Head Tilt #61: The making of a super-fan

CoSo and me in February 2021– right after his "adoption." 

I've wanted to share this customer service story for a while now. 

But I've hesitated. It involves some rule-breaking and I didn't/don’t want to get the company or the employees who made it possible in trouble. Even though the organization might be revealed in the photo above or descriptions below, let's keep this between us.😉

Gather ‘round, it’s customer service storytime! 

During the pandemic, I ran. 

And I ran. 

And then I ran a bit more. 

Running kept me somewhat sane. 

Our little beach town was empty during Covid. No tourists visited. Locals kept to themselves. Everything was quiet. 

During that time I went on some of the best runs of my life. I ran the whole town. I found courses I knew of but had never explored. 

One of these paths took me past the amusement park in our city. It quickly became one of my favorite runs. A mile into it, I'd pass the arcade. In stark comparison to its normal joyful presence, the arcade was dark, silent, and empty. 

Clearly visible behind the locked, sliding glass entry doors were two large bags stuffed with game prizes. Teal and pink sharks smooshed together in these transparent plastic traps. Each held a slice of pizza or a donut. Some faced forward, some backward, some upside down. 

They represented a paused world. 😔

For months, no matter how fast or far I ran on that particular path, seeing those animated, happy faces gave me an instant boost of energy. I pretended that two of the sharks in particular cheered me on whenever I passed. 

Eventually, with no end to the pandemic in sight, I decided I needed to bring one of them home. 

I set my plan into motion by checking my connections on LinkedIn. I direct-messaged a leader in the company, but didn't hear back. Not to worry— I knew it was a long shot. At least it was a start. 

Next, I made a call to my good friend who had just retired from the company. I explained my story and asked her who I should call. First, as only a good friend can say, she let me know that she thought I was weird. Ha! No surprise there! 🤪 Then, she gave me a name and number. 

I was hopeful.

I called right away and presented my request.

Nope. He didn't have the authority to make that happen. 

He directed to another team member, though. 

I called that person and left a message. 

I didn't hear back for a while.

I began to feel discouraged. This was stupid. They had way more important things to do. They were strategizing ways to make their business survive and keep their employees on the payroll...and I was trying to rescue a stuffed animal. 😳

(Just reading that last line makes me laugh!)

Eventually, I tried the contact again and got through. I told her my Covid running story and how the arcade prize sharks had cheered me on and cheered me up during tough times. I asked if I could buy one. I knew this was a policy violation: Prizes were to be won, not purchased. The arcade was closed indefinitely though, and maybe the rules had changed. She said she would get back to me. 

And guess what? When she called me back the answer was 

YES!

Because of these unparalleled times, the company would make an exception. 🎉 🥳 🎢

We arranged the date, price, and pick-up spot. Just in case I had a choice, I mentioned which shark I wanted (pink with donut, thankyouverymuch). 

Only a few days later, I stepped foot on their property and left with three things: 

• my giant pink, donut-holding shark
• a big smile
• immeasurable customer satisfaction

I was so happy!

I named my shark CoSo for Covid Souvenir. 

He sits at my desk and still cheers me on! CoSo and his lookalike prize peers brightened my days during one of the most challenging times our world has ever faced. ☀️ I am grateful to have him home as a reminder. 

But wait!

This blog post is about customer service, not me and CoSo.

This is about what happened when an awesome company broke the rules for a customer during the pandemic.

By breaking those rules, they cemented my adoration, loyalty, and respect for their business. 

Since becoming the owner of CoSo:

• I look at the company even more favorably.
• I talk about the company with even more enthusiasm. 
• And though I was already a fan, now I am a super fan. 

That is service magic right there. ↑↑

In my customer service classes, I don't endorse breaking the rules. As a customer, I don't expect service providers to break the rules for me, either. 

Rules enable service consistency around processes, protocols, and fairness.

As service providers, most of the time we cannot and should not break the rules.

And in extraordinary circumstances, with the right intent and the appropriate approval, sometimes breaking the rules is the just the thing to do. 

What has a company done to make you a super-fan?

What have you done to create super-fans for your company?

More customer service lessons can be found here:

Challenging Customers 

HERO Service

Lessons from Disney: We Don't Have Bad Days

Lessons from Disney: Everything Speaks

CoSo made his blog debut here in this short post about Feedback

Head Tilt #60: Walt, Leadership, and the Soup Scene

Do you remember that scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs where they all sit around the table and slurp soup?

Neither do I. 

