The people of Houston really know how to treat their guests! Recently, I was the closing keynote speaker for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

The night before, I had stayed in the Royal Sonesta Hotel about two blocks away from the conference hotel since that hotel was full from another convention.

The next morning I needed to be at the conference hotel at 11:00 to check out the equipment and do a sound check before my keynote at 3:00. I had had a late night and needed to do some work in the morning, so by the time I was ready to leave, I realized I would not have any time for breakfast, and I needed the energy to be at my best for my client.

When I got down to the hotel lobby, I quickly found the restaurant and hurriedly asked the waitress there if they had a banana, explaining my rushed and rather desperate situation. (I figured a banana would hold me until lunch!) She ran to the buffet, grabbed a banana, and brought it back to me. When I asked her how much I owed, she simply smiled and said, “You just have a wonderful day.” How long has it been since any restaurant EVER gave you something for nothing? I was touched. ( A huge thank you to the service at the Royal Sonesta Hotel!)

Again, I hurried out to the lobby to walk the two blocks to the conference hotel, lugging my big computer bag, a bag of “show and tell” things for my presentation, and my huge purse. When I got outside, the wind was blowing so badly that I panicked. I rushed back inside to see if I could possibly get their shuttle to drive me over to the hotel. You see, they were videotaping me that day, and the walk over would have completely ruined my hair! 😉

I ran to the front desk, literally begging for the shuttle as I explained my predicament, but the person on duty said he was sorry, but it had gone to the airport and would not be back for 30 minutes. Dejected, I began to leave to make the dreaded walk over when a limo driver who had been waiting in the lobby and who had overheard my pleas, came up, smiled, and said, “Ma’am, I would be glad to drive you over.” My hero!

He loaded all my stuff in the trunk, gave me a bottle of water, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll get you there on time.” Because these hotels were on a one way street, he had to drive several blocks over and down and then make a U-turn to get back on the right side of the street, so it was no easy task.

When we arrived at the conference hotel, he let me out of the car and unloaded all my “stuff” as I thanked him profusely and held out my credit card. He just smiled, shook his head, and said, “This is my gift to you. You just bring all those ladies a message of hope and have a wonderful day.” And of course, I gave him a big hug right there in the driveway! (Just for the record, his name is Osman Omar of VIP’s Transportation. If you ever need a ride in Houston, you can call my hero at 206-724-8067.)

After these precious experiences and then the amazing women I met at the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce conference, I can hardly wait to come back to Houston!

To read more wonderful customer service stories, check out Barbara’s books at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.

TEN SIMPLE TRUTHS OF SERVICE from “The Simple Truths of Service Inspired by Johnny the Bagger”by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz:

Since October is Customer Service Month, I want to share what Ken Blanchard and I have discovered as the ten simple truths of service. These are some questions both managers and employees can ask about their work to determine if they are implementing these ten truths in their organizations.

#1 GREAT SERVICE INSPIRES STORIES / MEMORIES.
Do you collect and record customer service stories in your organization?

#2 GREAT SERVICE USES OUTSIDE-THE-BOX THINKING.
Do you encourage creativity and offering options from all employees?

#3 GREAT SERVICE IS A CHOICE.
Do YOU understand the choices you have in interactions?
Have you taught your employees and colleagues this concept?

#4 GREAT SERVICE STARTS WITH A CLEAR VISION.
Do YOU have a clear vision?
Are YOU contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of the work you do?

#5 GREAT SERVICE REQUIRES THAT EVERYONE CATCH THE VISION.
Do all employees know, can repeat, and buy into the vision?

#6 GREAT SERVICE SURPRISES PEOPLE.
Are you having fun in your workplace?

#7 GREAT SERVICE BEGINS WITH ANYONE.
Do YOU as either manager or employees really believe this?
Are you sharing real life examples?

#8 GREAT SERVICE GOES THE EXTRA MILE.
Do YOU as an employee go the extra mile for your customers?
Do YOU as a manager go the extra mile for your customers AND your employees (your internal customers)?

#9 GREAT SERVICE BRINGS CUSTOMERS BACK .
Do you check on a regular basis the customer retention statistics for your area of responsilbility?

THE FINAL TRUTH:
#10 GREAT SERVICE COMES FROM THE HEART.
Are you interacting with your customers on both the Business and the Human levels?
Are you managing your employees on both levels?

To order either the 17 minute movie of “Johnny the Bagger” and the Facilitator kit or to order the “Simple Truths of Service” book, click here.

If you would like Barbara to come to speak to your organization on customer service, you can reach her at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com or 941-312-9169.

I love small towns! I grew up in Harlan, Iowa, a town of 4500, so any time I am privileged to speak in a small town, I am excited. This week I was asked to speak to the entire staff of Elmira Savings Bank in Elmira, New York. This is a bank that has been in existence for over 100 years in a town of 30,00. It was a special day, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all their employees.

What always impresses me is the “remarkable” (their mantra) service I always get in a small town. First of all, these are some of the things the bank does for both their internal and external customers:

• Free coffee in the lobby
• Name tags for every employee so customers can learn their names
• Customer Appreciation Days at every branch
• “Say When You Pay” program – people can choose two months of the year when they do not have to make a mortgage payment
• CARE program—Employees donate $1 a week to a fund for those on staff who are experiencing financial issues. A committee awards help to anonymous applicants.
• Every year the senior managers put on a humorous skit where they poke fun at themselves. This year they brought me in to speak on “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™–Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose, and Productivity.” They served an amazing spread of food and beer, wine, and soft drinks to the staff to appreciate their hard work.

