From the regular analyses that I carry out on behalf of my client companies, a sore point has emerged more than once: delivered experiences did not fully match customers’ expectations. Hence the need to raise the bar offering coherent experiences at every stage of the customer journey. And as I have just had a brilliant and homogeneous one, I am sharing it adding laser focussed insights.
How to manage customer waiting
Subtitle: the art of ‘pausing’ without annoying them.
Last weekend I was in Tirana, Albania with friends. I went to a restaurant that I was recommended by locals. Unfortunately, when we got there it was already packed and a couple of families were waiting outside the restaurant before us. So I decided to enter to check out the situation and spoke with a waiter who smiled at me and immediately took some ‘strategic actions’:
- He greeted politely, showing a warm of welcome.
- Apologized because all the tables were busy at that moment, so that we had to wait.
- He warned that before letting us in there were 2 other families ahead of us.
- Informed transparently that he was unable to estimate the exact waiting time (by doing so prevented wrong customer’s expectations).
- Finally he added that 2 tables were almost asking for the bill, so they were supposed to leave in the next few minutes (that convinced the 4 of us to wait and have a little more patience than usual).
The experience with the product/service
A few minutes later, another waiter came outside and informed us that they were about to set our table (this smart guy he didn’t want to lose us!). In fact, after a couple of minutes he let us in and – listen up – he welcomed us in the same warming way his colleague did when I had asked about the waiting time. 💡 [Q.] As a customer, how many times have you been treated differently when interacting with 2 people working in the same company? In this case, however, the experience was consistent and the staff behaved in a homogeneous way. Even when we ordered our the dishes, the reception and attention to details and care were constant.
The right time to ask for a feedback
Here’s another moment to deliver coherent experiences. On every table, there was a QR code system (see image) to invite customer’s leave their reviews on Tripadvisor or Google. Even in this matter, timing plays a key role in customer’s perception. Accordingly, it affects their willingness to share the experience – positive or negative it may be. In fact, the waiter asked us how our dinner was going, then only at the end of it he kindly invited us to share our feedback. And we all did! With this regard, I suggest you reading these two in-depth articles:
To your next challenge
From a customer standpoint, waiting time and the conversation with your support team are both moments of truth. And as a Customer Service Manager, you know pretty well that delivering coherent experiences is a competitive advantage.
👉 In which areas do you want to stand out from competitors? Let’s chat informally.
Have great conversations.
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P.S. By the way, the food in that restaurant was great. 😉
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Credit image: Unsplash.com
