22
May

I ordered a Double Double, and I received an Experience

I was in a bad mood. My infant son was sick, I wasn’t feeling well, and I was trying to juggle the regular day-to-day activities (work and personal). I decided to go through the Tim Hortons drive-thru for some salvation…a double double, hot coffee hug. Little did I know, I was going to receive more than my usual customer service experience. I admit …
12
Dec

My Mechanic’s Secret to the Customer Experience

This morning I had the pleasure of visiting my auto mechanic. I know, that’s a strange statement in itself – I mean, how much fun is it to take your car in for a repair? But Brucedale Garage in Hamilton is different. My family has been taking our cars there for years, and so have many other satisfied people. “I truly appreciate your …
08
Sep

How can you create memories for your customers?

I’ve always loved this story of Johnny the Bagger, a grocery store bagger who was inspired by creating memories for customers and found his own special way to do so. Anyone can create memories for customers.  How are you inspiring your team to do so?          
25
Aug

Service by iPad – Pros, Cons and Recommendations for Restaurants

There is a lot of buzz about De Santos, a restaurant in New York, using iPads to help serve their guests. Several months ago, I experienced “service by iPad” recently at a Canadian chain restaurant which was testing the technology. It was still in test phase, and was mainly used as a menu, not for ordering, but as we used it, my guest and …
22
Aug

Customer Service War: Myth vs Fact

During last week’s #leadershipchat, Becky Carroll (Customers Rock!), author of “The Hidden Power of Your Customers” shared great insights on why companies should focus more efforts on extraordinary customer service for existing customers.  For me, she was speaking to the converted.  I’m a huge proponent of a paradigm shift …
18
May

Recruiting? Watch your red flags, especially with Gen Y

This morning I was facilitating an introduction to recruitment and selection for restaurant managers, and there was one particular “a-ha” moment for the group that I thought I’d share. It was about the “red flags” or preconceived notions that managers traditionally based hiring decisions on during the selection process.  …
09
May

Serving your Internal Customers

I think most leaders realize how important it is to provide great service to clients or customers. I often find, though, that some organizations forget about engaging and “serving” their internal customers – their employees. In fact, I would argue that the relationship that leaders cultivate with their employees is actually more important …