That’s How You Do Customer Service and Sales (WT593)

That’s How You Do Customer Service and Sales (WT593)

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by Shirley Dalton | 5 Nov, 2021 | Blog, Customer Service

WT 593 Customer Service

Ross and I went for a walk on our penultimate night in South Australia before heading back to Newcastle for a whirlwind 3 day drive.

As we left the motorhome I asked Ross if we needed to take an umbrella. The sky looked threatening.

“We’ll be right”, he said.

We walked the kilometre or so into the town village and came across the art gallery.

It was still open and we met the curator, Sarah. Sarah was so enthusiastic about the artwork and the artists and we ended up staying much longer than we anticipated.

Of course, when we left the gallery it started to rain.

What to do?

“Let’s keep walking up further for a bit”, I suggested.

We didn’t have to go far before we found the Adelaide Hills Wine Bar and Wolf Blass Gallery and Museum.

Since it was almost 6:00pm we walked over to take shelter out of the rain.

The Cellar Master looked like he was packing up.

“Are you closing?” we asked.

“At 6:00pm, but you’ve got time for a glass of wine if you like”, he invited us in.

He talked to us about the wine and the museum which is owned by Wolf Blass.

Wine is a passion of Ross’ so he was very interested to look around and learn all about the history of wine etc. especially as Wolf Blass was personally acquainted with Murray Tyrrell, whom Ross worked with for 10 years as a casual cellar door bar person. (I digress.)

As we sat and enjoyed the wine, we noticed a barista coffee machine and salt and pepper shakers and plates neatly arranged on shelves.

As we left we asked if they provided food.

“Yes, mostly lunch, although we’re open til 9:00pm on a Friday.”

Ross and I looked at each other.

Ross asked if we needed to make a booking.

“Yes, particularly for Friday evening”, he replied.

“That’s how you do it”, I thought.

That’s how you do customer service and sales.

He stayed back a little past closing time, made one more sale for the day, having had a quiet day with few interstate or international tourists and at the end of it, we booked in for dinner and who knows how much that will cost.

What would happen at your business?

Would you or your team simply shut the doors and say, “Sorry, we’re closing in a few minutes”, or would they demonstrate hospitality, welcome the guests and without pushing, upsell for a bigger sale?

That’s how you do customer service and sales.

Thank you Matt.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering. We missed the rain.

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See Ya Tomorrow (WT571)

See Ya Tomorrow (WT571)

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by Shirley Dalton | 4 Jun, 2021 | Blog, Customer Service

WT 571 See you tomorrow

“See ya tomorrow.”

“No You Won’t” replied Ross. “I don’t think so”, was my reply to the bar attendant as she closed the door on us to make sure we couldn’t enter.

It was the local bowling club at a very tiny town on the northern New South Wales coast.

It wasn’t even 6:30pm. We had been told the Chinese Restaurant was supposed to be re-opening after a long time shut with COVID and renovations so we thought we would go along and support them.

We walked down the hill to see 3 cars in the carpark and a sign to say re-opening in 2 days time.

“Oh well”, we thought, “while we’re here, we’ll support them and have a beer”.

We couldn’t even get in the door. The bar attendant rushed to lock the door before we could even enter.

Standing in the doorway, she said, “We’re closing sorry, only 2 here on the pokies so we’re shutting.”

“Could we get a takeaway?” we asked.

“Sorry, just done the til”, she replied. “See ya tomorrow”, she added.

“No you won’t”, answered Ross.

It wasn’t a big deal that we couldn’t purchase anything. It was the attitude that got us.

I worked behind the bar for years when I was younger and you can always ring up orders or place the money in the til with a note for the next day.

“Wow!” When you’ve got visitors in town, wanting to support you and spend money, wouldn’t you be a little more hospitable.

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Definitely not, nor the next day.”

What would you do? Would you shut the door or make a sale to support the club?

