News for the Hospitality Executive |
Exceeding Your Customer's Expectations? Why Bother?
November 14, 2012 Let’s be
honest. Most people’s paychecks will be exactly the same whether they meet or exceed their
customers’ expectations. Unless you work for one
of those
rare companies that provide financial incentives to go above and
beyond, why go
through the trouble of doing more?
Seriously, doing more requires more effort, and more effort requires
more time.
So, my question is, why bother? The answer may be found in how you view
your
work. Is it a job, a career or a calling? As we will see, the way you
perceive
your work has a major impact on whether you “bother” to exceed
expectations or
not. Job. Career.
Calling. In Shawn
Achor’s book, The
Happiness Advantage, he referred to a study
that was done by one of his research
colleagues. The study was focused on how people viewed work.
It turns out that they either viewed work as a job, a career
or a calling. Those who view work as a job, primarily see working as a
way to
pay bills. They rarely do more than the bare minimum. Those who view
work as a
career have a bit more vested interest, and aspire to have longevity
via job
promotions, transfers, etc. Finally, those who view work as a
calling
find intrinsic value in what they
do. Their work is genuinely meaningful, and their pay is the proverbial
“icing
on the cake”. There are doctors and lawyers who may view their work as
a job,
while there are housekeepers and truck drivers who see their work as a
calling
(and the opposite is also true of course). Imagine two groups
of administrative assistants who have the same experience, same
education, and
same supervisor. One group views their work as a job, while the other
group sees
it as a calling. The assistants, who see their work as “just a job”
will do the
bare minimum. In fact, anything above the bare minimum will be viewed
as a
chore. Any question or request will be perceived as an interruption of
their
day. Those assistants will complain when they receive “too many” emails
or
phone calls. On the
contrary, the administrative assistants who view their work as a
calling will
happily and eagerly look for opportunities to exceed expectations. They
won’t
complain when they are busy. In fact, they will be happy when they are
busy.
The ringing phones and constant emails mean that their job is relevant
and
important. After all, if there are no customers, then why would their
jobs
exist? Most importantly, they are grateful because they have the
opportunity to
make a difference in someone’s day…everyday. Molé (pronounced
Mo-Lay) On a recent
trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, I was fortunate to visit a Mexican
restaurant
called The Red Iguana. The food was amazing and
the
service was equally impressive. One of the highlights occurred a short
while
after I was seated. The server welcomed me, introduced himself, then
asked if
it was my first trip to the restaurant. When I said yes, he welcomed me
again,
and explained some of the history and key features of the restaurant
including
their world famous molé sauce. He then told me about the various
types of molé
sauce and offered to bring samples of the sauces for me to try. I
instantly
fell in love with the sauce, and bought a pint to take home with me. The server
could have easily (and with much less effort), just taken my food
order, and proceeded
with merely meeting my expectations. My lunch experience could have
been “just
another meal” on “just another business trip”. As
we know, however, memorable service
experiences are not created by people who meet expectations. They are created by people
who exceed
them. Our original
question was, “Why bother to exceed expectations?” The short answer is
that for
those who view their work as a calling, exceeding is not really a bother at all. It is an honor…rather a
privilege to be of service. Some people
mistakenly believe that exceeding expectations is a gradual step up
from
meeting expectations. It is not. They are actually
two…different...things. If
you want to exceed, then you must intentionally
think of ways to exceed. So, while your pay may be the same, the service you provide
will be
memorable,
and the
innate joy you experience will be priceless. About Bryan K. Williams Dr. Bryan K. Williams is the Chief Service Officer of B.Williams Enterprise, and the author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar and Work Like You Own It! 20 Ways to Go From Meeting to Exceeding Your Customers’ Expectations. Bryan’s passion is world-class customer service, and has facilitated workshops and delivered keynotes all over the world for various companies. He speaks on a variety of topics related to service excellence, employee engagement, and organizational improvement. As a consultant, Bryan works closely with companies to design, develop, and implement sustainable service strategies. His company’s online store includes a growing collection of customer service products that are well-suited for your training library. |
B. Williams Enterprise, LLC Website: www.bwenterprise.net Email: [email protected] Facebook: BWEnterprise Twitter: @bwenterprise Phone: 240-401-6958 |