In the service industry, awareness is a must. You have to be fully aware and fully present to give the level of service that makes people take notice and want more. Walt Disney ~ "Do what you do SO WELL that they will want to see it again and BRING THEIR FRIENDS." Chances are your customers are doing business with some of the world's finest service organizations, and because of that, your company's service experiences will be compared. So you need to ask yourself, how do we measure up in comparison?
Some people come "pre-packaged" with service awareness, others can be taught the skill, and sadly there are many that are service deprived. We experience each of these levels of service daily. Customer advocates that watch their guest for signs of needing assistance, even before the customer realizes they need it, fall under Optimal Service Awareness. In the Disney theme parks, while watching their guests, they did a study on the appropriate distance (in steps) between one trash can to the next. Their study found that in order to best serve their guests, they needed to place their trash cans no more than 30 steps apart. Awareness. Now on the opposite end of the service awareness spectrum, I was recently in a store waiting in line for the next available cashier. As I waited, and the line behind me grew, I counted 5 cashiers and only one was working the register. They didn't notice the line growing, tempers flaring, and no one thought about connecting with the customers by saying, "We will be right, with you. Thank you for your patience."
Do all of your employees exemplify Optimal Service Awareness? When hiring, especially in the service industry, it's best to consider the service skill level you are hiring. There are 4 Levels of Service Awareness to contemplate with your current employees, as well as with new hires.
We have such an opportunity to make a great impression just by the attention we provide. Customers want to be noticed and heard, and if you fall short, your ongoing success, customer loyalty, and referrals to others will be at risk. Understand the 4 levels, and the impact of each, so you can best train all of your employees to have Optimal Service Awareness.
Hungry for more on how to deliver memorable customer service? Download our free training tool.
