I like restaurants. Not just because I like to eat but my interest is in people and work. Watching people at work is fascinating.
I stayed at a hotel while attending a two-day Customer Experience conference. The conference was mid-week and I wasn’t really looking forward to one of those “businessman on his own” type dinners.
The restaurant was about half full and very promptly the manager, I assumed he was as he wore a suit, showed me to a table. After a short interval I was asked if I wanted a drink while chose my meal. Then, just as I decided, a waiter came to take my order.
Something about the service so far piqued my interest. I am an expert in behaviour at work and this was starting to look remarkable.
The timing of the interactions—shown to a table, drink order, food order—was spot on.
Was I lucky that the standard process interval they allowed suited me? Or were they observing me and coming to ask the questions when I appeared ready? I was intrigued now and put down my book to watch the staff/customer interactions.
The restaurant is an odd shape but there is one position from which all the diners are visible. For a while the manager stood there watching as his staff did their duties.
I didn’t see any instruction pass from manager to staff; it looked a well organised operation.
Later the manager left the position and went into the kitchen. He was there for some time and I imagined he was eating. From time to time the waiting staff were busy with new customers, clearing dishes, serving or taking orders. With the manager absent I wondered if the service level would change.
The staff were visibly more relaxed, making jokes between them but still very close to the performance they produced under the manager’s gaze.
Interestingly, when there were no other duties to perform one of the staff stood in that one place to see all the diners. This wasn’t accidental, there was a well thought through operating process behind what I was watching. I was fascinated!
Sitting on the next table was a group of ten people. When they left the entire waiting staff and the manager descended on the table and cleared it in one movement. Then the manager returned and split the pushed together tables apart.
No dirty or half cleared tables in that restaurant. To make the operation complete in one movement the manager joined in. This says something about reinforcing the key performance messages.
He could have stood on his spot and watched. He understood you can’t say something is important without being prepared to roll up your metaphorical sleeves and offer to help.
Throughout my meal there was attention to my needs at just the right intervals.
I did speak to the manager as I left, and he was completely confused by my praise. He saw it as a good job well done. He and his team made the dining experience extra special and they made it look easy.
What does good look like in your organisation? I’ve been to some organisations where the customers are seen as something of a nuisance. They don’t want what is available, they want something special and they want it now!
Are your processes and people so well practised they look easy? Do your customers feel well attended?
A lot of “customer experience” is formed by the dozens of small interactions that occur with your frontline staff. You can, of course, have procedures for all those interactions.
But Stafford Beer was right, at the point of delivery there are so many interactions going on that only the frontline staff possess the information to be able to deliver an exceptional, individual, outstanding customer experience.
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