Do you remember Jan Carlzon’s phrase, Moments of truth? These are those moments when someone makes a quick decision and then acts in a way that really defines what a brand and a company stands for. Here is a recent example…
For my daughter’s 15th birthday we took her to a slightly more upscale restaurants that the ones she had been to before. She was excited to try something new.
Her meal came and it was exactly what she asked for, but being used to more simply prepared dishes, she didn’t realize that the sauce would be so powerful. When our waiter inquired about the meal, she said the fish tasted great but the sauce was a little more than she expected. Naturally the waiter offered to modify her dish.
“No, no. It’s fine. It’s fine”, said my daughter, not wanted to draw attention.
He could have said, OK and moved on, but our waiter responded,
“But it’s your birthday. I don’t want it to be fine; I want it to be great. Let me take it back and in just a few minutes I have it perfect for you.”
And of course it was perfect. And of course my daughter was really impressed that the waiter cared so much. And we gave the waiter a gratuity to also reflect his attention to detail.
Two things happened next. On our way out I happened to spot the General Manager. I shared with her our waiter’s actions and how it made a difference to us. I also noted that he was a great reflection of the service I had come to know at this particular restaurant in other cities. The General Manager said,
“Thank you for letting me know! We love to share stories like this. I will make sure to thank him as well.”
On the way out to the car, my daughter remarked that it was really nice of me to tell the boss we had such a great waiter and to tell her why. So do you think she will imitate that same type of behavior some day? I sure expect so!
Three points to remember:
1. Moments of truth matter, even little ones.
2. Shining a spotlight on these actions when you see them makes it easier for managers also recognize and reinforce great service behavior.
3. Positive recognition that is public sets the stage for others who will look to do the same in the future.
If you want to see more great moments of truth in service, do your part to acknowledge them publically.
So how have you recently put a spotlight on great service behavior?
How have you seen moments of truth continue to have impact long after the moment is over?
