By David Peel
Chick-fil-A employees say “My Pleasure” instead of “You’re Welcome” because years ago Founder Truett Cathy heard that while at the upscale Ritz-Carlton. His maxim, “We’re not just in the chicken business, we’re in the people business,” continues to shine through even after his demise.
Surveys show that such good customer service is getting ever rarer. In 1976 only 32% reported significant customer service difficulties with companies. The 2020 customer problem rate was 66%. Airlines, cable/satellite providers and hotels experience a large share of dissatisfaction. Local provider Comcast was so famous for their lackluster customer service that it became a fodder for internet memes.
Back in the dark ages when I was in college, we were taught that dissatisfied customers told 5 to 12 times the number of people about a bad experience, compared to those giving a compliment.
How should we deal with inevitable mistakes or delays?
•Make the problem your own. That way the customer is no longer is having to advocate against you, but instead, begins to see that you are on their team. The monkey should be transferred off the customer’s back onto yours.
•Apologize.
•Explain what occurred.
•Work the problem with the customer.
Instead, this is what we tend to experience as customers:
•Long hold/wait times, and automated systems (phone trees) “Press 1 for…”
•Foreign speakers that are difficult to understand and are reading from a script.
•Having to repeat information multiple times to various people only to be told that they are not in the right department.
I’m getting frustrated just writing about those experiences!
No business is perfect, but since Chic-Fil-A has made it a true pleasure to buy a chicken sandwich, all businesses can improve and strive to become the Chic-Fil-A of their industries.
