5 Ways to Be Brilliant at the New Basics of Service

Service is not something you improve “in general”. It’s something you improve in specific. Here are five smart basics of service that sells:

1.Good service begins with who you let on your team. Therefore, make hiring THE Most Important Decision. 2023 Hiring Basics: 1), make it easy to apply for the job via smartphone. Respond to every application within an hour (there’s an app for that), 2) All managers must be well-versed and well-trained in the interviewing/hiring process, 3) reimagine and create a stellar onboarding experience for every new employee.

2. Now apply Servant Leadership. If you’re not serving the customer directly, you’d better be serving someone who is. Teaching your teams daily is part of the service process. Don't expect 100% service (or sales, or productivity, or teamwork) from your employees when you only give them 1% training.

3. Reduce complexity. If you truly want to be brilliant at the basics of service you must first make the basics less complex to understand and much more easier to do. Simplifying process is the first step in a world-class service program. Where are your roadblocks? ?

4. Identify specific needs. First detail what good service and bad service looks like at every customer contact point. Then assess and identify your team’s current service skill gaps and apply a Timetable to bridge those gaps.

5. Be hopeful, engaging and assume positive intent. Keeping employees happy is the best customer service training (and marketing) you can do. Which Hotel would you prefer to stay at? One where the Executive Team declares “Customer Service” as their number one focus, or one where all the employees love their job? Recognize performers and performance; have managers to conduct regular “thank you” walks during every shift. Teach your customer-facing teams to smile and make customers feel appreciated, whether it’s ten seconds at a drive-through window or two hours tableside. ?

These are but five basics to begin. If you're serious about improving service then you have to be serious about teaching service daily. Improve the experience you create for your external and internal customers daily. Service is an active and an evolving--not a static or stationary--process. In conclusion: Service is made up of a thousand little things that our teams and managers do for the customer every single day that the customer doesn’t even notice.

Until we don’t do them.

Additional Resources

School is never out for the pro, and now is the time to think harder, read more, and do more to build a stronger future for your team, company and customers. The ideas in this newsletter have been excepted from the newest editions of our bestselling books Fundamentals and Multiunit Leadership. You can get them at Amazon in paperback, audiobook, ebook or Spanish versions. All are on sale right now. End of sales pitch. Thank you.

If you like this newsletter please share it with your team and ask them to subscribe (it's free) for monthly insights into creative ways to become a better leader.