"My Pleasure"

Posted by Scott Williams
23 Comments
November 27, 2007
Leadership | Strategy

Drive-Thru Lesson 2 (of 4) 

If you are like me when it comes to your dining or drive-thru experience, customer service is paramount.  I can’t stand to go to a dine-in or fast food restaurant and receive poor service from an individual who could care less about me as a customer.  I often times will ask to speak to a manager when I receive exceptional service, because it is simply hard to come by.  If I find a restaurant or business that has exceptional service I will be a loyal customer, it just makes sense for that relationship to be reciprocal.   

There is a fast food restaurant that has been consistently named the best drive-thru in America and that is the restaurant that encourages you to “Eat Mor Chikin” Chick-fil-A.  Not only does this restaurant have the best customer service, they have the best tasting food of any fast food restaurant.  Chick-fil-A’s award winning customer service does not happen without extreme attention to detail. Chick-fil-A values it’s customers and puts its money where its mouth is by spending more than a million dollars a year evaluating service.  Wow, just think if churches and businesses spent time, energy and money evaluating service.  If you ever go into a Chick-fil-A it will appear as though they are over staffed and that’s because they strive to complete drive-thru orders in 90 seconds and 60 seconds at the counter.  At the end of every transaction at Chick-fil-A you will not simply here “thanks” or “see you later” or “come back” but rather “My Pleasure.”   

Recipies for Success from Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy:

  • Embrace Unexpected Opportunities

  • Do What’s Right

  • Lead by Serving

  • Take Sunday’s Off (A day of rest and worship)

Thoughts from Chick-fil-A:

  • The Ad Campaign- Eat mor chickin cows
  • The Results- 2 billion dollars annual sales, 39 years of positive sales growth
  • The Product- Best customer service, Best Chickin sandwich
  • The X Factor- Biblical principles as business practices

How important is customer service to you?  What are some restaurants and business that have exceptional customer service?  What are your thoughts about Chick-fil-A?

  • http://hamfighters.blogspot.com Patrick Sievert

    Chick-Fil-A was worth the drive across town that made us late getting back from lunch back in the old HS days.

    That’s all I’m saying. It was worth it.

  • http://lettheinsideout.wordpress.com John Graham

    I agree, Scott. I have little patience for incompetent people and businesses, especially in service-oriented organizations. A few of my preferences, based on past customer-service experiences: Best Buy instead of Circuit City, Lowe’s instead of Home Depot, and Target instead of Wal-Mart.

  • http://www.crossroadsmovement.com J.W.

    I love great customer service and at the same time hate terrible customer service. I have on several occasions invited a manager to sit down at my table to discuss the great customer service or terrible customer. It seems to me that we don’t focus on customer service enough. I have walked out of establishments and never returned because of bad customer service. Chik-fil-a on the other hand has always impressed me with their customer service. They have a great business model and business core values.

  • http://www.greenups.com greenup

    While I agree that the church can learn from industry, I read a blog post yesterday that made me question the purpose.
    .
    http : // floatingaxhead . com /2007/11/26/church-viagra/
    (I now see you read the post too)
    .
    The point being, of course, to not focus on “techniques”, but to focus on God and sharing His love. After that, we may realize that some business techniques actually Work by making people FEEL loved.
    .
    Having the wrong focus could lead us to do the right thing, for the wrong reason.

  • http://www.manymeadows.blogspot.com Robin

    We had a great waitress at El Chico recently. (the BEST chicken tortilla soup around) She got the tip we DIDN’T leave for a recent bad experience at On the Border, plus the tip we were leaving her, and a note on the receipt about what a great server she was. I hope she was blessed. She sure blessed us! We’ll be going back there and asking for one of her tables.

  • http://cindybeall.wordpress.com Cindy Beall

    This is THE exact reason why I can’t stand shopping at a certain SUPER store on the corner of Danforth and Santa Fe…no names here :) It irks me when I feel like I’m a burden to an establishment that says I’m the reason they are in business!

    I have experienced great customer service at CiCi’s Pizza. The moment I walk in the door, they are practically begging me to tell them what kind of pizza I’d like them to make for me.

    I also like Crest, which is a local OKC grocery store. Why? Because they wouldn’t dare let me be the 3rd person in line to check out. They’ll call up the guy from the meat department before that happens. AND, AND, AND….several of the people have often helped me unload my basket while checking out!!! AND, AND, AND, AND….they ask if they can help me to my car. Love that place.

    People don’t want to feel like a burden…at a grocery store, restaurant or a place of worship.

  • http://dturn.wordpress.com david

    often I don’t think customer service is that important. I think this is from receiving such poor service that my standards get lowered.
    Walmart…terrible!!!!

  • http://www.floatingaxhead.com Scott

    Target built an entire brand around being “not Wal-Mart.”
    I think the church has learned a lot from industry. But there has to be a balance. Like the rest of us, the church has to be in the world, but not of the world.

