One of the things that make Peyton Manning a future Hall of Famer is his ability to change the play and get his team in the best position at the line of scrimmage before each snap. Enabling the front-line of any business with those same capabilities can make or break a customer experience.
I went to my favorite BBQ spot to pick up some food prior to the Super Bowl. They obviously had prepared for a large rush; they modified the carry-out area to accommodate more customers, added more staff and registers, as well as streamlined the ordering and pick-up process. Even with all the best laid-out plans, they were overwhelmed by the rush – whether it was the kitchen capacity or whether there was some other break in the process, things got backed up. Customers were waiting long durations all the way up until kick-off, some were visibly frustrated as they were picking up large orders for a hungry group back home.
Then the restaurant called an audible – at the height of the challenge, I noticed the assistant mangers began distributing gift cards to customers who had waited for long durations. Frustrated customers became more understanding and the restaurant worked to secure future business. Customers that may have left angry were now leaving as advocates even in a difficult situation. Even with thought out processes, technology and people, sometimes you need to call an audible to ensure you provide the best customer experience.
This is just one example of how a business empowered its employees to ensure they provide the best customer experience possible. Each business will need to determine what is the best structure needed to enable their front line with both basic guidelines but also the flexibility to react in various situations. They could have either failed to act (not empowered) or acted too rashly and too generously thereby losing significant revenue. In the end, the gesture they provided was perfect – adequate enough to be appreciated but not so costly as to be a significant negative impact. And what will all those folks do with their $10 or $20 gift cards? They’ll come back and spend $100.
