 How
To Lose a Customer for Life
My
friend Benny told me about a local restaurant that serves
a variety of Chinese dim sum dishes. He went
there with five friends for a business lunch and ordered
widely from the menu. Each dish featured six bite-sized
items, one per person.
Most of the food was delicious, but one tofu dish did
not measure up. All six diners popped the tofu into
their mouths. Then all six turned up their noses at
the taste. The tofu had gone rancid.
Tofu disintegrates pretty quickly in the mouth, so everyone
swallowed hard and reached quickly for their drinks
to wash away the taste. The waitress apologized right
away and promised to tell the owner. Better-tasting
dishes soon followed.
But when the bill was presented at the end of the meal,
the tofu dish was still included! The waitress apologized
again and referred to the restaurant owner. The owner
appeared and defended the bill. ‘But you ate the
tofu,’ he said, ‘so we still have to charge
you. If the tofu was no good, why did you eat all six
pieces?’ Despite their protests, the tofu remained
on the bill.
And that was the last bill ever paid at that restaurant
by any of the six lunchtime diners…or their families…or
their friends…or their business associates.
Now, what should the owner have done? Provide
free desserts or a round of free drinks for everyone
at the table? Immediately remove the tofu from the bill?
Apologize personally and thank the group for their valuable
feedback? Promise to alert the chef immediately, and
do so? Upon departure, give each of the six diners a
business card from the restaurant with a hand-signed
promise from the owner for ‘Six delicious and
fresh tofu dim sum…free anytime within
the next two months’? All of the above?
This approach would help ensure that each diner returned
in the near future, giving the restaurant – and
the tofu – another chance. But no one eats just
tofu. So there would be another round of lunchtime bills
to pay by each diner…and their families…and
their friends…and their business associates.
Key Learning Point
Occasionally things
do go sour. When it happens to you, fix the problem fast.
Make it your speed, generosity and concern that gets remembered.
Not the trouble, or the tofu.
Action Steps
Develop a service
recovery policy and display it with pride. Let your customers
know: if something goes wrong, you will make it right.
Next Article in Customer Service Guarantees >>
Total Recovery=Customer Delight
First Article in Customer Service Improvement >>
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