Golden Rule in Business?

Herb Kelleher is an interesting leader--very different from other leaders. He is the founder of Southwest Airlines and he has broken many of the traditional rules when it comes to leadership. While building the airline, he knew that his people were what was going to separate his company from all the others.

As a result, he and his team have paid very close attention to those they hire as well as how they as a company treat them. In fact, from a customer service perspective, they treat customers very well; however the customer is right behind the employee in terms of importance. This flies in the face of the "customer is always right" mantra.

In the book, Nuts, examples are told of irate customers who accused an employee of mistreating them. If the employee disagreed, the airline always took the side of the employee, even though it meant that they would have a very unhappy customer. However, what this has done is to produce a very loyal workforce who love what they do, which in turn helps to produce more happy customers.

Southwest is all about treating their employees as family members. They show them love and respect and as a result, that love and respect is returned to the company and to the customer. They also encourage fun.

If you've ever flown Southwest, you have probably experienced some pretty zany stuff. This is all encouraged by Southwest and it really separates them from most airlines and it shows the love they have for their jobs. Take a couple of minutes and view the video above of a flight attendant announcement with a bit of a twist, but do this only if you want to smile.

All this has happened because a leader dared to lead his company by following the Golden Rule.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Luke 6:31

Customer Service

One of my favorite lines from Zig Ziglar is, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!" So true.

Walk The Talk has a list of the 10 words that can make a customer feel loved. It is a reminder at how simple customer service really can be. It is also a reminder about how simple it can be to show the love of Christ to others. Notice, I said "simple" and not "easy."

The 10 most important words:
"I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right."
When something goes wrong, most people merely want to be heard and acknowledged. So listen, apologize, then ask what you can do to make it right.

The 9 most important words:
"Thank you for your business. Please come back again."
Repeat customers cost less than new customers and are often more loyal.

The 8 most important words:
"I'm not sure, but I will find out."
It's ok if you don't know the answer; it's not ok to make the customer keep searching for it. That's your job.

The 7 most important words:
"What else can I do for you?"
Be prepared to go the extra mile, there is less competition there.

The 6 most important words:
"What is most convenient for you?"
Your customers will be pleasantly surprised when you ask what's convenient for them.

The 5 most important words:
"How may I serve you?"
This question reinforces your role in the relationship. Play that role the best you can.

The 4 most important words:
"How did we do?"
Feedback is critical! Your customers have a unique perspective and they appreciate being asked.

The 3 most important words:
"Glad you're here!"
Customers who feel welcome spend more time, more money and are more likely to return.

The 2 most important words:
"Thank you."
Basic manners... but how often do you get thanked when you're the customer?

The MOST important word:
"Yes."
Become a yes person.

Customer service is not a department, it's an attitude.

Service With A Smile

A friend of mine just shared a great quote with me. Neither of us know who said it but it is pretty good. "Life is like a game of tennis. The player who serves well seldom loses." How true.

When you receive great service somewhere doesn't it make you feel important. Maybe that is why Jesus told us we are to serve. Check out this story from Mac Anderson about someone who stuck out because he went above and beyond the call of duty:

The following story was told by my friend Phillip Van Hooser, in his book titled: Willie's Way. I really like it and hope you will too.

The conversation was pleasant. Earlier in the day I had presented a service professionalism training program for the Georgia Club Managers' Association, a group of managers representing some of the finest city, athletic, golf, and country clubs throughout the state of Georgia. Now I found myself dining with nine of the most highly respected leaders in the field of club management. Somewhere between the appetizer and the salad, Manuel de Juan, general manager of the host, Capital City Club, spoke.

“Phillip, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation today. I especially enjoyed the stories you shared to illustrate your content points. As a matter of fact, at one point during your presentation, I almost interrupted you to share one of my stories I thought you might enjoy.”

