If You Want to Engage your Customers, Make Sure You’re Engaging your Employees

The other day I was at my local grocery store, which has a cute coffee shop attached to it. I decided to order a kombucha on tap. (If you’re not familiar with kombucha, it’s a healthy, fizzy, probiotic drink.) I walked up to the register and asked the barista what flavors of kombucha they had. She seemed nice, but she clearly became nervous from me asking my question, and she replied, “Uh… you’d have to check.” She pointed to the tap, which was around the corner.

I left my place in line and checked out the flavors. I came back to the line, which now had a person in front of me, waited for my turn again, and ordered my drink. The barista rang me up and gave my empty cup, with which I returned to the kombucha tap to get my drink. I left with my kombucha and wished her a good day.

The drink was fine. And it wasn’t a terrible interaction, but it definitely fell short. The barista, mainly due to her nerves, was disengaged, and she missed an opportunity to serve me, or make my day slightly better. Looking back, how much different would my experience have been if the barista confidently knew which kombucha flavors the coffee shop had on tap? Or if she shared with me what she’d personally recommend? Or if she had walked me to the kombucha and guided me with care?

Celebrate risk taking, back employees up, and show them that it’s ok to make mistakes. Making mistakes is natural! As long as employees keep learning, growing, and staying focused on serving your customers, they should feel comfortable to step outside of their comfort zone and use their judgement.

I’ll probably keep going to my grocery store coffee shop – the brief interaction wasn’t enough to prompt me to choose another place or leave a poor review. But how much more of an opportunity would there be for this grocery store coffee shop if they made sure they were providing a WOW experience for their customers?

Imagine if I’d been thrilled by my interaction at the coffee shop. I’d likely tell my local friends and family about how amazing it is, and I’d likely stop in more often. I’d be hooked on both the kombucha on tap and the friendly, knowledgeable, confident service I know I’d receive. Your business is the same; your service professionals make all the difference between an experience that’s “just ok” and an experience that creates raving fans of your company.

Jennifer at an onsite visit with Champion Plumbing in Oklahoma.

Jennifer Frith has a lifetime of experience in customer service in the trades. She’s been a customer experience coach with Nexstar for over 3 years and works with members to empower their front-line customer service representatives and business leaders through one-on-one coaching and training. Her passion is found in empowering others to become their very best.