Customers should have names, not numbers

It has just dawned on me that I have not been addressed by name for two days. On the other hand, I've been many numbers. Here are just a few of my numbers:

• B55 (Southwest Airlines)
• "Next" & Space 340 (Hertz)
• Room 108 (Courtyard, by Marriott)
• Guest #33 (In-n-Out)

Here's an example at Hertz:

I arrived at the rental counter along with what seemed like every other person to ever rent a car at Hertz. In reality, there were 7 people in line ahead of me along with a customer at each of the four open counters. My wait was longer than expected and I calculated (nerdy, I know) that it took the 4 Hertz counter agents an average of 5 minutes per customer to rent a car. It was slightly more than 20 minutes before I made it to the counter.

"Hi, my name is Sheila!" said Sheila. "Hi Sheila, my name is Jeff." Ahhh, now someone will call me by name, I thought. Well, no. Apparently, Sheila just wanted me to know her name. She did try extra hard to sell me the refueling option and finally told me my car was in space 340.

These situations get me thinking. For example, I can't remember how many times I've had a situation like the one I experienced with Sheila and the person hasn't used my name. Then, when they look up my account, they suddenly exclaim, "How are you today, Mr. Toister?!" Uh, huh.

What the best do...

Service is about a connection between people. The name isn't necessary, but it sure helps and I'd much rather be a name than a number. Customer Service Reps that work for a client of mine overcome this by keeping a list of their most important customers' account numbers. When Mr. Smith calls, Mr. Smith never has to give his account number. The customer service rep looks it up for him, so the formality of a little number never has to get between them.

Forget the averages - service happens one person at a time

Most of you have heard about the rash of recent flight cancellations due to bankruptcy (Aloha Airlines, ATA, etc.), safety concerns (American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, etc.), and the usual weather problems experienced at this time of year. Thousands of travelers have been impacted, creating a major customer service headache for these airlines. I'll avoid the statistics for a moment and suggest that our impressions of service in these situations come down to two questions:

1. Was I directly impacted?
2. If the answer to question 1 is "Yes", how was I treated?

Example #1: American Airlines

I was directly impacted by weather delays when I flew American Airlines to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago. I had to spend an extra night in D.C., so the answer to question #1 was "Yes, I was directly impacted." It's one thing to read about thousands of people you don't know being delayed or stranded, but it's another thing to be one of them!

Fortunately, I encountered a kind ticket agent, Thomas Lee, who gave me a hotel voucher and booked me on the first available flight home the next day. Mr. Lee said they weren't normally able to provide hotel vouchers due to weather delays, but weather hadn't yet been "officially" logged as the cause, so he was able to get me into a hotel at no charge. So, the answer to #2 was "I felt as though I was treated well."

Example #2: A customer service call center
Last week, I gave a talk on Employee Engagement to a San Diego networking group for call center professionals called CCPN. Preparing for the talk reminded me that an organization may have an average customer service rating of 85%, but that doesn't mean every agent satisfies 85% of their customers. More likely than not, some agents satisfy nearly 100% of their customers while other agents may satisfy less than 50%. Your personal impression of their customer service all depends on which agent you get when you call - the 100% person or the 50% person.

Here's an example from a small call center I managed several years ago. Our goal for quality assurance monitoring scores was 85%. Over one particular period we achieved that 85% goal. Pretty good, huh? Well, not really. When you looked at average monitoring scores by individual rep, you noticed some interesting trends (names have been changed to protect the innocent).

Our average was 85%, but I was really hoping customers would get Cara (100% average), Kristy (100% average), or even Betty (95% average). Conversely, I cringed every time Preston (70% average) and especially Steve (55% average) took a call. Preston and Steve were both given opportunities to improve and eventually asked to leave the organization, but that didn't change the impact they had on the customers they spoke with.


Lessons Learned
My call center experience taught me the value of having top performers and how necessary it was to improve or move performers who couldn't meet the minimally acceptable standards. I also suggest companies like American Airlines pay special attention to hiring and developing more people like Thomas Lee. I've flown American since then as a direct result of his service. I have two trips coming up and I'll probably fly American again thanks to him.

Taking a look through the customers' eyes

On a recent trip, a stop in the hotel gift shop reminded me that companies all too often fail to see things from a customer's perspective. This myopia can lead to frustration, poor service, and sometimes humorous consequences. Check out the picture below and note the third option down.




I'm sure they meant "assorted" but that's not how I read it in the store. You can only imagine a frustrated manager scratching his head and saying, "I don't understand it, these fruit stix just aren't selling!" A simple look at this sign through the eyes of a customer would help that manager spot the problem instantly.

Here are a few other examples (OK, pet-peeves) that are definitely not customer-focused!

• Entering an account or credit card number into an automated phone system so they can "better serve you" only to have to repeat it when a live person answers the phone.
• Cashiers who hand me my change with the coins on top of the bills, especially in the drive-through line. You have to be careful to catch the coins before they go flying!
• Airline workers and cashiers who ask to see my identification and then don't look at it. (I once showed a cashier my zoo pass with a picture of a gorilla on the front and he didn't even blink.)
• Employees who respond to a question that begins with "Where is..." by pointing in that thing's general direction rather than helping me find it.
• Valet parking attendants who leave my seat all the way back and my radio blasting on a station I don't listen to.

Starbuck's listens to me (and you) with Pike Place Roast

Starbucks launched a new roast today in response to customer feedback about their often burnt-tasting brews. I was an unwitting 'early adopter' when I stopped by a Starbucks this morning and tried a cup. To my great surprise, it was very good. As in, the best cup of Starbucks coffee I've tasted in a long time good.

Starbucks launched the new flavor after soliciting extensive customer research. They are also reconnecting, it seems, with the reason many people started going to Starbucks in the first place -- the taste of the coffee.

"We are returning to the very best elements of our heritage and bringing back the simple romance and excitement of coffee,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo. You can read all about the Pike Place Roast here.