november 2007

AKA - "Simple lessons learned from a morning coffee stop"

So, today, just like pretty much any other day I go into my local “McStarbucks”.  The barista made me totally the wrong drink and when she realized it she made a sigh and rolled her eyes.  Just as I was considering pointing this out to the store manager (Being somewhat grumpy  and customer relations obsessed too)  – the barista had a flash of inspiration and realized what she’d done  - suddenly there was a replacement drink ready for me, complete with an apology and a coupon for the next drink free.

It got me thinking – there’s a good lesson in there!  Yeah sure - she copped an attitude at her error – but no-ones perfect! We all have our “eye rolling moments” with customers or clients  - the key is to recognize the instant they happen and turn them round fast into positive experiences for the end user.  It seems there’s a brewing time (Excuse the pun) for a bad customer experience and at least some of the time you’ll have the opportunity to take the heat off of (Oh dear -  another one!) the situation before it escalates into a negative relationship that could potentially affect your business.

Anyone else got simple lessons like that?