It’s Thursday evening. My dad and I are sitting at a small table enjoying our delicious dinner. There’s a clown in the corner twisting up animal balloons and little kids running around with painted faces. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. Until a well-groomed middle-aged woman approaches us.
“How is everything?” She asks. “Delicious as always.” We reply. “Can I get you anything else?” “No thanks, we’re fine.” This kind act of customer service makes my mind choke for a second. Did that really just happen? I glance down at the Styrofoam cup in front of me. Yep, we’re still at Chick-Fil-A. I mean, of the thousands of times I’ve eaten at a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant – otherwise known as fast food), never once has there been a floor manager cruising the dining area with the sole purpose of greeting customers. Think about all the times you’ve stopped in to your nearest McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s or what-have-you. Was customer service ever a top priority at any point during your visit? Of course not. The QSR industry is predicated on quick turnover. Get in, get out, get on with your life. Once you’ve paid the lady at the counter and retrieved your tray of processed provisions, the relationship between store and customer is over before you can say ‘cheeseburger.’ Apparently that’s not how Chick-Fil-A rolls. So I was pleasantly surprised when the nice woman dropped by to ask how we were doing. Especially when she came around the bend for a second visit! In a business saturated with cloned competition, Chick-Fil-A is doing an outstanding job of rising above it. For one, while their competitors strive to do it all, Chick-Fil-A keenly focuses on perfecting one item: the chicken sandwich. (It’s better to excel at one thing than be mediocre at many). Then there’s the example of my personal dining experience. The standard for customer service in the QSR industry is so low that the floor manager’s presence that night, while not at all necessary, was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise that it became a unique selling point. And that’s why the best marketing sometimes is as simple as genuine smile.
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June 2010
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