Little things can make a difference in the long run..
Good service creates loyal customers when little things make people feel welcome. On my skiing holiday at Lake Tahoe in 2011, I experienced lots of things Americans did well that could increase revenue over time.
Good service creates loyal customers through helpfulness
I asked a lift attendant where I could buy sunscreen. He replied that I could borrow his. At the restaurant, there was free water, and when I bought hot chocolate, I could take an extra cup and split it in two.
We could share a starter without fuss, share a main course or bring our own wine for a small fee. What I kept noticing was willingness to help. They made it easy for us to be customers.
Look beyond the individual bill
When we shared a dish, perhaps the restaurant got less money right then. But I felt welcome and wanted to spend money there again. That was different from getting a surly reply when asking for a small change.
I compared it with my own experiences in Danish restaurants, where I’d had to pay for tap water, among other things. Those were my experiences, not a claim about all restaurants in Denmark or the US.
A good experience gets passed on
Now I was telling others how nice people were at Lake Tahoe. Guests can tell friends about the experience, write a review or mention it on a blog. That can get more people to try the place.
If you have a shop or restaurant, consider where you could be more generous. It could be free gift wrapping, a little extra in the glass or flexibility when people want to share. I think those small costs can pay off over time because customers are happy and return.
Also read my other experience of personal service on the skiing holiday at Lake Tahoe.
Good service creates loyal customers: My experiences at Lake Tahoe
I recorded the video on a skiing holiday at Lake Tahoe, on the California–Nevada border. There was a hell of a lot of noise around me, so I didn’t even know whether people could hear what I said. But I wanted to talk about something that kept striking me: How incredibly generous people were.
I asked a lift attendant where I could buy sunscreen. His answer was simply that I could borrow his. He didn’t have to help me, but he did. It was a very pleasant way to be treated.
At the ski resort, there was free water and cups you could just take. If I bought hot chocolate, I could take an extra cup and divide it in two without paying for two portions. The little things made me feel welcome.
We could share food without getting grief
In the restaurants, I experienced the same willingness to help. We could share a starter, share a main course or turn a starter into a main. We could also bring our own wine for a small extra fee. It wasn’t something that triggered a sour comment every time we asked for something a little different.
I felt neither ripped off nor a nuisance. And I bloody well spent more money at some of those places. When we shared a starter, the restaurant could of course get less money on that part of the bill. But the experience made me want to spend money there.
I compared it with what I’d experienced at restaurants in Denmark: Often having to pay for tap water and getting a no or a sour comment if I wanted to share a starter. That was the difference I reacted to. I also said Americans certainly weren’t good at everything. But making me feel welcome was something they did well here.
What does a little more cola in the glass cost?
Another example was cola at the restaurant. Once you’d bought a glass, they came and refilled it for free. What does pouring a little more of that cola stuff into people’s glasses actually cost? I thought you should weigh that small cost against customers being happy and wanting to return.
It’s the long-term perspective that interests me. If I feel welcome and experience good service, there’s a reason to return year after year. I was sure there could be more money in thinking that way than in charging for every little thing. Also read Min vej som leder about my experiences of people and good service in companies.
Now I was telling others about the experience myself
I was actually sitting there telling people how nice everyone was at Lake Tahoe. In the video, I said typically around 1,000–1,500 watched my videos and perhaps 2,000–3,000 listened as MP3s. I imagined the story might reach four or five thousand people over the next couple of weeks and perhaps ten thousand over a longer period. Those were my estimates in 2011, not a count of this video’s audience.
For me, it was an example of what generosity can bring. Customers tell each other about the experience, write website reviews or blog about it. They return themselves too. That effect should be part of your thinking when calculating the cost of the free cup or little extra service.
If you have a restaurant or shop, think about where you could make being a customer more pleasant. It might be free gift wrapping or something else that fits your business. I believe you can lose a little initially and still profit over time. Think big, think generously and think far ahead. That was my encouragement from the skiing holiday.
Best wishes, Martin
Du har helt sikkert ret – selvom man nok ikke skal sætte næsen op om at ramme så mange der spreder budskabet til 10.000 om den gode service. Men kan da helt sikkert mærke at lige så straks man gør lidt ekstra sker der noget.
F.eks den anden dag da en person i Birkerød bestilte et par løbesko og jeg alligevel skulle en tur til Birkerød blev de leveret personligt 3 timer efter de var bestilt – der kom en bestilling fra hans bror et par dage efter og en fin anmeldelse på trustpilot.
Så ja, der skal serviceres – specielt i opstart, der kan man virkelig få meget ud af det.
Du må have en god dag i Esbjerg, regner desværre ikke med at komme forbi.