking. “Okay….” I said, bemused, “maybe I could look for one at the other bar?” “That’s a good idea”, she responded. At the other bar I still couldn’t find a corkscrew and now I was getting thirsty. I returned to our waitress and announced, “I still can’t find one.” “Okay,” she said.
Looking back, I don’t know what I expected by that point, but silence was what I got and still no corkscrew.
Here’s the deal...
1. In business, it’s important to train people how to speak to, and ultimately delight the customer. Don’t assume they know.
2. Ensure procedure manuals include where to find essential items. Keep them updated and accessible; include a date on each page so you know the last date it was reviewed. Have your people read it on their first day.
3. Give staff the ability to remedy problems that are relatively easy to fix. In this case, if the waitress had permission to walk to the local supermarket and buy a corkscrew (which wouldn’t have taken long and wouldn’t have cost much), the world would have been a happier place.
Whether you manage a team or are employed at the customer interface, go all out in pleasing the customer. They will buy more, keep coming back, and tell their friends.
Ray
A Ray rave…
The business owner of a hotel said it this way: Ray's consultancy with myself and my team has been extremely valuable across the entire business. The main results include a stronger leadership team, greater staff satisfaction and efficiencies, record sales over the Christmas season and more time for myself to work on the business.
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