WOWEDSighting: Kelvin Edmunds - Cafe Cornucopia"He could bring the decimal over a couple of digits on the price and I’d still come out the winner."

WOWEDSighting Recipient's Testimony: “This guy is one of a kind. He’s literally the first person I see every morning and what a way to start the day! His enthusiasm for life, his focus on the development of his kids and his employees, his ‘I only play with my cleats on!’ approach to life (which Teddy Roosevelt would be proud of) all bring so much value to my cup of coffee. He could bring the decimal over a couple of digits on the price and I’d still come out the winner. Quite simply, he personifies the WOWEDFactor.” Kelvin's Certificate of Sighting

WOWEDSighting: Hayatt Mohammed - Mastro's Steakhouse, Chicago"Hayatt made us feel special. We will go back to Mastro's and insist on working with her!!"

WOWEDSighting Recipient's Testimony: “Mastro's is an upscale California based restaurant group that just opened their first Chicago location in October, 2010. Two female friends and I visited Mastro's strictly for drinks after having dined at a different restaurant. Oftentimes a group of 3 women visiting a restaurant solely for drinks is not welcomed by wait staff. My friends and I are not big ticket drinkers, and the wait staff cannot wait to turn our table to make more money. Not Hayatt! She could not have been more welcoming! Truly cared about our drink selection and it appeared that the portions she served us were generous. She chatted with us and was totally engaging. We did not order dessert--all of a sudden Hayatt appeared with an entire butter cake, a Mastro's signature dessert, that was complimentary for our group. Delicious! We devoured the entire cake! Hayatt made us feel special. We will go back to Mastro's and insist on working with her!! I called her Manager, David Place, to obtain her contact information, and he is aware of the ‘WowedAmerica’ initiative.” Hayatt's Certificate of Sighting

WOWEDFactor Truisms - Impact on Bottom Line

WOWEDFactor:  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

We believe the following to be true about the WOWEDFactor: 

•  Service is manufactured at the point of delivery.  To my knowledge (and our research is considerable), not one customer has approached a business, asked to see the mission statement and then declared, “Very impressive, I’m now a customer for life.”
• The service image, is influenced in large part by employees interactions with external customers.
• Employees are the company in the minds of customers.
• The extent to which employees perceive themselves as stakeholders within that organizations or business (having a piece of the rock) has a direct relationship on their ability to deliver the WOWEDFactor.
• Managers’ first customers are their employees who interface with external customers.  Number one objective is to set up a culture where employees perceive they are stakeholders for the reason set forth above.
• Research clearly substantiates that the reason why customers quit a business has much more to do with not receiving the WOWEDFactor than anything else.  A recent survey of consumers shows that sixty-eight percent of all lost business results from the indifferent, uncaring attitudes of employees toward customers and only fourteen percent is lost because of product dissatisfaction.  The results on Why Customers Quit:

68 percent - indifferent attitude of employee

14 percent - product dissatisfaction

9 percent - competitive reasons

5 percent - other friends

3 percent - move away

1 percent – die

If customers quit a business in large part because of an attitude of indifference on the part of employees, it stands to reason that the antithesis … delivering the WOWEDFactor, would be a significant reason why customers stay.  Put in other terms, customer loyalty could be enhanced as a result.

Firestone

firestone@wowedamerica.com

314-863-4000

©2010 Ethical Selling Institute. All Rights Reserved.
©2010 Fred Firestone. All Rights Reserved.

Anheuser-Busch: Transitioning the Customer Call Center to the Customer Relationship Group

I had the opportunity to do a series of WOWEDFactor seminars for Anheuser-Busch on transitioning their Customer Call Center, which was staffed by 50 full-time Customer Information Specialists, to the Customer Relationship Group, staffed by 50 full-time Customer Experience Professionals. Their vision was that they could enhance brand loyalty if they set their sights on developing relationships vs. merely providing information. This was consistent with their mission: "Making Friends is Our Business." In essence they wanted to transition from being in the Transaction Business to being in the Interaction Business.

What an exciting project to work on and people to work with … they “got it.” They realized that when they were in the Customer Call Center business, the litmus test for a successful call was simply: did they provide the right information. They also realized that the potential value of each call was underutilized with only providing the requested information. If they could create a call experience by delivering the WOWEDFactor, they would build brand loyalty and company value.

Joanna and the Drive Through - Is Everyone Capable of Delivering a WOWEDFactor Experience?

Joanna Firestone

I’m often asked if everyone capable of delivering the WOWEDFactor.

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.

WOWEDSighting: Patty Wilson - Take Care Health, Brentwood Walgreens"Because of Patty, I’ll be back again … hopefully not soon and not frequently."

WOWEDSighting Recipient's Testimony: “Patty Wilson makes you feel good even when you don’t feel good. I went to Take Care Health because I suspected I had pink eye, which my wife was diagnosed as having a week before. After asking me a few questions, Patty reassured me I didn’t have it. She went on to explain some things about eye health (and ways to continue to avoid my wife’s pink eye) that were very helpful. Further, because I didn’t have a diagnosis, she said there’d be no fee. She presented herself as a sincere, caring, fair and thoughtful person. She explained to me she loved her job because she liked helping people feel better. You could tell. What a credit she is to Take Care Health. Because of Patty, I’ll be back again … hopefully not soon and not frequently.” Patty's Certificate of Sighting