2

An Intriguing Course

On the first day of the summer quarter, Kelsey Young sat down to begin her final college course. She was curious to know how the professor was going to spend eight weeks talking about customer service. Just then, the friendly-looking man at the front table who had been fidgeting with the cord on his laptop looked up and began to speak.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Professor Hartley, and I want to welcome you all to my course on Legendary Service. As business students, you need to know right up front that this is not only going to be the best course you’ve ever taken, but also one of the most important.”

The professor chuckled. Kelsey could tell he didn’t take himself too seriously.

“I know that sounds arrogant. Let me explain what I mean. You may think it’s kind of odd to have a college course about customer service. But I want you to think about this: When was the last time you were on the receiving end of great customer service? Not just okay or pretty good service—really excellent service. When was the last time you wanted to tell other people about a fantastic customer service experience you had?”

The room was silent. A few students looked around to see if anyone was going to respond.

“You’re having a little difficulty remembering that far back, aren’t you? Aha! Maybe Legendary Service isn’t as easy to come by as you thought. I’m convinced most managers tell their frontline people to be friendly and give great service, but they don’t explain how to deliver it. You’re actually going to learn how to do it.

“There aren’t a lot of courses like this one—in fact, it took me quite a while to convince our curriculum people to include it in the business degree program. But I think it’s wrong to have a major in management that doesn’t include a core course in customer service. Why do I say this? Because when it comes to being successful in business, everything boils down to relationships. And relationships are built through service. Companies that see the importance of building relationships with their people and their customers are the ones that succeed in the long run. Business curriculum focuses mainly on the head, not the heart—and I think that’s a mistake.”

Professor Hartley turned to the projection screen at the front of the room and said, “All right, are you ready for the first major point of this course?” He tapped a key on his laptop and a quotation filled the screen:

“Great companies realize their most important customers are their own people—employees and managers. If leaders take care of their people and encourage them to bring their brains to work, the people will go out of their way to take care of the customers. When that happens, the customers will want to come back, which will ensure that the company is profitable”

Kelsey wasn’t convinced. How can it be that simple? she thought. Professor Hartley obviously hasn’t shopped where I work. The managers there don’t take care of their people or their customers! She thought about her interaction with the angry customer who had tried to return the coffeemaker and frowned as she recalled her own frustration at having been put in such an awkward position.

“How many of you are currently employed, either part-time or full-time?” the professor asked.

Most of the students raised their hands.

“Keep your hands up and let me ask you a follow-up question.” He paused for effect.

“How many of you hate your job?”

Kelsey lowered her hand but was stunned to see that almost all of the hands stayed in the air.

“Okay, here’s a new question: Does anyone here actually love their job?”

All of the hands went down and only three others came up. Kelsey’s certainly was not one of them. She guessed that most days, her opinion of her job was about halfway between love and hate.

Professor Hartley got serious. “This course is very hands-on. As we go along, I want you to take what you learn about Legendary Service and put it into practice, in whatever way you can, to create a better workplace for yourself and for the people around you. Regardless of how the place is run, or whether or not you’re a manager, you can make a difference for your coworkers and your customers by showing you care about them and really want to serve them.

“Your first assignment is all about building relationships. It requires you to focus on three things this week at work. These three little ideas can change the way your customers feel about you, because you are going to give them a personal service experience”

The professor tapped his laptop and three numbered points appeared on the screen:

“First, learn the customer’s name and use it as often as you can. People love to hear their names. Second, talk about something that’s not related to your transaction. Admire the customer’s watch or their shoes, ask them about their day so far, or talk about the weather. And the third thing is very simple, but increasingly rare: just be friendly, people! If you’re face-to-face, look the person in the eye and give them a sincere smile. If you’re serving your customer on the phone or online, make sure your interaction with them is positive and pleasant.

“I know everyone here can do all these things without much trouble—but I want you to deliberately focus on doing them, at least at first, to make them a habit. For those of you who aren’t employed right now, remember that it goes both ways. If you use these tips now when you have interactions with service providers, the process will come naturally when you go back to work and interact with your customers. At the end of the week, write a two-page paper that gives some real specifics about what happened when you carried out these three ideas.