P.S. Be sure to join us on Friday 11th June at 11:00am Sydney (AEST) time. Bring your coloured pencils or textas and an A3 piece of white paper. I’ll be guiding you through my proprietary methodology to map your processes. https://shirleydalton.convertri.com/map-your-workflow-online-workshop

P.P.S. Be sure to read next week’s thought for a chance to win a place in our next Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience in Newcastle, NSW in September. That’s a $5,500 prize for one lucky reader. Why? We’re celebrating 11 years of Weekly Thoughts and we haven’t missed a week. Hallelujah!

P.P.P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.

Sit Under the Umbrella (WT557)

Sit Under the Umbrella (WT557)

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by Shirley Dalton | 26 Feb, 2021 | Blog, Customer Service

WT 557 Sit under the umbrella

It was an overcast day and rain was imminent.

I was meeting a coaching client for coffee at 11:00am at one of the local trendy cafes.

I signed in and waited to speak to one of the three attendants, two of whom were engrossed in their own conversation and a third who had been cleaning tables.

“Do you have a booking?” she asked.

“No, I’m meeting a friend and we’d like coffees please.”

“I’ll just find out where I can seat you.”

The other attendant gestured to a table just near where I was standing.

“You can sit here til 11:45am, then you’ll have to leave because we have a lunch booking.”

That didn’t suit me because I wanted to meet for the full hour.

“I’d like to stay til midday please.”

She motioned me outside.

You can sit at any of these tables outside and sit for as long as you like.

She pointed to a couple of tables and chairs under two umbrellas.

“The best spot to sit is here under the umbrella for when it rains”, she suggested.

If you want coffees, just go and order them at the takeaway bar over there.

“Wow! I couldn’t sit inside. I had to go order from the takeaway booth and she knew it was going to rain.”

And it did rain. And I did get wet. And I did have to move to the bench where my client was sitting.

As I looked inside the café, there were at least 6 empty tables. The wait staff were looking straight at us as we battled with the water dripping from the umbrella and blowing in from the side.

Not one of the waitstaff motioned for us to come inside. Not one of them approached us.

I was amazed. The behaviour of the wait staff was not congruent with my definition of hospitable.

I won’t be going back.

I couldn’t help but think that over the last 12 months with COVID and many of the hospitality establishments being closed or closing, that the employees would be grateful to have the work and really look after their customers.

Apparently not!

Am I being unrealistic? Are my expectations too high? Have I got the wrong definition of hospitality?

Let me know what you think.

Would you have invited us back inside to escape the rain or would you simply have watched us as we sat under the umbrella in the rain?

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What Are You Going To Do About It? (WT555)

What Are You Going To Do About It? (WT555)

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by Shirley Dalton | 12 Feb, 2021 | Blog, Customer Service, Mindset

WT 555 What are you going to do about it

This was the question the guy at the counter asked Ross when Ross pointed out the damage to the bumper bar on our motorhome.

“What am I going to do about it? Ross repeated the question.

“I’m not going to do anything. You’re going to get it fixed. It was you (as in their company) who damaged it”, Ross continued.

We had taken the motorhome to get its yearly service on the truck and engine. It was also due for registration, so we needed a roadworthy certificate.

We had only recently had the bumper bar replaced after waiting almost 12 months.

“How about you get it fixed and we’ll waive the invoice for today?” the assistant offered.

“Do you know how much these are worth?” asked Ross, who was totally flabbergasted at the offer.

Ross answered for him, “We got a quote for $7,000 from company X and we ended up getting another repairer to fix it for $4,000.

Blood drained from the assistant’s face.

“I’m not leaving here until I have it in writing that you are going to fix it”, demanded Ross.

After some lengthy negotiations and still no apology, Ross finally left after having waited 5 hours for the service because they had failed to update their booking system when the date had been changed, nor had they confirmed it. From a business and customer service point of view, they score 1/10.

Apart from a rant, here’s the point.

Both Ross and I went into the primal state over this. Ross was so rattled he missed a turn and we ended up 40km out of our way when we didn’t have the luxury of time.

As soon as we arrived at our destination, Ross jumped out of the van and apologised. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

I had been following in Harry Hilux and had been fuming at how late I was for an appointment.

My mood only got worse when he told me about the damage.

