While perusing my LinkedIn account last week, I ran across an article in Business Insider that caught my eye. The author, Kate Taylor, discussed how Chick-fil-A is beating is the competition, not with technology or undercutting prices, but with simple acts of kindness. By teaching employees to use simple phrases like “please” and “thank you,” the company has developed a customer satisfaction rating that leads the food industry.
This is somewhat counter-intuitive, as we often think that process improvements cost a great deal of money. Yet coaching staff to use certain phrases that address customer expectations is probably one of the least expensive and most cost-efficient ways one can use to improve customer satisfaction.
A good way to evaluate factors for customer satisfaction is the Kano model, developed by Dr. Noriaki Kano. It involves multiple customer need levels, including an expected and/or base quality, a normal quality, and a high or exciting quality. In the expected quality category, one would include standard items such as a bed in a hotel room, or chairs in a waiting room. Normal qualifiers could be items that satisfied basic needs or basic requirements, such as three bedrooms in a new home. If a couple with two kids found a home with three bedrooms, then they would likely be satisfied because it meets their basic expectations.
The real goal is to obtain those factors that are considered exciting qualities or “delighters.” These are things that, while not an expectation of the customer, are actually above and beyond the expectation.
For me, an example of this is receiving warm cookies when checking into a hotel room. After driving all day and being hungry and tired upon arrival, who knew what a satisfier a sweet treat could be!
The Kano model is good for helping to demonstrate what a company must provide for its customers, what it should provide, and those factors that will excite or “wow” a customer — those things that are unexpected, but very much appreciated.
The next time you end a conversation with your customer, perhaps instead of using “thank you,” try Chick-fil-A’s approach and use, “My pleasure. I hope to see you again soon.” Let me know how it goes!
How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace.
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