Short Story, Two Powerful Lessons

Story: Im sitting at the bar in Florida, having dinner solo while I wait for my friend to arrive. I ask the bartender where hes from, since he has a slight accent. Nice conversation about how life is rough in Belfast and thank goodness for the American dream. I ask him what to order for dinner and tell him a couple menu items Im contemplating. He says, I dont know why they dont listen to me. I keep telling them that all the people here say that the nachos arent good because they dont have enough beef in them. I order something else. Five minutes later, someone else pounds his hand on the bar and barks out Give me a Heineken and a plate of nachos. The bartender enters the order into the point-of-sale system.

Lesson 1: Listen to your front-line employees in fact, make them your customer research team. Ive seen and heard this time and again. Employees deal with unhappy customers, then roll their eyes, knowing full well about all the problems the customers are encountering, and also believing that management either knows already or doesnt care. Or both. Theres no reason for this! At a minimum, you should always listen to your customer-facing employees, internalize the feedback, and act on it. They hear and see it all. Next best prize ask them questions. Better yet get them to actively solicit customer feedback.

Lesson 2: Always remember another persons person-ness, especially if he or she is in a service role. The old story about the waiter spitting and coughing in the obnoxious customers soup would dictate that self-preservation, if nothing else, should inspire civility towards people who are serving you, be it a B2B account manager or a waiter in a diner. Next best prize self-interest to get a higher level of service. Better yet engagement and kindness like youd want people to show you. Chances are, theyre trying to make your day a bit better. Shouldnt you try to do the same for theirs?

(Lesson 3: Always listen to your bartender!)

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