The Customer View

Something for Everyone

That's the tag-line for The Cheesecake Factory in Burlington, MA where I had dinner with a business colleague last week.  In my ongoing quest for the points where marketing, sales and service connect, I had a really interesting experience that I'd like to share. 

As anyone knows who goes to The Cheesecake Factory, there is usually a wait to get in.  I'm not one of those folks who minds that wait - and they handle it all pretty professionally there, moving things pretty quickly.  We got called for our table which was a small table for two, right across from an empty booth that was just being re-set up.  My dinner partner asked if we could sit over there instead. 

Our hostess hesitated and then informed us that we'd have to go back to the lobby and get reseated by "the computer."  I asked her what that meant and she told me that all seating was done by a computer, and that we'd have to be re-entered and would probably have to wait another 15 - 20 minutes for a booth.  "Would you like to do that, or would you like to sit here?" she asked.  We looked at each other, and then sat down.  Needless to say - we had quite a bit to say about this between ourselves.  A computer.  To sit at a table that was empty and not 3 feet away from us!  Interesting approach: customer service dictated by technology. 

We quit talking about it when our waitress arrived - but she sensed something and asked if there was anything wrong.  I demurred - but she asked again because maybe she could help us.  So I related our exchange with the hostess. Our waitress quickly said she'd bring back a manager to talk with us.  I said it wasn't necessary - but she said he'd really want to talk with us, so would it be okay with us if she got him?  Okay, we said. 

He came back, knelt down next to my seat so we were looking eye-to-eye, and asked if there was anything he could do to help us. He seemed genuinely interested. I related the exchange to him, and he was very quick to apologize.  He explained that the hostess was new, and that he was surprised by her comments.  "Of course, it's perfectly reasonable to want a booth,"  he said.  "I'd be happy to give you that booth in just a moment."  He went off to make the arrangement.  Our waitress offered us a drink before we were reseated.  We thanked her and said we'd wait until the switch.  "Are you going to be our waitress over there?" I asked.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but she brought us our new waiter and introduced us.  Then we got moved the the table we wanted. 

Sounds like a happy ending, right?  Our request was honored.  Everyone was happy.  But did the manager, Jason Spieler, stop there?  No.  He took it upon himself to exceed our expectations going forward. So here is what also happened in turning around our initial negative first impression:

• Our drink orders where taken immediately by our new waiter.
• Jason the manager served our drinks.
• Our waiter took the time to make great meal recommendations.
• Jason also served our meals himself.
• Our former waitress stopped by to check on how things were going.
• Our new waiter was solicitous, on top of things, and really funny to boot.
• We didn't lack for anything - we were completely taken care of.

By the end of dinner, we agreed that this was one of the best service experiences either of us had had in some time.  In fact, I'm hard pressed to get this kind of service from other "high-end" restaurants.  Now, let's think about this. It started out less than stellar. It was packed in there.  Most restaurants would have either stuck by their "policy" or just reseated us and left it at that.  The Burlington staff "got it" right away - from our first waitress, to the manager, to the new waiter. They worked together flawlessly to reset our impressions and to make up for a rocky start.  Fantastic job!

I told Jason what a great meal we had and how impressed we were with their response to our little problem.  I shared with him a little information about customer loyalty.  A study by Technical Assistance Research Programs ( a customer experience research consultancy) shows that customers who have had a problem resolved successfully and amicably tend to be more loyal than customers who have never experienced a problem with a particular business.  Jason thought that was interesting and noted that he had never heard that before.

Here was another really interesting thing.  Jason shared with me that when he goes away on vacation to see his family, he goes to the local Cheesecake Factory for dinner purely as a customer.  He says being a customer while he is away helps him focus on delivering service to his own customers, and he gets new ideas he can use when he gets back home. 

How many of us would visit work on our vacation, if we really didn't have to?  Now I know why Jason and his team "get it."  He's not delivering just meals or good service - he knows he is delivering an experience. And he is a student of that experience.  His company should clone him and promote him.  Thanks Jason!  It was great being a guest in your restaurant. 

And by the way, when you go to the Cheesecake Factory, get the Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake.

Oh my god....I almost caused a scene eating it!

-- Lisa Dennis

The Power of Visuals

We've all heard the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, what about a gesture?  How many words is that worth?  It depends on how serious you are about the image that your company is trying to convey out in the world.

