Jul 31, 2009
Empowered employees: Today I overheard great customer service training at the coffee shop.
Know you have the freedom to make things right with the customer. Anything short of handing them cash, feel free to do.
-Experienced employee to newer employee at Open Book
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My policy when in management was almost the same, except I also gave a monthly “Allowance” of -$10.
Do whatever it takes to make it right. If they will only be satisfied with a refund, then you can do that as a last ditch effort without my approval as long as it’s under $10, and then only once a month at most.
It was very empowering to the staff to be able to make decisions on the fly.
Woohoo! Yea for empowered employees!
It is so good to hear this, when we wonder so often if just the opposite is how employees are being trained. “If you see a customer, pretend you don’t… or better yet, walk in the opposite direction. Avoid eye contact at all costs.” Etc. I suppose it isn’t as easy to avoid customers at a coffee shop as it is at say, Lowes…
Excellent advice.
Great story. Our bookstore customer training was this: what do you do with a child who loses a dime in the gumball machine? (you give her the dime back)
And if a lunatic comes in with a gun and demands all the money in the store, what do you do? (you give him the money – including anything in the safe)
Now: since everyone else will fall between these two extremes, you can handle it. You have the authority to take care of them.
it’s so true. employees who can make decisions make for wayyyy better customer service. nothing is more frustrating than strict adherence to The Rules because they have no idea what else to do.
I did customer service training for Starbucks for 12 years in 3 states, and my training sounded much the same. The only difference was my staff was allowed to give money back, unless they couldn’t remember how, then they could find someone “in charge” to help. It was usually the best thing for the customer, the staff, and for me!
Great line. I’m trying to think of a way to use this with my kids–you have complete freedom to make things right with your siblings….
Where I work I am able to spend up to $25 per person to make the customer happy. I have only spent about $15 at on time so far.