Page 34 - Flathead Beacon // 3.5.14

34 | MARCH 5, 2014
BUSINESS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Rifey

Pivots Make Customer

Service Personal

I
T WAS SATURDAY SO MY personal experiences with the dishes I
V
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social calendar was in full swing.
they serve – and she was spot on.
O

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I met a friend for lunch and bar- One of the dishes had a problem,
ley pops at a place that has a sunny, well- though. When the person who ordered it
lit dining area perfect for the irst sunny took their irst bite, they found a twisted
day in a long while.
piece of plastic in their food.
After being greeted as we sat down, Once notiied, the server handled the
HONOR ROLL
no less than ive diferent waitstaf situation well, took the plastic, said they
walked past us repeatedly during a would show it to the manager and left to
do just that. Not much later, the server
CONGRATULATIONS
10-minute period that made it clear we’d
left our cloaking device turned on. This indicated that the manager would visit
prompted a well-worn thought, “This our table.
To the Winning Smiles for the Month of would be a great place for a restaurant.”
The manager never showed up. I
Once we were done joking about wonder if the kitchen was ever notiied.
February 2014:
that, I stopped one of the servers as they The server comped the meal, which the
passed by and asked if we could get some diner didn’t request, so that was a nice
menus. He grabbed a couple, told us the gesture.
Will that diner forget that experi-
Ethan Allen Gauge Counts Land Heidegger
Ava Malmin Alexis Savage Trentan Taylor name of our server and said he would
Jerrod Anderson Wayne Cox Hannah Heward Dylan Malmin Ayva Savage Ella Trammel send the server to get our orders. Not ence, or will it percolate the next time
Ronald Anderson Theren Crow Jazell Higgins-Ripp Hazel Matson
Aiden Sawyer
Emma Trammel much later, our server arrived and while they consider eating there?
AlihnAnderson HarperDaunhauer AdrianHill RubyTrammel BrookeMcCracken MalorySchaeffer-Leighty
service was still slow on a busy Satur-
Jayson Austin Meg Davison Blake Hill Charlize Ullrich Henry McCracken Ellie Schmeusser day, we were attended to in a reasonable INVOLVEMENT MATTERS
Madison Baier Cameron DeNeeve Christopher Hill Delaney Ullrich Abbigale McDonald Dominic Schnetter manner. During this service, the initial What I would like to have seen, even
Noah Baker-Kelley Sophie DeNeeve Kayla Hoff Rebekah Uzzi Andrew McDonald Ava Scholtz delay was never mentioned, despite the though the plate was not mine:
Isaac Balla Maya Depain Joey Holland Sarah Uzzi Kason McDonald Jackson Scholtz
Sarah Balla Isabelle Desch Kyleigh Hollman Danae Waatti Aiden Michlig Tyson Scholtz fact that our server had walked past our • The manager tells the kitchen what
E’ren Barnhart-Borth Kale Despain Hugh Waatti Ethan Schulze table numerous times without a nod or happened (which they may have done –
Hayden Holloway Brooke Miner a glance before being told that we had we don’t know).
Mary Beard Alexis Diaz Lucy Holloway Maggie Waatti Domenic Mongan IsaacScott asked for menus.
• The person who prepared the food
Kambri Becker Ziggy Dratz Landen Holmquist Olivia Wacaser Kamber Mongan Jessie Scott While it really didn’t matter or im- comes out to the table, introduces them-
Ethan Bekier Brady Edgren Autumn Holste Sterling Walker Ella Montague Dylan Sharp pact the occasion, I wouldn’t be writing selves, acknowledges the problem and
Gavin Bekier Jackson Edgren Ethan Homola Madisen Wall Azlynn Moore Sydney Sharp about it if the server had simply men- ofers a brief, but sincere apology with
Savannah Bekier Chyenne Edwards Thea Horton Kycin Wallace Keelan Moore Beau Siderius tioned that they were sorry for missing no groveling (again, mistakes happen).
Shawn Bekier Vance Ek Dahltyn Howard Elijah Walrath Bella Moran Elijah Siliezar
Charlie Bennett Braiden Ek Xene Hubbard Gabriel Walrath Paul Naldrett Emery Siliezar our table, that the place was rocking or • The preparer explains what the
Hailey Bennett Colter Ek Dante Iffert Amber Ward Adrian Nass Brock Simonson they were down a waitperson, or what- diner found. This allows the diner to feel