“I think you’re in for a surprise. Because when you put your customers first, believe it or not, you’re going to notice an immediate difference in how you feel about your job. Remember—relationships make the difference.”

He makes it sound so easy, thought Kelsey as she gathered her materials and left class. She was unsure about whether the professor’s methods would work at Ferguson’s, the large discount store chain where she worked. Most of the time, the store was short-staffed, so spending extra time with customers would take her away from her other tasks. Making a real difference there would be an uphill battle.

As she drove to the gym that afternoon, Kelsey continued to think about what she’d learned. She knew the managers at Ferguson’s could benefit from the knowledge and suggestions Professor Hartley had shared. There was plenty of room for improvement in how they treated the employees and customers, and it bothered her. Unfortunately, experiences like the one with the customer and the coffeemaker weren’t unusual at Ferguson’s. In the year Kelsey had been working in the Home and Office Department, she had gone home aggravated many nights, wishing she could work somewhere else. But as an undergraduate student finishing her degree, working part-time, and living with her grandmother in order to pay for college, she felt stuck. She knew finding another job that offered both health benefits and hours that worked with her school schedule would be next to impossible.

Happily, at the end of this course, Kelsey would finally earn her business degree. Listening to Professor Hartley made her hopeful that the lessons she would learn about service would help her progress in the career she’d set her sights on—retail management. She was on track to move to full-time status with Ferguson’s, which was the next step toward an entry-level manager role. Even if she didn’t stay with the company, Kelsey knew she was getting experience and building her résumé. She had made several friends at the store and had plenty of good days to balance the bad ones. Her ultimate goal was to own her own shop one day—and to be the kind of leader people would trust, respect, and want to work with. That thought kept her going—even though she knew that day was a long way off.

Kelsey hurried through Ferguson’s parking lot on her way to the weekly Monday morning Home and Office Department meeting. She noticed a customer trying to load grocery bags into her SUV while simultaneously putting her screaming twins into their car seats. Because Kelsey was already running late, she felt herself hesitate for a split second before she stopped to help.

“Hi, my name’s Kelsey, and I work here at Ferguson’s,” she said to the woman over the wailing of the toddlers. “Looks like you could use some help—let me load your groceries in the back so that you can have your hands free.” She got right to work without waiting for an answer.

“Thanks a lot” said the harried mother as she turned her attention to her twins.

Kelsey thought about the three things the professor had said to try. It didn’t seem like the right situation to ask the customer’s name, but she decided to make small talk while loading the car.

“You’re out nice and early getting your shopping done. I guess that’s one way to beat the crowds”

The woman chuckled at Kelsey’s statement as she finished with her toddlers. “We’ve been up for three hours already. But there was only one register open just now and a long line of customers waiting, so it took quite a while—and now the boys are overdue for their nap.”

“I’m sorry—that must have been frustrating. Is there anything else I can do?” Kelsey asked.

“No, but thanks for stopping to help—you’ve renewed my faith in this store.” The customer got into the driver’s seat.

“I hope you have a great day!” said Kelsey as she waved and began to jog toward the store with the empty cart.

Kelsey was glad she’d stopped to help—especially when the woman mentioned her irritation at the long checkout line. She told herself being late for the meeting was a worthwhile trade-off for turning around a disgruntled customer. It’s all about relationships, right?

Kelsey knew her department manager, Steven Walker, would say something when she walked into the meeting room. He was a stickler for punctuality. But she also knew he was a good manager with good intentions. He always arranged her work shifts around her school schedule, and he worked such long hours at the store that it almost seemed as if he lived there.

Just as Kelsey had predicted, Steven said, “Nice of you to join us, Kelsey,” as she entered the meeting room as quietly as she could.

“I’m sorry.” She’d explain her tardiness to him later.

After going through the weekly sales numbers and staff schedule, Steven looked up from his papers. “As you all know, ShopSmart is opening a store right down the road in a few months. A lot of Ferguson’s customers are going to be attracted to that store, so we need to come up with some great ideas for how we can keep our customers—and their money—here at Ferguson’s. Senior management is hinting that if we don’t figure out something soon, a lot of us could be looking for work. I really need to hear your thoughts. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we can start doing, today, to serve our customers better?”

