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Years ago, while working on seasonal training for the retail team at Godiva, I found myself staring at a sentence I’d just written about the importance of “product knowledge.” My internal dialogue went like this: “Who doesn’t know that, Joseph? Everyone understands product knowledge is critical.” Feeling like I was stating the obvious, I decided to go to lunch and return with fresh eyes.
During that lunch, I went to a new restaurant and was excited to try a dish I had never experienced. When I asked the server about the menu item, she responded, “I don’t know anything about it or what’s in it.” That was just the beginning of a lunch plagued by missed opportunities and glaring service breakdowns. Thanks to my lunch, I realized:
My assumption that everyone understands the importance of product knowledge was clearly flawed!
That experience was a powerful reminder of how easily service basics can be overlooked. As Will Rogers once said,
“Common sense ain’t that common.”
After lunch, I returned to the Godiva training project, infusing it with critical product knowledge and service basics.
Here are five lessons I took away from my lunch, which I hope you will consider for your business:
1. Ensure Your Team Knows the Basics: Your employees should be experts in your products or services. Whether selling chocolate at Godiva or serving food, your team needs to understand the essentials inside and out. Basic product knowledge helps create trust and competence in the customer’s eyes.
2. Design the Entire Experience—Not Just the Space: While aesthetics are crucial, the experience must extend beyond the physical environment to include service design. Customers remember how you make them feel, not just how things look. Every part of the customer journey should be carefully crafted, from interactions to wait times.
3. Train for Gracious Problem-Solving: Mistakes will happen, but how your team handles them will predict whether customers return. Help your team to address issues with empathy and urgency. A simple acknowledgment or quick resolution can turn a potential disaster into a positive memory.
4. Hire for Heart: Skills can be taught, but a service-oriented personality is likely ingrained (or not) in a prospect’s early life experiences. Prioritize hiring individuals who genuinely want to serve others. A service-oriented mindset is the foundation for memorable experiences, even in challenging situations.
5. Focus on the End Result: Leaving Customers Happier: Your ultimate goal should be for customers to leave your establishment happier than when they arrived. Whether selling products or offering services, strive to make each interaction positive enough that customers want to return.
Final Thought: While product knowledge may seem like an obvious necessity, my restaurant experience proved that even the most “common” service elements are overlooked. So, ask yourself: What common service elements are lacking in your business? How can you ensure your team consistently delivers on these basics?
As Sam Walton once said,
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.”
Ensure your service is rooted in knowledge, care, and an unwavering commitment to a legendary customer experience!
Related: Holiday Success Starts Here: How to Scale Memorable Experiences