How Do You Serve Your Chicken?

There is a Chinese food restaurant in my neighborhood that is my husband’s and my “go to” place when we have a night where do don’t feel like cooking.  Out of the eight or so Chinese places that are within 10 minutes of our house, we like going to this particular one the most. 

The reason we like going there so much is because the place is clean, the people are friendly, and they are flexible with how they let you order traditional items on their menu.  For example, we love General Tso’s Chicken, but hate the heavy breading and greasy fried meat found at most places.  Here is our typical order:

General Tso’s Chicken

Unbreaded, steamed/boiled white meat

Extra broccoli

With as many times we have ordered this dish in our health-conscious way, we have probably received the finished product in that many ways as well:

• No broccoli
• Extra vegetables, but no broccoli
• Chicken was fried with breading
• Chicken was fried without breading
• Very little meat and lots of vegetables
• Big pieces of steamed chicken with the perfect amount of sauce and broccoli
• Chicken with runny sauce
• Do you see my point now?

I never know what I’m going to get when I order that particular dish, and, as long as my chicken isn’t fried, at the end of the day I don’t really care that much.  But if I decide to change, I would do so quietly.  I just wouldn’t go back again.

It's All About the Service Delivery

There IS a relation between me ordering my General Tso’s “my way” Chicken and banking with my financial institution.  What happened if I mailed a check to be deposited into my checking and it went into savings instead, thus causing an overdraft?  How many times do you think that would happen before I decided to change institutions? 

Your service delivery is everything.  And, while each person’s comfort level and anger threshold is different, you need to make sure your entire team is ready to treat every interaction and transaction like it is your last with that member.  Listen to them, make sure you do exactly what they ask for, exceed their expectations, and give them a reason to come back.  Otherwise, you may be quietly losing members or customers without them giving you a chance to find out why.

Amanda

Want to gauge the service delivery in your financial institution?  MarketMatch can help!  Our process creates and transforms the actual “voice of the customer” into clear knowledge-based strategy and ties service delivery strategy to the customer experience and brand promise.

Contact me to learn how we can help turn your challenges into opportunities with guaranteed ROI on your efforts. 

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Spring Training

Pitchers and catchers report TODAY!  Soon there will be the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sound of wood cracking against leather and the aroma of hot dogs in the air.

Over the next few weeks, even last year’s All-Stars will be going back to basics:  How do you position your body to turn a double play?  What are the mechanics for a slider?  What is the sign for “steal second”?

What are you doing to get your team ready for Game Day (you know, that day a customer or prospect walks in your front door or calls your office)?

 

Here are some ideas to get Back to Basics:

 

Look in the mirror

Have someone from outside the company shop your offices.  Simply have them ask for information on a new checking account and see how your staff handle it.

 

Scout the competition

Have that same person do the exact same thing at your major competition

• How did your offices stack up?
  
• Was there an emotional difference in how they felt at each office?
  
• Most importantly … would they buy from YOU or THEM?
  

The Golden Rule

Treat EVERYONE who walks into your office as you would treat a guest in your home

• Look them in the eye
  
• Shake hands
  
• Walk them from place to place (NEVER just point)
  
• If a teller is referring to New Accounts staff, make formal introductions
  
• Offer a bottle of water to ANYONE who sits anywhere in your office
  
• Before you talk about yourself, ask about them (learn a customer's needs first and focus on the relevant products – don’t information dump)
  
• Ask if you can open an account for them today.  They took time out of their day to drive to your office – reward them with a new account.
  
• When the conversation is complete, walk them to the door, shake their hand and thank them for coming.
  

Sounds simple doesn’t it?  What is your staff doing right now?

Make sure your team knows the playbook

If your frontline staff doesn’t have a checking account, online banking, bill pay and debit card with your institution – how can they speak knowledgably about it? 

“I use our online banking and it’s super easy,” is a much more powerful sentence than, “Our online baking is supposed to be pretty easy.”

Getting Back to Basics means that you don’t necessarily need scripts or new procedures.  Simply use common sense, make an effort and have fun.

Enjoy your Spring Training!

 

Happy Trails,

Eric

Reflecting on Reflections

I had a personal epiphany over the weekend and then turned it into a professional one.

There's no greater reflection of ourselves than observing the actions of those we lead.

It all started when I wished my 5-year-old son would stop yelling first and asking questions later. 

Then I realized that he was a “mini-me.”  A 3-foot tall version of my impatient, hotheaded self.  He wasn’t born with a short fuse, he learned it through watching me.

The same is true for our institutions.  As managers or those responsible for the service delivery of our banks or credit unions, if you are unsatisfied with the actions of your staff – first look at the culture that created the behaviors.

Walt Disney understood this:

“People look at you and me to see what they are supposed to be.  And, if we don't disappoint them, maybe, just maybe, they won't disappoint us."

- Walt Disney

I don’t believe that Orlando, Florida is the hotbed of outstanding, service-oriented people.  If that were true, your experiences outside of Disney would be the same as those inside the park.  What Disney has, however, is a clear definition of service excellence and a consistent and unwavering expectation from the CEO to the janitor that this definition is to be lived everyday – with absolutely no exceptions.

Rather than punish my son for his actions, I will make a conscience effort to not disappoint him in MY actions ... then maybe, just maybe, I won't be disappointed in his.

How will you and your management team effect the service culture of your institution?

Take Care,                                                                                                                  

Eric

OTHER MEANINGFUL WALT DISNEY QUOTES:

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

“Of all the things I've done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.”