Last week, the power of the gesture struck me as I was leaving a Dunkin' Donuts in Rhode Island.  As usual, the place was packed and I parked behind the building, since all the spaces on the street were taken.  After getting my extra large, iced French Vanilla, cream and three Equals, (I'm always fascinated at how specifically everyone orders their coffee - often much more complicated than my "usual") I got back in the car and attempted to leave the parking lot.  Unfortunately, there was a white van blocking the driveway.  It wasn't blocking it a little, it was directly across the entire driveway.  Luckily, there was someone behind the wheel waiting for his partner to bring back the coffee.  So I tooted my horn.  The van moved up about 6 inches.  Given that my car isn't six inches wide, I tooted again.  Let me be clear here - I didn't lean on my horn - just a quick toot.  Well, on the 2nd toot, he moved about another 4 feet.  I was able to just about squeeze through without scratching his fender and my passenger door.  As I was making a right, it was touch and go trying to navigate the turn with this van literally right on top of me.  So this time I hit the horn. 

Now, if you were blocking a driveway and you knew you were blocking a driveway (there was a sign that clearly read "Don't Block The Driveway" right across from the passenger window of the van), you'd assume that you'd get some flack from people trying to get out of the driveway, no?

He didn't move another inch.  As I came around the van, I noticed that it had the name of a company in Fall River across the side in bright blue letters.  Name, logo, location and phone number. As  I drove past the van, I looked out my passenger window towards the van driver.  He looked right at me and put his arm up against the window with his middle finger pointing to the sky.  Aside from the obvious rudeness, what really struck me was the image of this hand right next to the company logo.  It would have made a great picture.

As I was driving down the street, I decided to circle back, so I made a u-turn, and jotted down the name and number of the company.  The juxtaposition of the company's obvious effort at trying to portray a professional organization, next to their driver's "brand statement" was too much to ignore.  I wondered if they would want to know how they were being portrayed on the street to potential customers by this driver - whose job it is to represent them. 

So I called and asked for a manager who was in charge of their fleet to discuss a problem I encountered with one of their vans.  A manager came to the phone, and I related to her what happened, and followed it with my comment that I was guessing that this wasn't the image they wanted to send to potential customers out on the road.  She was shocked and repeated to me, "Our driver gave you the finger?!"  "Yes," I said, "it was rather striking next to your company logo."  The manager asked for any other details (location, time, etc.) and assured me that the person would be dealt with and that this was NOT the impression they wanted to give.  She made the point to thank me for bringing this to their attention, and she sounded very sincere in those thanks.  I told her that I was the president of a marketing and sales firm, and that I know first hand now how hard it is to get a positive message out there.  It seemed a shame to have it squandered by an employee who simply forgot that he was not in his own car, representing himself.  He was being paid to represent a company. 

While it may seem harsh that I called and reported him, as a business owner consider how you might feel if a gesture sent a message that you never ever intended.  How many words is that worth?

  -- Lisa Dennis

A Rose by Any Other Name? I Wonder...

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

-          William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare’s words make for beautiful poetry, but do they ring true in today’s market-driven business world?  Not really.  A variety of similar products may “smell as sweet” as one another, but the name by which they are known will have much to do with how well they sell in the marketplace.  Whether you are talking about a product or a service, the name by which you are known says a lot about you, on a number of levels.

So what causes me to wax poetic today?  I just read that the Ritz-Carlton Boston was sold, and will be re-named.  Now, as a customer-oriented guy, who has a background in trademarks and brand names, this makes about as much sense as poking yourself in the eye with a pointed stick.

For the past 100 or so years, the name Ritz-Carlton has been synonymous with "legendary service" and "gracious elegance," if I may quote the Ritz's web site.  Furthermore, the Ritz-Carlton Boston has been the cornerstone of this hotel chain's glamorous history, dating back to the early 20th Century.

So, while the new owners of this property, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, one of Asia's largest hotel groups, undoubtedly have great pride in their own organization, I wonder how strategic a move it is to drop one of the most timeless of all trademarks in order to promote their own organization.

The CEO has already said that he intends to keep all the management and employees currently working at the Boston Ritz, and that's great.  These folks are already trained in the Ritz-Carlton "way."  So why boot the name, in favor of something reminiscent of Donald Trump's gaudy house o' fun in Atlantic City?  Names with the sterling reputation of "Ritz-Carlton" don't come along every day.  So unless there is some stipulation in the sale agreement that the Ritz name specifically can not be used by the new owners, I'm thinking they are making an egregious mistake.

   -- Chuck Dennis