If you take care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves.  Our parents drove that point home so often as we were growing up, most of us think they invented the phrase.  It is actually a quote by the 19th century poet, Emily Dickinson.  I wish I could tattoo that phrase on every C.E.O.'s forehead so they could see it in the morning when they shaved or applied make-up.  I think of the phrase often because I have to pay attention to customer service, either to write this column or to improve my own company's performance.  Luckily, doing what I do for a living affords me daily reminders about the little things.

Actually, they aren't so much reminders as smacks in the head; smacks as hard as my brother used to hit me when he found out I was the one who put salt in the sugar bowl just before he sat down to his morning cereal.  What the heck, he was going to smack me anyway, I might as well have earned it.  Back to the point, as a customer I flew to Phoenix for a conference last week.  As a customer, I constantly check on how I feel before and after I am given service.  Not so much to check on how well the service is provided (although sub-par service has provided me with some of my best columns over the years), but more as a reminder of what I might need to improve in my own behavior.

If you simply observe someone else at their job or evaluate how they served you, you will come away with some mildly interesting stories for friends.  If your observation is for the purpose of self-improvement, you have spent your time more wisely.  I noticed the airline I used for the Phoenix trip felt different.  It was an airline I don't usually fly.  When I feel something different, I start looking for little things.  One little thing was that they gave everyone a whole can of their beverage instead of pouring 3.7 ounces in a little plastic cup and balancing it precariously while handing it over people's heads to the window seat.

That night, when my wife asked me about my flight, guess what I talked about?  I didn't rave about the competency of the pilot, the timeliness of the arrival time, or the smooth landing.  I said, "They gave me a whole can of orange juice!"  Funny, when I was young and air travel was a luxury and not mass transit, the custom was that the passengers applauded whenever the plane landed well.  Now we're so jaded we get pissy if they serve Coke instead of Pepsi.  But that's the way it works, no one remembers the big things.  People don't remember the bank teller who never makes an error in the deposit, they remember the one who gives a lollipop to your child or includes a doggie treat in the vacuum tube thing.

Why do I like to go to Home Depot?  Because every time I ask someone in an orange apron where an item is, they not only know the aisle number, but they will know which side of the aisle it is on and whether it is knee-high or over your head.  When I got to the conference center in Phoenix, I got even more great little things.  (Actually it was a resort, but since my wife couldn't leave the frozen north for a day to join me in toasty Arizona, I told her it was a sterile, stuffy conference center.  She Googled the place and I slept on the couch that night.)

When I asked the bellman where to get a bite to eat, he didn't just list off the three on-site restaurants and turn back to his newspaper.  He asked what kind of meal I was looking for and how much time I had to spare.  That helped him steer me to just the right place.  When I asked another staff member where the main office was, she left her "post" and walked me all the way there.  What do you think I raved about to friends when I got home?  Too many employees are tracked as to the efficiency and accuracy of their work; their managers have forgotten the things that really matter.  Efficiency is expected, no one raves about it.  People rave about surprises; the little things.

A fellow trainer once told me she never responds to an initial e-mail inquiry with an e-mail in return.  She calls the person back on the phone; within an hour.  I have included that practice in my business and people are so pleasantly surprised that I took the time to call instead of lazily typing an e-mail response.  (If you have Generation Y employees you may have to teach them what that plastic device on the end of the cord attached to the phone is for.)  But a tiny gesture like a phone call instead of a text has an impact on how people perceive me.  In one case it actually won me a job.  The bid was between me and my biggest competitor and the client told his fellow committee members, "I want to go with Stevie Ray.  He answers his own phone."

I heard a relationship expert speak once about the difference between men and women (funny, I've never noticed any).  Of the entire audience he asked only the women to respond.  He asked, "Ladies, if a man buys you flowers, how many points does he get for that nice act?"  The answer was, "One."  He continued, "If he includes a card with the flowers, how many more points?"  "One."  "If he writes a nice hand-written note on the card?"  "One."  "And if he ties it all up with a pretty ribbon?"  "One!"  He then shifted his attention, "Guys, if you buy a lady a dozen roses, how many points do you expect?"  All the deep-throated voices answered, "Twelve!"  He asked, "Ladies, how many points do you award for a dozen roses?"  They answered with a resounding, "One."  He explained to all us XY chromosome mammals, "Men, you think in terms of the magnitude of the gift, the receiver is thinking in terms of all the little parts that made up the gesture.  It may cost more money to get the big gift, but you don't get as many points because it didn't take as much thought or effort.  And guess what, when you wake up tomorrow all those points are back to zero."  The women laughed, the men scratched their heads, and the circle of life continues.

Customers are like romantic partners you constantly have to woo.  They aren't aware of the big things, mostly because the big things ccur behind the scenes.  They award one point for every little thing you do.  They appreciate thought and consideration over magnitude.  And every day the counter is reset to zero.  This may seem harsh, but the good news is the small things are a heck of a lot easier to manage anyway.  All it takes is setting up that expectation at your company.  Every employee should be coached to think of ways to surprise the customer.  Using efficiency as a baseline instead of the end goal, employees should see every interaction-with co-workers as well as customers-as a way to surprise someone with a bunch of little one-point gifts.  Rather than force your employees to repeat the same phrase, offer the same service, and act like a human robot; encourage them to use their imaginations.  Think of how much cheaper that is than buying a dozen roses every day.

 

Stevie Ray is a nationally recognized corporate speaker and trainer, helping companies improve communication skills, customer service, leadership, and team management.  He can be reached at www.stevierays.org or stevie@stevierays.org.

If someone forwarded this article to you and you would like to have Stevie Ray's column sent to you each month absolutely free, click here.

Help your employees learn first hand the techniques Stevie Ray has gained from working with corporations around the globe.  Click here right now to go to the web site for Stevie Ray's Improv Company and see what he can do for you.

If your company is planning an event and you need entertainment so this one doesn't feel just like the last one, click here.

Learn to deliver powerful presentations, think on the spot, and other valuable skills by clicking here and ordering one of Stevie Ray's books.