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| Joanna Firestone |
Definition: "a customer service experience that was so extraordinary, 'humanizing, engaging or connecting,' your perception of the person you were dealing with, and consequently the business or organization, became significantly enhanced"
My answer has always been absolutely, everyone. I believe that every employee, if put in the right corporate culture set by his/her manager, is capable of bringing it home. I hasten to add that there are some people who have greater abilities than others.
Late one night I was having this “everyone is capable” conversation with my 18-year-old daughter, Joanna, and she took issue with my position. (Imagine, a teenager taking issue with a point made by her parent?) I was feeling ever so bold and suggested to her that she pick anyone and that I could engage them into engaging me with the WOWEDFactor. Let’s make it interesting, I said, you pick the person and you pick the wager.
We settled on a challenge. We would do the drive through at a fast food restaurant, and pending on the greeting we heard through the squawk box (what is that thing called?), she would decide whether to throw down the challenge. Bring it on, Jo.
No time like the present. So we started out about 11:00 pm to work the drive-throughs. At the first one, we heard a man say the words, “What can I get for you?” with absolutely no affect and a little attitude. Sound familiar? My daughter looked at me, smiled and said, “There’s no way.” I gave the order and then we pulled up to the window. I was told how much the order was … still nothing -- no affect, like I was talking to a machine. I paid and then leaned out the window and said in a stage whisper, “Could you help me out? My friend (gestering to my daughter) is a little on the sloppy side … could you throw in some extra napkins?” He transformed. One big grin appeared on his face. He gave me a wink and loaded up the bag with no less than 50 napkins. He then said with sincere/engaging emotion worthy of at least an 4 on the WOWEDFactor Scale (5-1), “Hope you both enjoy your meal,” while giving me another wink.
Joanna agreed that he delivered the WOWEDSighting and said, however, that it was clearly an exception and that I couldn’t do it again in a million years. How about now I said. Five minutes later we went through another drive through. Same zero affect, same exact script from my end and the same exact result.
What’s the message? Replace me with a manager who knows how to engage his/her people with the WOWEDFactor and the right results will happen. You’ve got to work up the chain. If managers can engage their internal customers (employees), their employees will engage their customers. Rock-and-roll.
You think you know of someone who can’t deliver it? Before you decide to wager, you might want to check with Joanna.
For a complimentary consultation re how to establish a WOWEDFactor Culture, contact me. (See WOWEDFactor Culture section in WOWEDFactor: Key to Business Differentiation.)
Firestone
firestone@ethicalselling.com
314-863-4000
