Ring My Bell: Helping Customers Recognize Your Commitment to Service

On my way home this evening I was definitely thinking Arby's, and stopped in at the location at M-59 and Telegraph Road in Pontiac, MI to get one of those mouthwatering and delectable "Market Fresh" sandwiches that Arby's dishes up. I had some time to kill, so I skipped the drive through and went inside to order and eat.

When I got inside, the manager was right there to take my order quickly and accurately. My food was ready within a couple of minutes and served with a smile. The restaurant was clean, the condiments were fully stocked, and the beverage area was clean and presentable as well.

On my way out of the restaurant as I was throwing my trash away I noticed a large bell on the wall with a chain hanging from it that said "Please Ring If You Received Good Service." I most certainly rang the bell for all the reasons I mentioned above. Almost instantly I heard several voices yell "thank you" from the kitchen.

This got me thinking about how many businesses including mine do everything they can to provide the best service possible to our customers. If you aren't doing that in today's competitive market, you're as good as dead in the water. But do customers truly recognize this? We set up customer service departments not to field calls of appreciation, but to assist our customers to make sure they are getting the most out of the products and services we provide to them.

Many businesses are getting a handle on their service by asking customers to fill out a comment card or by taking a survey. Most chain stores now print a toll free number and a survey code and entice you to provide feedback by offering cash prize drawings for everyone who completes the survey. While much of that data may be useful, how can you be certain that a significant portion of your customers didn't just fill random numbers out in order to quickly enter into your contest? Are these customers giving you an accurate reflection of their experience?

My focus in business has always been to send the message to customers that great customer service is my number one priority, and to facilitate a relationship with my customer base where they are as comfortable in telling me what I've done right as they are in bringing bad experiences to my attention. And when you have customers telling your employees "thanks for doing such a great job", morale goes through the roof.

By having a bell right out on the floor in plain sight and encouraging customers to ring it when they've received great service, this Arby's restaurant is creating a service oriented culture within its doors.

What better feedback than when you have ten customers come in, and only one rings the bell. Time to take a look around and see what can be improved on the fly. Likewise, if your bell is ringing all day long, you may want to treat those employees to some movie passes.

How are you getting feedback from your customers? Are customers ringing your bell?

Photo by Flickr user Luis Alves