Remember the Human Touch?
I have been frequenting the same Chick-fil-A four
days a week at the same time each day. I go a little before
noon or just after. It’s become my favorite, and I always go
through the drive-through. Several months ago, I noticed
that they had begun a new procedure, in which they take
your order before you arrive at the intercom. One person
scribbles your order on a note pad and hands it to you.
Then, approximately 15 feet away, you hand this scratch
paper to someone with a headset, who repeats your order
to you and to the staff inside. Then you move to the window,
pay and pick up your order.
After three days of this, I finally figured out their
intercom was not broken; they were just trying to increase
through-put. It struck me as odd that, in this day and age
of automation, these folks were going back to scribbling
things down on a piece of paper and using at least four or
five more employees outside the restaurant to achieve this
goal. (This restaurant was built for high volume; they have
two full drive-through lanes).
Each day I drove through the line, I wondered if this
method was working, all costs considered. I’ve always felt
their service was superior to any fast-food restaurant. The
meal was always hot, the order always right. No mistakes– ever. I just wanted to know if this was working for them– was it bringing in more profits? Then something strange
happened. In their pursuit of speed (which they achieved,
by the way), they sacrificed something important; they
started to communicate a new message to their customers.
I know because I felt it. It was as if I hardly had time to
breathe before I need to move my car again. I felt weird,
unloved. It was just like, “How’s the new system working
for you?” – I would be interfering with business. It’s crazy,
but I really felt insignificant, like just a number: “Just let
me take your money. Get your stuff and get out of our
way. We have more people to see.”
This really hit home, because I think this may be the
same way some of our customers might feel. Trust me
folks: We at CARisma Wash are very aggressive in the pursuit
of more volume. We are always looking for ways to
go faster, do more. It’s common to ask, “What record can
we break this Saturday?” We run an express carwash and
we try to push them through as fast as we can. But at what
expense? Are we alienating ourselves from the customer
at the pursuit of More, Better, Faster?
I think the problem (which may only be in my head),
can be solved with a “Thank you” or a “Please come back
and see us” – something that does not cost much. Just a
kind, heart-felt word. There was nothing wrong with the
product (the sandwich, fruit and drink) that my Chick-fil-A delivered. It was always perfect. And even after the
switch to the new method, it has remained flawless. The
only thing that has changed, to me, was the delivery system.
It’s certainly not as personable as it was before.
It’s odd, isn’t it? In explaining express-was theory to
new hires, I have often used the fast-food scenario – that
a perfect restaurant is one that takes your order as soon as
you drive up, has your order perfectly made and piping
hot, hands it to you as soon as you hand over the money,
and finally lets you go about your busy day. Boy, was
I wrong. I had forgotten the most important detail: the
human touch.
I have recently asked a few veteran operators about
their take on this idea of the human touch as it relates to
the express wash, flex-serve and full-service models. Their
replies were very similar: Smile, be courteous and speak
to the customers. People so often look so busy (as was my
restaurant experience) that customers who want to ask
questions sometimes don’t, because they do not want to
be a burden. Isn’t that funny? People that are paying us to
serve them do not want to burden us.
Some operators use customer newsletters to stay in
touch with their patrons. But I have to say my favorite
reply came from someone I know really well. He has been
my mentor for the past three years. His solution was so
simple that we could implement it immediately. Here is
the golden nugget: Be approachable! That’s it, in a nutshell.
Be visible to your clientele and look like you are
there to assist the people who need assistance. Attendants
walk briskly (don’t run) to customers who need help, and
treat all problems as being important.
That’s it. If the staff at my favorite Chick-fil-A would
have given me that feeling of comfort by being approachable,
and that “By all means, burden us!” feeling, I
wouldn’t have written this article and collected all the
royalties from my new book deal. Yeah, right.
Rory Prince part of the SCWA family and is the manager of
CARisma Wash in Houston. He has 24 years of experience in
the carwash industry.
