Wednesday 28 October 2015

"To the Line" Service

One of my absolute pet peeves is wine glasses with lines on them.  Or emblems, or anything that dictates a maximum pour.  Apart from the fact I am not a fan of having a maximum limit of wine
enforced on my glass, I think it says a lot about the establishments that serve them.




It always feels a bit stingy when wait-staff make a conscious effort to pour exactly to the line.  It
makes me feel like I am not worth any more than that, that there will be no added extras tonight. I
always watch the wine get closer to the line in nervous anticipation, as if the level of appreciation for
my patronage is being measured out in front of me.  When it stops right at the line, I get it.  This
place is about not wasting time, effort, energy or wine on making my experience incredible. I would
almost prefer to have less wine and no line from a customer experience point of view (actually, I
wouldn’t, but you get the point).  However, when the waiter pours a little bit more and goes over
the line, even slightly, I am ecstatic!  I feel like I am valued, like I am special and that I am going to be taken care of no matter what.

I think sometimes customers feel like this when they deal with salespeople too; like they are getting
exactly what they deserve and no more.  The processes and steps are followed, the boxes ticked, the
templates filed, the job is done.  Nothing special just what is expected.  This ‘to the line service’ does
not create an amazing customer experience, and it most certainly does not convert sales.  If anything, meeting service expectations and just hitting the line, is almost as unacceptable as providing a poor customer experience.

These days, I don’t think you have to go the extra mile. You don’t need to spend a heaps of money or really go out of your way to impress. I think you just need to add an extra splash.  What can you do
to ensure you are consistently offering above the line service?

If you would like more information about how to create an above the line customer experience
contact Meg on meg@megsalter.com.au or call her on 0414 503 887.

Ps. If you feel this is useful, I would be extremely grateful if you forward it to your friends and colleagues.

1 comment:

  1. Meg, I like the analogy you have shared as well as the pet peeve with pouring to the line!!

    ReplyDelete