It never made it to the big screen.

Ward Kimball (one of Disney's original animators who was part of the famed Nine Old Men) spent eight months working on that scene. 

Fellow animators loved it!

Walt thought it was good!

Walt also cut it from the film. 

He said that the picture was simply too long and something had to go.

It was 1937, and since Snow White would be the first full-length cartoon feature film, Walt knew that he had to keep the story tight.

Regarding the soup scene he said, "Even though we liked the sequence, it was not essential to the telling of the story."

Ward was disappointed. He'd worked so hard.

But Walt came back quickly with a new character he wanted Ward to sketch for an upcoming project. 

From the recorded interview played at the Walt Disney Family Museum, Ward happily recalled the next conversation he had with Walt after the Snow White soup scene had been edited from Snow White:

"He was a salesman and he changed the soup sequence to the enjoyment I'd have with Jiminy Cricket."

And Ward went on to animate everyone's favorite conscience. 

Two leadership essentials stand out to me in this story: 

1. Alignment

Walt knew the goal of his first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He aligned all decisions toward that goal, even when he knew others would be disappointed.

2. Engagement

Walt also knew that to keep top talent he needed to drive, not decrease, engagement. He did this by giving Ward an even bigger, better creative project. 

If you are a leader:

• Do you have a crystal-clear image of your goals? 
• Are you able to evaluate which actions, processes, and efforts are in alignment or out of alignment with these goals? 
• Do you have the courage to make tough decisions? 
• When necessary, are you able to reignite employee engagement by directing talent to other projects? 

And if you are a Disney fan like me:

• Don't you want to see the soup sequence? My son found it here! Enjoy!

Yes! There is so much more to say about goals and engagement. This is just a real-life story that illustrates the power of each. Keep the conversation going with your teams.

Head Tilt #59: Challenging customers? Try this.

Is this your difficult customer or is it you?

Hey service providers, this one's for you!

So you have an unhappy customer? EXCELLENT! 

Disgruntled customers give you the chance to put all your service skills to the test.

If your customer is challenging, they likely see you as challenging too. 

And because of your service role, YOU are the one who needs to resolve the situation. 

Certainly, there will be times when you need to escalate authority and get someone else on your team involved. But first, be a proactive problem solver; aim to be the LAST person this disgruntled customer encounters. 

How? By following the L.A.S.T. communication model: Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank.* I've taught this and tried this for years. (I did not create it.) 

It's not a match for every challenge. 

It needs to be adapted for certain situations.

And it is still a solid communication framework for communicating with unhappy customers.

Here are the steps in order:

1. LISTEN

When dealing with an unhappy customer, we need to listen first.

As tempting as it is, do not go right into problem-solving! 

Listen first. People long to be heard. 

You might be familiar with the Stephen Covey quote that says, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." 

That quote is all about listening before solving.

When you listen first you learn two things:

1. What your customer is really upset about

2. What your customer is feeling

These are equally important. When you know what the customer is upset about, you can solve the right problem. When you know what they are feeling, you can connect through empathy.

2. APOLOGIZE/ACKNOWLEDGE

Next, apologize for the situation. Really. Don’t ignore, dismiss or make light of customer complaints and moods. Don't get caught up in right or wrong. You are representing your company. If you cannot apologize (for legal reasons or because you are Fonzie from Happy Days), then at least acknowledge the customer's angst. Remember: 

    The customer's perception is your reality. 

  

Now is not the time to let your ego lead. Gently push your ego aside and tell it can you can hang out together later. 

Remember the times you’ve been an upset customer? Yeah-- access that. Tap into your ability to understand angst or disappointment. Empathize. Apologize for the experience the customer is having with you or your place of business.

Sounds like: 

    I apologize for the way you were treated.

    I'd be frustrated too. 

    I can see how confusing that would have been.

    I am sorry you’ve had to wait.

  

Tips for an apology:

    Time it wisely (the sooner the better if they are listening).

    Get to the point.

    Reassure them that it won’t happen again– not on your watch!

    Be sincere.

3. SOLVE

You have listened. You have apologized for or acknowledged the inconvenience. Now it's time to solve the problem the best you can. Instead of telling them what you CAN’T do, aim to tell them what you CAN do. Also, as silly as they might sound, keep these tips in mind:

   Don’t call them stupid (even unintentionally): If you had come at your assigned time… 

(Tell them what you can do now that they are there.)

    Don’t call them liars: You claim you didn’t know... 

(Don't get involved in the blame-game. Focus on next steps.)

