{"id":32014,"date":"2019-10-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/live-up-to-a-higher-standard-of-service\/"},"modified":"2023-11-13T20:31:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T20:31:52","slug":"live-up-to-a-higher-standard-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-care\/live-up-to-a-higher-standard-of-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Up to a Higher Standard of Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Live<\/a>A friend of mine recently told me about their bad experience at a restaurant. The server was very nice and extremely apologetic about the problems<\/a> that happened throughout the evening\u2014but there were still problems. The food took a long time to get to the table. When it got there, it wasn\u2019t prepared properly. On the next attempt, the food came out uncooked. The drinks were mixed up. And there were a few other issues, too. The manager came over and apologized profusely. Finally, it was time to pay the check. When my friend opened the leather portfolio there wasn\u2019t a check. Instead, there was a note that read, \u201cThank you.\u201d When my friend inquired about the check, the manager apologized again and said, \u201cWe hold ourselves to a high standard. You shouldn\u2019t have to pay for anything less. We hope you give us another chance.\u201d\r\n\r\nI\u2019m always impressed when people and companies stand behind their product. Knowing that is something akin to a \u201cmoney-back guarantee.\u201d They don\u2019t have to have a sign that says, \u201cIf for any reason you are unhappy, you don\u2019t have to pay,\u201d because they hold themselves to a certain standard. If they don\u2019t hit it, they take it upon themselves to correct it. For the restaurant, that meant taking care of an experience that completely went wrong. It wasn\u2019t just one meal that was bad. It was one thing after another that created a bad experience.\r\n\r\nBefore I go further, I want to touch on something\u2014that the restaurant took care of the entire check. I don\u2019t always agree with that philosophy\u2014giving something away for free to correct a bad experience. While there are times that may be appropriate, usually a good attitude, an apology and a quick fix can make things right. If you\u2019re feeling inclined to give away something for free, consider giving it when the customer comes back as a thank you.\r\n\r\nBack to the lesson<\/a>. It\u2019s about meeting a standard\u2026 your<\/em> standard. For this to work, your standard must be higher than your customers\u2019. That\u2019s not always easy, as the customer\u2019s perception of what is right belongs to them, not you. You may think you deliver the best service and experience in the world, but if your customer doesn\u2019t agree, then you fail regardless of how good you think you are.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why you must hold yourself to a high standard and have a plan when that standard is not met\u2014according to either you or your customer. That might mean a metaphorical \u201cfree meal,\u201d a discount on future purchasing or some other remedy to unmet standards. I\u2019ll leave that decision to you, but for now, ask yourself what your standard is. Do you have it in writing? Do your employees know it? Do they honor and meet it? The first step to living up to your standard is creating it. Make it one you, your employees, and your customers can take pride in.\r\n
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