Riley Bennett Ethan Farnum Adrian Jackola Madison Warner Tripp O’Boyle Eli Simonson not.
comfortable completing their meal, or
Alexander Bicknell Meika Felix-Clark Lucia Jackola Adilyn Weaks Grace Osborn Leif Simonson Failing to acknowledge the lack of not, depending on the situation. If the
Isabella Bise Brycen Fleming Lewis Jolma Joshua Webb Elizabeth Osburn Sawyer Simonson attention has a way of implying that the food problem could make the diner sick,
Tristian Bise Carter Fletcher Sadie Jones Cody Wehr Cassidy Otto Wesley Simonson diner is supposed to think nothing of it.
they’d take the food and discard it unless
Jerika Bonny Mylee Fletcher Lacey Jorgenson Lauren Welch Devland Ovik Amira Simpson- testing was warranted.
Tyler Boultinghouse Vivian Frederick Tristen Jorgenson Donovan Wells Brooke Pakkala Wood • Finally, the person who prepared
Ethan Boyd Elyse Gabriel Tyler Jorgenson Noble West Cade Pakkala Bailey Sjostrom CUSTOMER SERVICE SLIP UPS
Nathan Brewer Keara Gabriel Lillian Kelley Makenzie Westphal Taylor Pakkala Justin Sjostrom HAPPEN
the plate could, regardless of the expla-
Ashlynn Briney Layton Gabriel Christian Khodyrev Taylor White Destany Palin Wyatt Sjostrom Things like this happen all the time. nation, ofer to replace the dish, or sub-
Warren Briney Anthony Gairrett Dmitriy Khodyrev Creed Wiley Hawke Slater It’s OK. We’re human rather than per- stitute it for something else.
Nessa Palin fect little robots, after all.
Consider what each of those steps
Weston Brininger Pyper Gallegos Emma-leigh King Cailey Wiley Kayla Peterson Weston Slonaker Still, by taking a moment to acknowl- demonstrates or accomplishes in the
Adayn Brooks Rayana Galloway Xavior King Kynzee Williams Landon Peterson Eleanor Smiley edge a slip up, we give our clients the diner’s mind.
Renae Brousseau Andreaus Graybeal Brooklyn Knoeple Noah Williams Jolee Pitts Phebe Smiley acknowledgement necessary to allow Consider how they’d describe the
Ashley Bruni Greyson Greel Avery Lacy Elissa Wisti Shae Pitts Tucker Smith
Owen Burwell Alicia Greskowi Kailey Lacy Kara Wisti
Tracy Polly Finn Soteros their minds to stop dwelling on it (even event to others after this happened and
Kamden Campbell Ryan Guan Bernadette Leach Karl Wisti
Camas Poteet Cassie Spears subconsciously) as a part of their experi- compare it to “I found plastic in my food
Corben Carlson Clara Haag Matthew Leach Levi Wisti Alyssa Quinby Taylor Spears ence, which makes it easier to forget and and all they did was comp my meal.”
Boston Case Ellie Haag Jadex Lee Hawken Wolford Ivy Rectenwald Brandon Stephan move on.
Lola Case
Natalie Hagreen Jasmine Leib-Borth Michael Wood Justin Rectenwald Connor Stickney With the tiniest personal touch, we CUSTOMER SERVICE PIVOT
Ava Chorn Josef Halama Daniel Long Starr Marie Yatchak Matthew Rectenwald Grace Stickney turn a negative into a positive.
In the startup world, a “pivot” is a
Naomi Clarke Ethan Hammrich Irie Long Ileah Zalewski Gabe Reddig Kael Stolte strategic direction change made after
Braylynne Clarke Jackson Hance Elliana Lorenc Joshua Zalewski Mason Rediger Angeliegh Storr THE TINIEST OPPORTUNITY
customer feedback indicates your idea
Drew Clarke Braxten Hayes Isaac Lorenc Mandy Zheng
Garrett Reid Bearet Stys
Sierra Cole Ashlynn Hayward Nathan Lorenc Payton Reiner Sierra Swan Later that day, my wife and I met my needs adjustment.
Tyrone Cook Trent Hayward Connor Magnuson Trace Roloff Parker Taylor in-laws for dinner.
In customer service, the pivot is that
Madi Corman-Berg Jade Heaton Malachi Mahugh Audrey Ruonavaara Riley Taylor The food was good – better than I little thing you do to transform what
Ella Counts
Jill Heidegger
Maddison Malley
Rachell Ruther
Sullivan Taylor
expected, in fact. The service was quite could be a customer-losing experience
good and deinitely attentive. The server into one that almost guarantees they’ll
made recommendations based on their
be back.

406.756.1142
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or
marketing problem? See Mark’s site, rescuemarketing.com, or contact him via email
at [email protected].
60 Four Mile Dr., Ste 10 • Kalispell, MT

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