Fortunately, I remembered my training. There is no suffering in any experience. The only cause of our suffering is our own thoughts, or what we think about the experience.

I started to calm down. The facts were: the motorhome got damaged and I was late for a meeting. That’s it. No suffering in the experience, only my thoughts, so I focussed on it being an experience and let it go. (A ride on my new ebike also helped.)

So, please remember this story and training for the next time things don’t go according to how you want or expect.

There is no suffering in the experience. The only cause of your suffering is your own thinking.

I trust this is helpful. Thanks for listening.

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Let Me Finish (WT541)

Let Me Finish (WT541)

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by Shirley Dalton | 6 Nov, 2020 | Blog, Customer Service

Let me finish WT 541

This week we’ve been driving back up the coast of New South Wales and celebrating having the borders reopen.

As I was driving, I received a call from a representative of a hotel group who was keen to reinstate my membership.

(Hands free), I complimented him on his opening script. It was very well crafted, even though I knew what was coming.

“Hear me out”, he said. “I want to let you know about all the new properties and brands we have added to our group.”

He then went on to list a heap of hotel chains that I have no interest in or intention of staying at. When I politely told him I was travelling and working my way round Australia in a motorhome, he then changed tack and started to tell me all about the restaurants I could visit.

He asked me where I was right now. I told him.

He then proceeded to tell me how much I could benefit from the offers in Sydney.

I told him I wasn’t interested in going to Sydney and staying in a hotel.

Then he attacked. “You stayed at x hotel on x date. Isn’t that right?”

It was right. However, I also enlightened him on the reason. We stayed there because we had to use up a free night’s accommodation before the membership expired, not because we particularly wanted to go to Sydney.

“Hear me out”, he repeated, with a slightly raised voice.

“No thank you”, I said. “I have no interest in continuing the conversation.”

He continued to talk over the top of me, demanding that I hear him out.

By this stage I was out of patience. This was not the way to get me to renew my membership.

“I’ve been polite. I’ve told you my circumstances and I have no interest in continuing the conversation. I’m hanging up now.”

He was still talking and doing his best to engage and convince me when I hung up.

Wow! There’s a Weekly Thought. Let your customers finish what they are saying. You might have a better chance of engaging them if you listen to what they say and ask questions relating to their circumstances, rather than talking over the top of them and making them wrong.

And, this message isn’t just for customer service. It applies EVERY TIME you are engaged in a conversation with another. Let them finish.

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Don’t Let Them Leave Without Paying (WT537)

Don’t Let Them Leave Without Paying (WT537)

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by Shirley Dalton | 9 Oct, 2020 | Blog, Customer Service

Don't Let Them Leave Without Paying
 

You might think that the title of today’s weekly thought is about people stealing. It’s not.

Last weekend we went for a ride on our motorbike and came across a great little community market.

Across the road from the market was an historic railway and to our delight the trains were running that weekend.

The next train ride was scheduled to leave in an hour.

We hadn’t had lunch and we were only about 10-15 minutes ride away from where we were staying, so we asked the cashier if we could buy a ticket and come back.

“No. It’s first on, first served and when the train is full, that’s it.”

“What if we buy a ticket now. Will that ensure we have a seat?”

“No. Just make sure you’re back at least 15 minutes before the train leaves and you can buy your ticket then.”

We left without paying. We left without buying a ticket.

You know what happened. Of course, it started to rain a little on the way back and when we got to the bottom of the hill we saw the train stopped at its final destination before heading back up the hill.

It was only a 3.5 km track. It was an old steam train, so our interest was mainly in seeing a little bit of the geography and learning about the history.

We got back and had lunch.

We didn’t go back.

I thought to myself, he shouldn’t have let us leave without paying. If we had paid we would have gone back.

How about you?

Are you guilty of letting customers out the door who actually want to buy?

If so, you’re actually doing them and the business a disservice.

Next time a customer wants to pay you, say thank you and take their money.

They’ll thank you for it because they’ll get to experience the product or service that they wanted and the business will thank you for it because you’re generating revenue.

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