I also experienced extraordinary service from the hotel staff at the Holiday Inn there:

• I received a sweet gift bag of goodies from the hotel when I checked in.
• On the day I was speaking I did not realize breakfast ended at 11:00, but they let me in to the restaurant anyway, even though I was the only one there!
• I spent an hour with all the senior managers at the bank in the afternoon and missed lunch. Since I would be speaking to the staff at 5:15 and setting up before that, I needed a bit of extra energy. Again the restaurant was closed; however, Amy, the banquet manager, had the cooks prepare a lovely salad for me and brought it to the room where I was presenting.
• Every staff person greeted me whenever I met them in the hallway.
• Whenever I needed bags moved, there was always someone there with a smile.

All in all, it was a lovely experience. I found out that Mark Twain had a home in Elmira and is buried there, and other famous natives are Brian Williams and Tommy Hillfiger. They even still have a drive-in movie! It always touches me that the organizations who are already giving “remarkable” service, like Elmira Bank, who just won an award for one of the best banks to work for in the country, seem to be the ones who hire me to speak rather than those who REALLY need my messages.
Hooray for small town service!

To learn more about Barbara’s work in customer service, go to www.barbaraglanz.com/programs

Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE

If you want to become the greatest in your field, no matter what it may be, equip yourself to render greater service than anyone else.
Clinton Davidson

“It’s not about you!” That was the first sentence of Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life” which has since become one of the best selling books of all time. As employees and managers, we market our product, yet the key to lasting relationships with our clients is our Service. How are we, each time we interact with a colleague or a client, demonstrating that it is “not about us?”

In today’s market, clients want high value, and high value includes extraordinary service. No longer do they simply want a satisfactory product. They want long-term, authentic relationships based on shared commitment to the organization and its mission.

The first step in serving our clients at a higher level is to examine our own mission in this business. Whenever I work with a group of leaders in any organization, I ask them this gut-level question, “Are you into Power or are you into Service?” Ask yourself that same question because your clients will quickly perceive the answer.

I have discovered a simple framework for understanding practical ways to keep the focus on service in my work and in my life through Ken Blanchard’s book, “Lead Like Jesus – Lessons From the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time.” He suggests that someone who is truly focused on serving others should examine their Heart, Head, Hand, and Habits.

Read More…

This list was sent to me by one of my clients:

At our recent Customer Service Training Session with renowned author Barbara Glanz, attendees were asked to work in teams and brainstorm about different ways to show customer appreciation. We are sharing these 100 great ideas with our entire chamber membership in our ongoing effort to spread the word on the importance of great customer service.

100 CREATIVE WAYS TO SHOW CUSTOMER APPRECIATION
-smile
-say thank you
-flowers outside door
-comfortable place to sit
-dog treats for the dog
-candy treats for the kids
-say their name
-ice water for customers
-pet appreciation
-anticipate their needs
-something to occupy kids
-make them feel at home
-help carry things
-speak clearly
-bilingual staff of assist
-compliment them (sincerely)
-chocolate kisses
-remember their name
-free balloons
-send birthday card
-free cookies
-wall of fame (customer photos)
-discounts
-welcome package
-open house/invite repeat customers
-hand written thank you letters
-give away bags to good customers
-coupons
-brag board
-be on time
-follow up phone calls
-customer appreciation day
-clean establishment
-prize drawing w/business cards
-public thank you in newspaper
-gift certificates with referrals
-monthly newsletter
-invite schools in for activities
-make me smile contest
-grandma for a day
-send flowers
-take their photo (tourists)
-hospitality bar
-bells to celebrate customer
-donate to their favorite charity
-educate customer
-share a personal experience
-be a resource (even for competitors)
-sell flowers
-offers to friends and family members
-find out answer – if you don’t know it
-ask them to come back
-ask them about themselves
-reach things that are too high for customer
-popcorn day
-ice cream day
-phone cards
-color books for kids
-free post cards
-follow up on problems
-candy kisses
-free parking tokens
-let customers stay in store – don’t push out at closing
-free suckers
-know your product and educate your customer
-listen to customer
-hold the door open for customer
-always follow through
-friendly environment
-sing happy birthday on their birthday
-play music
-free massages
-extra towel for pet
-make customers laugh
-wear fun clothes
-send out fun quotes @ drive thru
-roll with the punches
-know how to give directions
-get well cards to sick customers
-stickers for kids
-offer nice shopping bags
-ask customers about themselves
-ask for feedback
-take service to the customer
-give discounts for referrals
-introduce yourself
-fun décor
-dog therapy
-check in on customer/client
-hire enough staff
-prompt service
-helpful, knowledgeable staff
-upgrade service
-go the extra mile
-be patient
-pay attention to details
-offer gift registry
-reward loyalty
-be flexible
-make a first and last impression
-pay attention to how your customer wants to be treated

For more ideas to appreciate your customers, choose one of Barbara’s books: “The Simple Truths of Appreciation,” “CARE Packages for the Workplace,” “CARE Packages for the Home,” or “Handle with CARE.” Go to www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.