Moments of Truth, Misery, & Magic
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert – knows just how important every moment with the customer is. In one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, Shep talks about each moment as a moment of truth, and how those moments can turn into moments of magic, or moments of misery.
It's all about creating Moments of Magic! What is a Moment of Magic and where did it come from?
Moments of Truth
In 1986 Jan Carlzon, the former president of Scandinavian Airlines wrote a book, Moments of Truth. In his book, Carlzon defines the moment of truth in business as this:
“Anytime a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, is an opportunity to form an impression.”
From this simple concept, Jan Carlzon took an airline that was failing and turned it around to be one of the most respected airlines in the industry.
Some examples of moments of truth in Jan Carlzon’s airline business are:
--when you call to make a reservation to take a flight,
--when you arrive at the airport and check your bags curbside,
--when you go inside and pick up your ticket at the ticket counter,
--when you are greeted at the gate,
--when you are taken care of by the flight attendants onboard the aircraft,
--and when you are greeted at your destination.
All of these are main moments of truth, and notice that they are all controlled by people. There are many moments of truth that are not controlled by people, such as advertisements (radio, television, billboards, newspapers, etc.). The emphasis of this article is on the moments of truth that we, as people, have control over. These are the points of contact that our customers and clients have directly with us and our organization.
Mentioned above are a number of the main moments of truth, not just at Jan Carlzon’s airline, but in virtually all commercial airlines. These are the main ones. And while these may be the most important, there are lots of small ones as well. For example, you might be walking toward your gate at the airport and walk by a couple Scandinavian employees. They look up and smile at you. Now that may be a small moment of truth, but it is an important one. It adds to the total experience of the customer.
Disney has taken the small moments of truth to an even higher level. They understand the importance that these small moments of truth have on their customers. They train their cast members (Disney’s term for employees) to acknowledge the guest (Disney’s term for a customer) with a smile or facial expression if within ten feet. If the cast member gets within five feet of the guest, they are to acknowledge them verbally. All of the little moments of truth, combined with the major ones, with the addition of the product or service your organization is selling, add up to the overall level of a customer’s satisfaction.
Moments of Magic!...and Misery
Jan Carlzon said there are good moments of truth and bad moments of truth. I believe there is a third type - average moments of truth. Average is middle-of-the-road - simply acceptable, but not great. I have a term for the good and bad ones. The bad ones are referred to as moments of misery, and the good ones are referred to as moments of magic.
Our goal should be to create all great moments of magic, even if they start out to be moments of misery. Sometimes a customer may have a legitimate complaint. We not only need to fix problems and complaints, we also need to give customers a reason to want to come back and continue to do business with us again and again. Even if we fix a problem, it doesn’t mean the customer is coming back. For example, if you own a restaurant and one of your guest’s meals is over cooked, don’t simply fix it or take it off of the bill. Consider giving the guest a business card with a note that gives him or her a round of drinks or a free appetizer the next time they come back.
At times these moments of misery may not even be our fault. The customer may just be having a terrible day. For example, a customer may be checking into a hotel. This person may have had three flights delayed and he or she is in a very bad mood. It is not the hotel’s fault the customer is unhappy due to the airline’s delayed flights. But, it is the person who is checking in this irate customer who has the opportunity to start to turn the customer’s mood around. It is an opportunity to take someone else’s moment of misery and turn it into the hotel’s moment of magic.
So, manage your moments of truth. Seize every one of them, even if they are moments of misery, as opportunities to show how good you and your organization are. This will go a long way in building long-term customer loyalty and total customer satisfaction.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Showing posts with label Confidence Building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confidence Building. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
On Being “Real”
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert – offers some advice to go into your motivational and self-improvement file from one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, about being real.
I had just finished a speech. One of the audience members came up to talk to me. He said that his group has been fortunate to get to hear a lot of speakers, but seldom does he get to meet the speaker. He ended our conversation by saying, “Because I met you and shook your hand I’ll always remember your speech. It was real.”
He said it was real. What did that mean? Now, this wasn’t about me being some type of celebrity. I’m just a business speaker. I presented the speech well and had relevant material, but what happened after the speech is what made it “real.” All I did was make myself available after the speech to answer questions and talk to anyone who wanted to. Not a big deal, but it made impact. So, I’ve been thinking about what it is to be “real.”
As I think about my friends and colleagues who are successful, I see some commonalities about them. They are approachable and available. They have a bond with their customers as well as the people they work with. They create positive impact on others. They are “real.”
The secrets to being “real” are common sense. It takes some effort. Care about what you do. Be respectful to others. Make yourself approachable and available. Always be on time, even early. Be enthusiastic about who you are and what you do. Create positive impressions that are memorable and that garner respect, admiration and build confidence.
Most of all, recognize that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make positive impact on others – an opportunity to be and make an experience “real.”
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Shep Hyken – customer service motivational speaker, author, trainer, and expert – offers some advice to go into your motivational and self-improvement file from one of his Shepard Letters, his monthly newsletter, about being real.
I had just finished a speech. One of the audience members came up to talk to me. He said that his group has been fortunate to get to hear a lot of speakers, but seldom does he get to meet the speaker. He ended our conversation by saying, “Because I met you and shook your hand I’ll always remember your speech. It was real.”
He said it was real. What did that mean? Now, this wasn’t about me being some type of celebrity. I’m just a business speaker. I presented the speech well and had relevant material, but what happened after the speech is what made it “real.” All I did was make myself available after the speech to answer questions and talk to anyone who wanted to. Not a big deal, but it made impact. So, I’ve been thinking about what it is to be “real.”
As I think about my friends and colleagues who are successful, I see some commonalities about them. They are approachable and available. They have a bond with their customers as well as the people they work with. They create positive impact on others. They are “real.”
The secrets to being “real” are common sense. It takes some effort. Care about what you do. Be respectful to others. Make yourself approachable and available. Always be on time, even early. Be enthusiastic about who you are and what you do. Create positive impressions that are memorable and that garner respect, admiration and build confidence.
Most of all, recognize that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make positive impact on others – an opportunity to be and make an experience “real.”
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Practice Confidence Building Habits
People like to be around people they know they like and they trust. It can take quite a while for someone to really know and like you, let alone trust you. However, it can take just a moment to create a negative impression that quickly erodes confidence. One way to build a relationship is to practice confidence building habits. Here are four simple confidence building habits that will help you build an even stronger relationship with your customers as well as the people you work with.
1. Be polite – Say please and thank you. Be nice to people.
2. Do what you say you will do. If you don’t, it is the quickest way to erode confidence in you and your abilities.
3. Don’t blame failure on others. It shows you are out of control. Take accountability for what happens around you.
4. Be on time. Being late shows disrespect for others’ time.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, they are which is why there is no excuse not to make a habit of them.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
People like to be around people they know they like and they trust. It can take quite a while for someone to really know and like you, let alone trust you. However, it can take just a moment to create a negative impression that quickly erodes confidence. One way to build a relationship is to practice confidence building habits. Here are four simple confidence building habits that will help you build an even stronger relationship with your customers as well as the people you work with.
1. Be polite – Say please and thank you. Be nice to people.
2. Do what you say you will do. If you don’t, it is the quickest way to erode confidence in you and your abilities.
3. Don’t blame failure on others. It shows you are out of control. Take accountability for what happens around you.
4. Be on time. Being late shows disrespect for others’ time.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, they are which is why there is no excuse not to make a habit of them.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
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