When Kelsey could see that no one was responding, she raised her hand. “I just started a customer service course at State, and our professor talked about how the customer needs to come first—it creates customer loyalty. In fact, that’s why I was late—because I stopped in the parking lot to help a customer who was trying to load bags into her car while her two kids were crying.”

“That’s a pretty good reason for being late—I’ll give you a pass this time,” Steven said with a smirk. “Did your professor say anything else?”

“Yes, he told us about three ways we can give customers a personal experience. He said these three things can make a big difference in the way our customers feel about us.”

“That’s good—three things. Let’s hear what they are.” Steven seemed interested.

“The first one is to try to learn the name of your customer and use it when you’re talking to them. People like the sound of their names. The second one, um—” She blanked for a moment. “Oh—talk about something that doesn’t have anything to do with your sale, like maybe the customer’s kids or the upcoming weekend, to show you’re interested in them as people. And the third one is just to be nice and smile. Have a friendly face.”

“I like it!” Steven said enthusiastically as he clapped his hands together. “Everyone, this is simple stuff—find out your customer’s name and use it while you’re helping them; talk about something besides the sale—try to build a little connection; and then just smile and stay focused on them. I know all of you can do these things today, right? Better yet, see if you can keep it up all week long!” A few heads nodded in agreement. With that, Steven dismissed the group to start their day on the sales floor.

Kelsey felt encouraged by Steven’s willingness to use her suggestions. Ever since the buzz about ShopSmart had started, Kelsey had been hearing people at work talk about applying there. She hoped Steven’s positive call to action this morning would help to change their minds. Rather than thinking about quitting, maybe everyone would start thinking about ways to keep the store’s customers and create a happier work environment right here at Ferguson’s.

Kelsey attached her name tag to her shirt and headed from the break room into the store. Professor Hartley wants us to apply the concepts we’re learning to our jobs, she thought. It worked once this morning already, so I guess I’ll try it all day today and see if it makes a difference like he said it would.

Walking up the aisle, she noticed a woman standing in front of a back-to-school display, staring down at a piece of paper in her hand. As Kelsey approached her, she could see it was a list with the words Brendan’s Dorm Room scribbled at the top.

“May I help you find something?” Kelsey asked the customer.

“Oh, yes,” the woman said with an anxious laugh as she looked up from the paper. “My son is going off to college, and he needs just about everything. He’s been busy working this summer, so I told him I would do this for him.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s almost time for him to go.”

Kelsey gave the woman a sympathetic smile. “I know my mom was sad when I moved here to go to college and live with my grandma. But if you’re like my mom, you’re happy your son is continuing his education.”

“Oh, believe me, I don’t want him watching TV on my couch forever—I just hate the thought of him going so far away. Actually, I’d really love some help with this list, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure—I’m happy to help. My name’s Kelsey.” Kelsey threw it out there, hoping the customer would say her name in return.

“I’m Diane,” said the customer with a smile.

Kelsey and her customer, Diane, walked all through the store and filled a shopping cart with bedding, school supplies, computer accessories—even a small microwave. After they had all the items on the list and a few extra things, Kelsey had one last suggestion.

“Right now, lots of people are buying a book we carry about how to succeed in college. It has some good basic tips on studying and time management. It might be a nice gift for you to give your son to show your support.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Diane. “I know he’s a little nervous about whether he can handle college work. Not that he admits that to me, of course,” she said with a laugh.

“Don’t worry, he’s going to be missing you soon enough and wishing for a home-cooked meal!” Kelsey said. Diane laughed again as Kelsey hurried to the book department, grabbed a copy of the book, and brought it back to Diane.

“Thank you, Kelsey—I never would’ve thought of this” Diane said as Kelsey handed her the book. “I really appreciate your taking the time to help me find everything so that I can set Brendan up for success.” She paused. “You know, I’m not used to this level of service from Ferguson’s. You really took the time to help me and actually cared about what I needed.”

“I’m glad I could help, Diane,” said Kelsey with a smile. Diane reached out and shook her hand.

That interaction went so well, Kelsey decided to try the same personal, caring approach with other customers. She even kept track—and she ended the day with a total of six customers specifically commenting on her service or thanking her for her help. The most surprising thing for Kelsey was how good she felt about these interactions—just as the professor had predicted. In fact, it ended up being one of the best days she’d ever had at work.