Disney Service In Your Branch

Now that Spring Break is behind us, my attention is squarely on Summer Vacations!  Not just the one coming up in 58 days … not that I’m counting … but of vacations of the past as well.

Which leads me to a story I often tell in my branch experience seminars.

A few years ago I took my family on the obligatory trip to Disney.  It was late June and we were “fortunate” enough to catch the park on a record-setting 115-degree day.  It was so hot that, during an air-conditioned lunch, my son actually cried, “Please don’t make me go back out to Disney!”

 

But we had to endure.  We had to head back out to the park … because we were on a mission,  a mission for my daughter, who, at the time, was obsessed with Sleeping Beauty.  The mouse and rides and castle and cartoons were all extra.  There was one goal - only one experience that drove us.  The trip would not be a success until she met Sleeping Beauty in person!  In Sophia's mind, the expectation was this…

But, taken at face value, the details of the trip were more like this.  We drove 14 hours to get to Orlando … the last several hours in stifling heat and no A/C (the van’s air died just past the Florida border).  After dropping several hundred dollars on tickets, we went straight to the princesses and waited nearly an hour only to learn that Sleeping Beauty apparently didn’t wake up until after noon.  With a day that was so hot, our shoes seemed to melt on the asphalt, the park apparently opted to mark-up water to a premium price.  My wallet was draining as quickly as my patience.

There is a point to all of this that reflects on your bank or credit union.

You don’t measure quality service on your best day.  

You measure it at 4:50 on a Friday afternoon.

As service providers, we are ALWAYS on stage.  When I interviewed for Disney’s internal ad agency in 2000, I got to see “back stage.”  At every entrance to the park is a full-length mirror with the words: Smile, You’re on Stage.  And every single cast-member from the janitorial crew, to the gardeners, to Sleeping Beauty herself embraces the concept.

When we finally met Sleeping Beauty, she was magnificent.  She had no idea of the National Lampoon-like journey we endured to place Sophia into her lap.  But she made it all worthwhile and took as much time with us as we wanted.  She was in character and on-point … she made us feel special – like the only guests in the park.  This is what we remember from that day at Disney.

In your branches, we don’t know what obstacles stood between our customer’s home and our branch.  We don’t know what hardships may have lead to their needing cash or a loan.  But we are all on stage!  We are all in that flowing pink Sleeping Beauty dress … in character … making our customers feel special – like they’re the only guests in our lobby.

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Tips from a frustrated bank shopper

Last week we conducted secret shops for a client and their competition as part of our strategic planning process. We walked into nearly 40 financial institution branches in 2 1/2 days.

After doing these shops for clients all over the country, it never ceases to amaze me how horribly wrong things can go with customers who walk into our branches.

Folks who walk in your front door are the hottest of all possible leads. They have made the effort to leave their home and travel to your branch - at that point, they have done all that we should expect of them. Yet, banks and credit unions across the country EXPECT the customer to read brochures to determine what's best for them AND to call back when they are ready to open an account.

Here are a few tips from a guy who's shopped hundreds of banks and credit unions:

• Get 'em talking: By asking some basic questions, you can learn about what the customer wants AND begin to build a rapport. Ask about their families, where they work, where they bank now, why they want the account. With a handful of standard questions, the conversation will flow.
• Listen before you talk: When someone wants information about your checking accounts, they don't mean ALL of your checking accounts. This isn't a test of your front line's product knowledge - they simply want to know which account is best for them. Unless you've hired a group of mind readers, the only way to determine that is to listen to the prospect.
• They came there for a reason: They drove to your branch once - don't make them come back until they're a customer. Ask to open the darn account now!
• Don't give up: If it's not convenient to open the account now, it's our job to follow-up with the customer. Don't expect them to be so dazzled by your brochure that they are compelled to pursue you. Ask politely for their contact information so you can follow-up. If they refuse, provide your business card and tell them the hours your typically there.

A little extra effort can go a long way. Take it from me - most of your competition is simply handing off brochures with no effort at all to begin a relationship or make a sale.

Good luck,

Eric