Now I promise you that I don’t have an obsession with cows, I do not own stock in the company, nor have I ever been offered employment by Chick-fil-A.  What I do promise you is there is so much you can learn about serving up Customer Service a chicken’s way.

They are focused.

Chick-fil-A knows their expertise is making good chicken.  You don’t drive up to their window with options such as beef, pork or fish.  Their focus stays on what they know.  No empty promises of the best steak in town or a delicious oriental creation, just plain chicken.  We should do the same for our Customers.  Don’t pretend to have expertise where you can’t deliver.  You make great crown molding – give them great crown molding, not crown molding with a side of hard wood floors.  Customers are good at sniffing us out.  You promise something you can’t deliver; you will be without a Customer.

They give me what I want.

I order my sweet tea large at Chick-fil-A and they never ask if I want to biggie size or add cheesecake.  They give me what I ask for.  The best Customers in the world are the ones that call you because they know just what they want and want you to give it to them.  So take the sell.  Don’t try to value size your Customer.   When the Customer is hungry – feed them.

They rest.

I often crave chicken on lazy Sunday afternoons but Chick-fil-A is never open for business due to clear company values and beliefs.  They choose Sundays as a day to rest. They are never open, no exceptions.  So often we cheat our Customers by not breaking from our work.  Too much work can lesson our ability to concentrate, cloud our focus, and leave a bitter taste in our mouth.  How much help are we to our Customers if we are burned out?

They train their employees.

At a Chick-fil-A visit you will hear things like, “It is my pleasure to serve you.”  “Please.” “Thank you.”  “I look forward to seeing you at the window.”  The atmosphere includes smiles, laughter, and happy workers who appear to love their job.  And I would bet that employees didn’t just decide to love chicken but they were trained on the value of a Customer. 

If you want to excel as a business, hire superstars that believe the Customer writes their paycheck.  Set expectations with your employees and staff that outstanding Customer Service is expected, and not an option.  Add Customer Service as a major part of an employee’s orientation.  And most importantly lead by example.  S.Truett Cathy, chose to do things his way by taking care of Customers, employees and children all across the United States.  To date, he has more than a billion in sales annually.

And yes, I intentionally capitalized Customers throughout to remind us of their value.  Without a Customer, you don’t have a business.  I will continue my weekly visits to the local Chick-fil-A to reaffirm my Customer service beliefs (and to get a chicken sandwich, no pickle with a large sweet tea!).