He said, “The occasion was Easter Sunday and the day found more than 500 club members and their guests crowded into the overflowing Capital City Club restaurant. As they waited to dine, a club member and his four dinner guests approached the bar where they were greeted by the head bartender, Bob, who quickly began to take and fill each drink order. Everything progressed as might be expected until one of the guests placed an order for a specialty drink.
'I would like a sazerac, please.'

'A sazerac?' Bob asked curiously. 'Sir, I'm sorry but I'm unfamiliar with that particular drink. However, if you'll share its ingredients with me, I will be happy to make you one.'

'That's the problem,' the guest explained. 'I was in New Orleans on business recently and I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel. During my visit, I went into the hotel bar and the bartender suggested I try the house specialty, a sazerac. I remember the name of the drink because it was the same as that of the bar. Anyway, I tried the drink and I loved it.

Since then though, whenever I've tried to order it in other bars around the country I always get the same response, 'never heard of it.' I was hoping a place like the Capital City Club would be different. But never mind. Don't worry about it. Just give me a Bloody Mary instead.'

Bob filled the revised drink order, and as soon as the guest left the bar to rejoin his party, Bob took his break and headed straight to the nearest telephone. He called information and requested the number for the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once connected to the Fairmont, Bob asked for the Sazerac Bar. Within seconds, Bob was talking directly with a previously anonymous professional colleague in a bar several hundred miles away.

'My name is Bob and I am the head bartender at the Capital City Club here in Atlanta. A few minutes ago I had a gentleman order a sazerac. He told me he was introduced to it while visiting your bar. I was wondering if you would be willing to share the recipe with me so I can fill his order?'

Bob's New Orleans counterpart was happy to oblige.

Within a few short minutes, Bob confidently approached the guest's table. Imagine the guest's level of surprise, satisfaction, and sheer delight when Bob said, 'Excuse me, sir, but I have your sazerac. I hope it's to your liking. I have taken the liberty of writing down the ingredients on this index card so you can have them with you in your travels. I hope you enjoy your time here at the Capital City Club. I'm glad I had the opportunity to serve you.'

One of my favorite definitions of listening is from Jim Cathcart. He said listening is wanting to hear. And you see, Bob wanted to hear...and he did. Great service is always about wanting to hear.

Service Lesson Learned:Surprise...and delight!

"Whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all."

Jesus in Mark 10:40b

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice. Harvey MacKay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed me a laminated card and said: "I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement."

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: "To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment." This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf."

I said jokingly, "No, I'd prefer a soft drink."

Wally smiled and said, "No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice."

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, "I'll take a Diet Coke."

Handing him his drink, Wally said, "If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today."

As they were pulling away, Wally handed me another laminated card. "These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio."

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

"Tell me, Wally,' Harvey asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?"

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. "No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called 'You'll See It When You Believe It'. Dyer said that 'if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself'. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.' That hit me right between the eyes," said Wally. "Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more."

"I take it that has paid off for you," Harvey said.

"It sure has," Wally replied. "My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action."

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.

I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us?

Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.....The ball is in our hands!

Galatians 6:7-10 ...God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up...let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Winning the Battle but Losing the War

Have you ever found yourself fighting real hard to win an argument, then after winning it you feel like you made a mistake. You realized that it really wasn't that important to win that argument...your relationship with the other person is more important.

The same is true when dealing with customers. In a recent survey, 98% of all dissatisfied customers said they were not dissatisfied because of a quality problem with the product or service purchased. In 98% of the cases their dissatisfaction was related to their perception of how they were treated by the people they dealt with.

One more time... note that they said their perception of how they were treated not how they were treated. This is very significant. It means that in some, maybe many of those cases, the employees involved actually treated the customers fairly, courteously and tried to do the best they could. However, what they did is not the issue. It's how the customer perceived what they did that counts.

Customer service diplomacy has to do with controlling the customer's perception. In other words, being right is not as important as winning in the relationship with the customer. This tells us that the #1 reason why businesses lose customers is their perception that they were treated discourteously or unfairly by the company's people with whom they interacted.