Robots!
We’ve all become robots!
- The lab technician (phlebotomist) who robotically stabs the needle in the patient’s arm without any greeting, or smile.
- The grocery store employee who robotically stocks shelves, never looking up to see if customers need help. Better yet, when asked about the location of a product, that same employee—without looking up—merely points in general direction of said product and states, “it’s in aisle five.”
Service Robots don’t see customers, patients, or clients. Service Robots don’t listen to customers, patients, or clients.
Service Robots are in their own world.
And, I feel sorry for Service Robots. Most have lousy managers … who don’t see them or listen to them. Inattentive managers create Service Robots.
The proliferation of Service Robots is an opportunity for many businesses; distancing oneself from the competition has never been easier.
Which is why you’ll love the following story.
I See You, I Hear You
How does a coffee shop increase business by 1,000 percent, in four months, for less than $100.00? By being attentive to the needs of a linguistic minority; a group of 30-40 deaf and hard-of-hearing customers who regularly visited the coffee shop.
Leading by example, the coffee shop manager asked the customers:
“How can we improve your experience with us?”
Most importantly, the manager posed the question via one of her employees who was skilled at using American Sign Language … demonstrating a decidedly non-Robotic level of sensitivity.
This non-Robotic approach opened the doors of creativity and led to a magical, transformative experience for both employees and customers:
Simplify Ordering: Instead of relying upon the time-consuming, and awkward process of pointing at the large menu board located high on the wall, this group of customers made the following suggestion:
“Can you place laminated menus, with an erasable marking pen, on the countertop where we order our coffee?” This would allow us to simply circle our beverage of choice on the portable menu.”
Walk in Customers’ Shoes: Further refining the process, the group of customers suggested another change to one of the coffee shop’s long-standing operating procedures:
“When our order is ready, instead of calling out our name (which we can’t hear unless we’re focusing on your lips) simply write our name in red on the cup (not the usual black) and place the cup on the counter.”
The red ink served as a reminder to coffee shop employees to not call out the customer’s name, thus avoiding another awkward moment.
Surprise Your Customers: Taking this to another level, the coffee shop manager scheduled the employee skilled at sign language to work on Friday evenings; the day this group of customers always gathered at the shop.
The Anti-Robot Approach
These three steps instantly reduced ordering time and frustration for employees and customers. Also, this anti-Robot atmosphere led to an astonishing result: Word rapidly spread in the hearing-impaired community. In less than four months, the group of 30-40 customers grew to over 500 … an event that continues to this day.
The manager of this coffee shop demonstrated to her employees, and customers, a remarkable level of other-centered service. Her we’re not Service Robots approach dramatically increased employee engagement, customer loyalty, and … profits.
What steps are you taking to reprogram the Service Robots in your organization?