    Don’t blame them: Obviously, you did not read the notices...

(See above)

    Don’t make them think that you don’t care: If you’d like to go elsewhere, be my guest. 

(Remember, you're the face of the company. Try not to take things personally. Get back to focusing on what steps can be done right now. You are a service HERO!)

4. THANK

(This final step is usually the biggest surprise to those I teach.)

At the end of any customer interaction- no matter how challenging, it is appropriate to thank your customer. It's a bid of goodwill that can leave a lasting, positive impression.

Thank them for:

   Working with you to get the situation handled

   Being patient

   Bringing the problem to your attention

   Suggesting a new way of doing things 

In a customer-facing role, smiles and compliments are the best! But they are not all we experience. By applying the aforementioned tips, top service providers can aim to appease customers, right wrongs, manage chaos and respectfully represent their organization, all while being the LAST person a disgruntled customer encounters.

*Use this model as handrails, not handcuffs; adapt accordingly to the situation and your style. 

Image by GemmaRay23 from Pixabay 

Head Tilt #58: Tell Better Stories

That's me!

The other day I went surfing for the first time in more than 25 years!

It was a stellar adventure, and I can hardly wait to go again and again. 

I didn't stand up (not yet!), but I did ride a wave, and I got tumbled a couple of times. 🌊🌊🌊

I 

loved 

every

minute

of 

it. 

I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

For the past 30 years, I've lived in Santa Cruz, California, aka "Surf City."

Whatever, Huntington Beach  🙄.

I have friends who surf, but I've steered clear of the ocean for almost three decades.  

Why did I stay away?  

Because I defined myself by these statements:

I am not ocean savvy.

I am a runner, not a surfer.

Surfing is my ex-husband's thing, not mine.

Those statements introduced powerful stories about who I am and what I do and don't do. 

And though each line had a modicum of truth, I wore them like permanent tattoos. I let them color every conversation about why I don't surf.

I was the poster child for "That's my story, and I am sticking to it!" 

Until I didn't stick to it. 

The other day on a very long solo road trip back from Southern California, I reflected on my self-imposed surfing descriptors. 

In crept curiosity. I had a lot of time on my hands, so I let it ride shotgun. 

What if I told a different story? What if those beliefs could still stand, and I could add a word or phrase that left room for new possibilities? 

I am not ocean savvy yet. 

I am a runner, and I surf. 

Surfing is Jim's thing, and I am trying it out. 

I called a friend from the road and said I wanted to try surfing. By the weekend, I had a fantastic wetsuit (known to me now as my Sea Spanx) and warm booties. I also borrowed the biggest, pinkest surfboard I've ever seen! 

Before I could have second thoughts, we were in the ocean!

When I wiped out, they cheered loudly and congratulated me on getting that over with. 😆

We had a blast.

With curiosity by at my side, I've started to challenge other tired descriptors I've believed.

"I am bad with directions."

"Math isn't my thing."

"I couldn't sell anything if  my life depended on it."

Wait, what?

I don't even want to listen to those stories, let alone tell them!

Those stories are all about limitations. 

I want to be limitless ⚡️☀️

I want to disprove those statements. 

I 

want

to

tell

better

stories. 

I want the same for my clients. 

Here are actual phrases I've heard from leaders in the corporate classroom throughout the years:

I don't praise people; that's not my style.

I am conflict-avoidant. It's just who I am.  

I am not going to change the way I talk to my team. I've done it this way for 20 years. 

 

Each of the above statements contributes to dysfunctional teams, decreased engagement, and leadership deficits. 

Together we rewrite better stories.

I don't praise people; that's not my style. But what if it was? How would my team and I benefit?

I am conflict-avoidant. It's who I've been for a long time. I'd like to learn how to get past this.  

I've been talking to my team this way for my whole career. Maybe I can try something new and see what happens.

Telling better stories begins with noticing those statements you are currently using to define who you are and what you do. 

Get comfy, take out a pen and paper, and make a list of sentences you use to describe yourself. 

Then, invite curiosity to sit beside you. Trust me, it wants what is best for you. 

Which statements serve you? Are they supporting the you you want to be? The leader you want to be? The friend you want to be? If not, how might you tweak them? 

TOP TIP: If they don't serve you, stop saying them!

Case in point: I am truly not that much better with directions— yet. But you'll never again hear me say, "I'm bad with directions." 

NEW BELIEFS = NEW STORIES.

Go tell better stories! 🏄‍♀️