A Perfect Experience in Landscaping

Exceptional service experiences are rare however, today I had the most perfect experience buying shrubs and plants, and I received an education in the process. Best of all - I feel totally invigorated! I may have a new career in landscaping.

Situation - Major concrete work on the front steps required demolition of the trusted shrubbery that was in the way. Concrete work is done, granite coating is complete (after many hours of effort), all railings are now pristine white - only issue is a naked landscape. I need (or think I need) two sort of evergreen things about four feet high for each side of the steps.

I do a little research. I think about $100 will get it done.

So I dig out the old stuff. Tough going but I am on a mission to complete this project. Several hours later I have the old out and new holes, but then I think I need more foliage in this tapestry. Dig more holes - another one there on the right, two more there to the left and just one more on the corner as an accent.

So now I have many holes in the ground and haven't a clue what to put in them.

Off to Sheridan Nurseries on Burnhamthorpe Road, my closest plant people.

I'm wandering, looking at these emerald things that might work, and then looking at other shrubs that might fit and really wanting someone to talk to. "Need some help?" from a young lady who could see that I did. "Yes I do."

This young lady was incredible. I outlined my project. She understood. We discussed exposure to sun and soil conditions. We were on our knees looking at the emeralds and she was so very knowledgeable about how to best transplant them but I just couldn't see how I get the holes big enough to make it work. What other options?

We explored several. She took me on a tour to explore everything - the special characteristics of spruce, how these other ones were unique, which ones thrived best in various conditions, how to transpant, how wide they will grow, how high they will grow, how to trim, how to maintain - what a learning experience - and she was so knowledgeable and sincere!

So we settled on two blue spruce as the 'soldiers' for the stairs, and several other accent pieces. She also suggested a special transplanting solution, several bags of their soil, and a few bags of mulch to make it all work. Everything I needed to become the landscaping artist I was destined to be. She helped me to the cash, ensuring the shrubs were safe in my hands, and thanked me for trusting my needs with her.

I came back the same day for two more pieces to complete my work. She saw me wandering again and wanted to know how the project worked. "Superb" I said, just need a few more. I could see in her smile that she enjoyed being of service and helping me create my little work of art. A little conversation and exploration and she helped me find two additional perfect pieces to complete my masterpiece.

It was a wow for me - experiencing sincere, honest, knowledgeable and professional service.

I think it was a wow for her - in being the expert, being of service and helping me succeed at my project.

The outcomes: I set out to spend $100 on two shrubs and did spend just under $400 and was very happy doing so. Sheridan Nurseries now has a very satisfied customer who is referring them to others (as we speak) and I will be a customer for life.

Sincere, honest, knowledgeable and professional service. What an enjoyable experience!

Customer Service Scripting

The trouble with compiling a blog or a book about great customer service experiences is that there are just so few experiences and stories to talk about. What a sad state of affairs! C’est domage. But then again, what an incredible opportunity!

I’ve been involved in creating customer focused cultures for many years and have seen the incredible empowering impact it can have on your front line people and on tangible business results. There is no doubt that when customer service becomes strategic for your enterprise you can win – beyond your wildest imagination. But most organizations, most of the time, don’t get it.

For most enterprises most of the time, the best they can come up with is customer service scripting. Scripting is really, quite feeble. It speaks to an intent to provide a certain minimum of engagement but most often just sounds like lip service to customer service.

I’ve wondered why. I think I have the answer.

I think it is all very logical and reasonable. It does seem to make sense.

If a customer is satisfied, her expectations of you were met, the product was good, the service was fine – what’s the impact? Might tell a few people about it. (Positive but not overly memorable.) You get paid, life goes on.

If you wow your customer! (And that’s a very good thing!) You’ll create a fan (maybe a raving fan) and loyal supporter who will tell several people about his wonderful experience. Great referrals! Excellent stuff! (Positive and very memorable.)

But if you screw up, guess what? Your customer will tell a lot of people about this very negative and memorable experience. (All negative experiences are very memorable – aren’t they?)

And here’s the kicker. If you screw up and then screw up the complaint process your customer will tell hundreds of people about her most negative and very memorable experience of you!

So the logical solution is to avoid the negative – to have a play safe script for your people to “perform” to avoid the nightmare. Have your service providers ‘get with the program’ and do their very best to meet expectations and minimize the risk of screwing anything up. Totally logical! It’s an MBA approach to engineering the customer service “experience.”

Trouble is … we all know it’s lip service. Your customers know it and feel it. Your service providers know it too. That’s why it doesn’t make any $%^& difference! All it does is keep you on a very mediocre path and not very memorable, unless of course you screw up, which you inevitably will.

You cannot ever dream to provide a script to deal with every new and unique experience! Yet most businesses most of the time keep on trying the same things and then wondering why the results aren’t really any different. Must be a problem with your people – in their commitment and execution. This reminds of a wonderful question posed by Paul Levesque in one of his presentations. “Are your people unmotivated, lackluster and uncommitted 24 hours a day, or only the 8 hours a day they spend with you?”

How do you create great experiences for your customers if every new and unique experience is new and unique? You have to start from an ethic or value of service. It’s about who you are and what you stand for and believe in. And you can’t fake it!

It’s about inviting positive and caring people to share your values and then being able to make it real for your customers. Stories help communicate some of the elements of success however, great service is always “improv” within the framework of shared values. You create the framework and ‘context’ and then empower your people to unleash their creativity to make it so.

So please throw out the scripts and unleash the creativity of your people.

Try this the next time you’re in one of your favourite restaurants and the server attempts to very professionally recite all of the specials of the day with all of the detail and pizzazz they can muster, (and it’s best if it’s a new server trainee.) Say, “Wow, sounds like you have the script down pat, good job!” “Have you tried them?” Which one do you like best?” Very often you will get more scripting as in “They’re all great!” Occasionally, your questions will invite the wow factor into the experience and you might just get a most interesting, improvised, passionate and refreshing performance.

Scrap the scripts. Let your people perform!