You've messed up. That new customer did not catch you at your finest moment, and you are embarrassed. You want to recover. But wait- first impressions are everything, right? It's true that they do have a lasting impression, but you can take swift action to start the recovery process so that you can make a better long-term impression. That way, your first impression is not the last impression.

Contrary to what many owners think, good staff want to be well trained.  They crave learning how to do their jobs better and being stimulated by exciting new ideas.

-Tabatha Coffey, Own It!

All too often we witness employees that do just enough in their customer service efforts, but this is not enough when you're trying to win loyal customers. For example, there are popular rules of "delivering good customer service" that nearly every company attempts to implement, but their employees do the minimum in their execution and upholding of these rules. Which rules am I referring to? Just keep reading to learn them, and let's make a pact that we don't let ourselves or our employees/coworkers fall into the category of doing "just enough."  Instead, let's follow these rules correctly (as they are intended).

In the hospitality industry "wow factor" is a phrase not only used, but something the industry strives to achieve in the service they provide. There is a short list of companies that are noted and revered for consistently achieving this service level. The challenge that we see is executing and delivering the "wow factor" is often misunderstood.

Here's what I mean, as a consumer, we expect a certain level of good, consistent service and anything above this is a bonus. This isn't close to the level of service we are talking about regarding "wow." Studies show that 65% of customers that are "satisfied" will end up taking their business somewhere else for a better offer (better service). Customers are not "wowed" by expected service, but rather by the unexpected service provided that met a need they didn't even know they had. This is what separates the "good" from the "great."