  • http://knowgreaterlove.org/wordpress1 Avery

    My wife has the opportunity to work for a christian based company in real estate… 
    Well, if you have been paying attention tot he market, you know it is horrible right now… 
    Not for my wife’s company though… their customer service is rated so high, and their ethics are rated so high… when the market crashed, and investors only backed solid mortgage companies… this company was flooded with business… 
    Their vision statement, mission statement, and motto is service… and it isn’t just a slogan…when you can call the ceo and ask him if he has any paperclips you can borrow, he will walk them over personally, and cry “my pleasure”…. true story, happened to my wife…
     
    That type of leadership, (servant style), has motivated the entire company to “outdo” one another in service to one another and clients alike…
     
    Thats not industry, thats ministry…and both ministries, and industries could learn from companies like the one my wife works for and chick fil-a

  • http://www.blog.aaronhavens.com aaron

    customer service is important to me wherever i spend money.

    Should the church compete or even care to compete in such an arena?

    a mentor of mine in ministry said “what you when them with is what you win them to” So what are you winning them with? Hopefully it’s nothing more than Jesus Himself.

  • http://www.greenups.com greenup

    Amen, aaron.

  • http://www.annameadows.com Anna Meadows

    I agree with you. We had Chick-fil-A come and serve our leaders one week. I was amazed at how they went over and above our expectations… right down to organizing the ketchup and mayonaise packets in a nice little star formation! I’ve also learned personally from Chick-fil-A as the owners and founders spoke at a few leadership conferences I’ve attended. They are an amazing company!

    There is one chicken place I did NOT receive ANY customer service at… I’d tell you the initials of this place, but that would give it away…

  • Scott Williams

    Patrick- I agree!
    John- I agree w/ all of those except for the Home Depot/Lowes, my experiences have been comparable.
    JW- Amen, it fells good to walk out when the service stinks, their tip will definiotely reflect the quality of their service.
    Greenup- I think that it’s both.
    Robin- I like mexican food, you can’t go wrong w/ Ted’s for quality and service.
    Cindy- I agree, that’s why Target is my best friend. Crest does do a good job, they struggled years ago!
    Wal-Mart- Bless their heart!
    Scott & Aaron- I understand that blance is important and as far as winning them, her is the deal…. If our greeters and people don’t understand the importtance of quality service, they could turn a person off or away and inhibit the opportunity for them to acceot Christ. Here is a quote from the restaurant business that can correlate to church greeters. “The taste of the roast is affected by the service of the host!”
    Anna- Chick-fil-A is awesome and I remember the horrible service that you received from KFC! :-)

  • http://www.mytobin.com Rachel

    I agree, that Chick-fil-A has amazing service. However, it’s not just the “service” that makes me return. They also have great chicken, sweet tea, and polynesian sauce(some of my favs). I think if I recieved one bad server there, I would still go back. I talked to a manager at chick-fil-A once and he asked if he could do anything for me. Maybe it’s not just the “service” at church, but the attitude. If we have an attitude to want to please others the way Jesus would want too, wouldn’t that make church a much more enjoyable experience? For instance, If one were to see a piece of trash on the floor in the Lobby at church, they could have two attitudes: One, to think that they don’t keep the place clean. Two, to pick it up. I’m not sure we can compare church to fast-food. I mean, didn’t Jesus tell us to SERVE others?

  • Steve K

    But you can’t make Lifechurch TOO much like Chik-fil-A … We’d have to be closed on Sundays!!!

  • http://jimmyparavane.wordpress.com/ jimmy paravane

    Steve K – Maybe the church should be like Chik-fil-A. Closed on Sundays and open every other day of the week. Why, that’d be just as bad as if the Son of God came down from heaven and worked on the Sabbath!
    (grin)

  • Scott Williams

    Rachel- According to Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A his divine callin is “To Serve Others.”
    Steve K- LOL
    Jimmy- I always enjoy tour thoughts, where have you been?

  • http://jimmyparavane.wordpress.com/ jimmy paravane

    Scott- I’ve been around. I decided to stop commenting on Swerve because I’m not a church or ministry staff person. Then I had to deal with the personal quandary of having said that I was going to close down my Blog and stop commenting on anne and your Blogs, as well as any other godblogs. I hate saying one thing and doing another. But enough people pestered me to keep blogging and commenting that I reconsidered. Oh well. My name is jimmy, and I’m a blogaholic. (grin)

  • Scott Williams

    Jimmy- Great to see you back, I miss the alien comments!

  • Suzanne Wild

    Since I actually work in customer service, I find myself more sensitive to it than I used to be. I actually have two questions for everyone, just for my own information.

    How often do you complain to a store manager/supervisor about poor customer service? Or are you more likely to just complain to friends & family (or even on a blog! lol)

    How often to you go the extra mile to compliment someone on great customer service to a manager/supervisor?

  • http://www.bobray.info/boblog Bo

    Dude, I so want to own a Chick-fil-a (franchise, not just one sandwich….well, after thinking about it I wouldn’t mind owning a sandwich too).

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