Security With Service

His welcoming smile seemed to say it was going to be okay and the stress of getting through security was almost over. He extended his hand and said, "Good morning my name is Lance, where to Stephen?" His kindly use of my formal first name shook me awake from my early morning haziness and desperate need for coffee.

"Nice to meet you Lance. Headed to Las Vegas," as I gave him my boarding pass and driver's license.

"Excellent. Lots of things going on in Las Vegas this week it seems. Have seen off quite a few passengers going there this week. Are you going up for a little fun," he impishly asked as he completed his check of my boarding pass and driver's license.

I answered him that my trip, unfortunately was all business; a quick up and back in fact. He simply smiled and said, "Well you'll be walking through here tomorrow afternoon with a smile having not lost what you didn't put down." With that, Lance TSA Agent # 25082 gave me another big smile and said, "Do try and have a little fun while your up there won't you? Have a safe flight Stephen."

If you read my BLOG with any regularity, you know I am big on customer service. So imagine my surprise when I found this rather unique example of customer service occur right before my eyes and in one of the most unlikely places....the security gate of an airport!

As I meandered through the remainder of the line I continued to watch Lance interact with other passengers as they progressed through his check point. Each time he had something unique and different to say to each person. He would comment on the uniqueness of a person's last name or remind the person when their driver's license was going to expire. He wished one young woman a happy 23rd birthday a week from the next Tuesday which, as you can imagine, made her smile big time. I think she may have been in her early thirties which seemed to help strengthen her glow from the special attention that now other passengers were giving her.

Whoever the passenger/customer was, Lance made his point to do what he could to make the experience of going through his place in the security hierarchy just a little bit better. I wished I could have stayed there a little bit longer and watched him work his magic as there was no doubt Mr. Lance was creating a positive Ripple in the hearts and minds of the otherwise stressed, rushed, irritated and not yet awake morning travelers. That's good customer service in my mind.

I found myself looking for Lance TSA Agent # 25082 this past Friday as the family and I made our way through the security line at the airport to head to El Paso. Unfortunately he was no where to be found and the two encounters we had with separate TSA agents were not nearly as memorable. Unlike Lance, neither seemed to relish their job or their customers with nearly as much enthusiasm. Sad, but true.

We are all in the business of serving a customer each and every day (see my other posts on customer service). We can choose to simply do the deed and get the job done or we can take a page from Lance's book....and we can simply choose to do it better.

Which choice do you think a Rippler would make?

You Think But Do You Know

I just finished delivering my 3 day customer service training to the State of Texas tax assessors and collectors and boy was it a fun class! I had an amazing group of students who were willing to engage and share, learn and challenge and most of all have fun. It was a good three days and I can honestly say I felt a bit sad yesterday afternoon when everyone said goodbye.

One my students came up to me near the end and told me that she appreciated me challenging her to think about how her staff looks at serving the customer. It made her aware not to assume that her staff understands or appreciates the importance of certain approaches to handling customer situations just because she does.

That's a really big point when it comes to customer service. I think we all assume a lot when it comes to our employees' understanding the hidden rules and unspoken expectations but do they really? You think they do but do you know for sure?

I mean just because you would (without fail) return an important client's voice mail at 5:15 on a Friday afternoon and not wait until Monday doesn't necessarily guarantee your staff will, right? Or perhaps understanding you let the next customer in line know you are ready to check them out by saying "may I help the next person in line" rather than shouting "NEXT!" (Hey Fry's Electronics...are your customers cattle?) Or what about letting a customer walk right out the door without saying a simple "thank you and please come back and see us."

Hmmm can someone say the kiss of death to the customer impression and experience?

These are the little things we all assume our staff understands but I submit they do not. Sure some people are smart enough to catch on and do what they see others doing and you as the manager, business leader or owner hope the powers of observation take in more good rather than bad right? But what happens when you are not around? What happens when the new employee only sees bad examples?

One of the first steps in creating a customer service culture is to focus on the entire experience. Never assume that the person whom you just hired understands or knows what is appropriate language, demeanor or attitude. You have to teach that to them. You have to say, without fail, what your expectations are in no uncertain terms. Then and only then will they begin to understand what you expect of them and how you want them to create an outstanding customer impression and experience.

The little things matter. In today's society we can not take anything for granted. People need to have their level of expectations clearly defined and understand that anything less is unacceptable. Great customer service begins with a good understanding of what it takes to train our people to deliver it. It is worth the time to do it and to keep doing it over and over again so that your staff lives and breaths the little things that your customers need and expect.

Ripple On!!!


Steve Harper