Sometimes, you can get a column idea and a steak at the same time.
There’s nothing like getting real live inspiration for this column. Such inspiration happened to me as I was eating out recently at a steakhouse. It was one of the chain steakhouses that have sprung up all over the city, not one of our local gems. But it was close, I was hungry, and they usually serve a perfectly acceptable sirloin.
I decided on one of their “summer specials,” a marinated sirloin with onions, mushrooms, and cheese on top (I think they called it their “Cardiologists’ Special”). I dislike mushrooms, but liked everything else, so I asked the waitress if it could be fixed without the ‘shrooms. She replied that it definitely could, she didn’t like them either, and in fact, that was the way that she ordered this particular steak. Then, it started to go bad.
You’ve already guessed; when my steak arrived, it had mushrooms. Since they were melted into the cheese, I couldn’t even pick them off. Since someone besides our waitress had brought the food, and didn’t hang around to see if it was as ordered, I just slid the toppings off and started on the steak. The steak itself wasn’t bad.
Five minutes went by, and finally, the waitress showed. I told her about the mushrooms, and she immediately said, “I’ll have my manager talk to you,” and hustled away. I should point out that at this point, I wasn’t upset at all – just mildly annoyed about the mistake. I kept eating. At about the time that I had finished most of my steak and potato (at least 10 minutes later), the manager arrived and said that she would “make it right for me.”
She asked if I wanted another steak (this was the first anyone had offered this). I said, no, I’d already eaten as much as I could hold. Then – this is my favorite part – she began to explain “how this happened.” Apparently, the onions and mushrooms come pre-packed…blah, blah, blah. I finally stopped her and told her that I didn’t particularly care how it happened. I ordered it without, and it came with. As the customer, that’s what I care about. She then proceeded to tell me “how to order it correctly next time.” NOW I’m getting irritated. By the time she was done, she ended up knocking my meal off the ticket (I wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t made me mad). And I left agitated. Now, let’s break this down and look at the mistakes they made, and things that YOU can avoid doing when something goes wrong:
Incorrect Order Taking: When I asked if it could be fixed without mushrooms, the waitress rushed to say, “We can do that,” without recognizing that it would be a problem. I’m the customer, and all I know is what I want. I don’t know what you can do. Had she told me that the ‘shrooms were part and parcel, I’d have ordered a different menu item and been perfectly happy. The lesson is: Tell your customer up front what you can do well, and what you can’t. Most of the time, your customer will adapt.
Slow Follow Up: Our waitress waited entirely too long to see if our food was satisfactory and as-ordered. Part of this was caused by the fact that someone other than our waitress brought our food (I hate that – if something needs to be done, the second person rarely takes care of it). This was exacerbated by the long wait for the “manager.” By the time she showed up, I’d had a chance to assume that they really didn’t care. The lesson is: Follow up on order satisfaction as soon as possible. That means, “immediately.”
Not Empowering Front Line Personnel: As soon as she was aware there was a problem, the waitress immediately turned to her manager, rather than dealing with it herself. That produces longer waits, and reduces the credibility of the waitress. At most restaurants, wait staff is empowered to deal with re-orders and check adjustments. The lesson is: Empower your service and salespeople to fix the problem immediately, if not sooner.
Talking About Stuff the Customer Doesn’t Care About: How many times do we see people, confronted with a problem, explain “how this happened” rather than “how we’ll fix it?” I don’t care at all what happens back in the kitchen, and your customers don’t care what happens in the warehouse. All they (and I) know is that our stuff is incorrect, and we expect you to deal with it. Do otherwise, and it’s an excuse. The lesson is: Focus on fixing the problem, not blaming someone for it.
Blaming the Customer: I didn’t really get irritated until she began telling me “how to order next time” so it would be right. Her responsibility – and yours – is to make sure that the order aligns well with what your company does. Your customer probably doesn’t know your processes, your chain of command, and your limitations – UNLESS YOU COMMUNICATE THEM PROPERLY. The lesson is: Explain to your customer what to expect up front, and make sure that you can fulfill those expectations.
The ironic thing is that I didn’t get irritated until they began “managing” the problem. Am I mad now? Of course not. I got a free steak, and even got a column out of it. However, if you don’t want your customers to write their own stories of your failure, you’re well served to learn the above lessons well.
