YESTERDAY, we looked at how every employee can make a difference that ultimately affects a company's bottom line.
Poor service from just one person can drive away a customer for good.
Organisations should constantly check if any links in their service chain are weak.
The weakest link
In the early days of Crown Zellerbach Paper Company's business in the north-west of the United States, a company truck driver was moving his load along a narrow, twisting road.
A big, impressive car in front slowed him down, and it took the truck driver about 20 minutes to pass the car.
When he did, he rolled down his window and swore loudly at the car driver, not caring that the Zellerbach name was all over the truck.
It happened that the man in the car was Zellerbach's largest purchaser in the entire state, and he saw that the truck belonged to Crown Zellerbach.
He immediately contacted his purchasing agent and said: "Cancel all orders we have with Zellerbach and never, ever do business with them again."
At the time, the paper company was being managed by its founder, Mr Isadore Zellerbach, who attempted to contact his ex-client by phone for two months to find out why the account had been cancelled.
He had no luck. He flew up to the north-west and said to his customer: "We give you good service, prompt deliveries and great prices. Why won't you do business with us anymore?"
The man told Mr Zellerbach about the truck driver. At that moment, Mr Zellerbach realised that he had overlooked the most important aspect of his business: Everyone in his company represented Crown Zellerbach to the outside world.
Sometimes, it is difficult for us to realise that we do represent our company every day.
But a single negative act can ruin a company's reputation in the eyes of a customer.
You do make a difference every day in your company's ultimate success.
Model worker
At times, companies have good employees from whom the management can take a lesson.
Several years ago at the National Speakers Association Winter Workshop in a hotel in Nashville, the board of directors met and six of us adjourned to the coffee shop to continue our deliberations.
Nobody wanted anything exactly as it was presented on the menu, no one wanted the same item as anyone else and, as speakers, we talked the entire time the waitress was taking the order.
The waitress was so nice and patient that at the end of the meal, I said: "My dear, this is going to be worth your while, these guys are big tippers."
She said something that I have never forgotten: "I'm not being nice for a tip, I don't care if you don't give me a tip, I just feel that if we give you good service, if your group comes back here another year, you'll bring your business back to our hotel and not the competition."
I was impressed. Here was a waitress who talked about 'our' hotel, seeing herself as a stakeholder in it. When I returned to my office, I sent a letter to the manager, praising the waitress's good service. I also said: "Sir, I don't know what you do to motivate your people, but keep doing it. It works."
I never received a reply. I think the manager and the waitress should change places for a couple of weeks because she knows more about public relations than he does.
Say it every day
If you have a mission statement or philosophy about how you want to run your business, post it everywhere. Be creative when you explain what is expected of your staff.
On a plane, a man who had been sitting next to me introduced me to the young man who was meeting him. He said: "John has been working in Disney World for three years."
I asked John: "Is it true that when you first go to work in Disney World, they send you through a week's training programme telling you about the philosophy and that you have to be nice to people and what your job is?"
"Yes," he said. I asked him: "After that first week's training, in the three years you worked there, how often did you hear the philosophy on how you had to treat people?"
He replied: "Every day."
When he saw that I was sceptical, he added: "It took different forms, it took different words, but I heard it every day." Is it any surprise that Disney World is still drawing crowds from all over the world?
Article by Patricia Fripp, a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer and award-winning professional speaker on customer service and communication skills. She is the author of Get What You Want! and Make It, So You Don?t Have to Fake It! E-mail: PFripp@Fripp.com Website: www.fripp.com
