From Rick Olson:

Joe Callaway, author of Indispensable, gave us a great insight when he said “if you only look within your own industry, you are destined to eat the dust of your competitors.”  Scores of credit unions have made dramatic, positive changes by learning from one of the finest service providers in America, the Ritz-Carlton.

Having facilitated the World Class Customer Service Executive Institute for the past half dozen years, let me share with you some insights that have helped transform the service cultures of many credit unions.

Learning verses training

Recently, the Ritz-Carlton was named the training company of the year in the United States.  What a remarkable achievement.  Yet, when they talk about it, they say that they are a learning organization, not a training organization.  And what is the difference?  Learning is active, training is passive.  Learning puts the responsibility on the student/pupil.  Training puts the responsibility on the teacher.  Everyone within the Ritz-Carlton organization understands it is their responsibility to know what they need to know to excel at their job.

Empowerment

One of the most remarkable statements I have heard from the Ritz people is when they talk about their approach to marketing and advertising.  Their philosophy is this “Our empowered employees are our number one advertising strategy.”  You’ve never seen a  Ritz-Carlton ad on TV because they don’t advertise on TV.  And yet they have the majority of the top rated hotels in the country.  Every employee at the Ritz is empowered to make things right for the hotel guests.  They not only correct problems extremely well, but they go out of their way to make sure you have a memorable experience when you stay there.

Let me tell you my favorite empowerment story from the Ritz.  We were meeting in Atlanta and two ladies asked to tell their story before we started the session in the morning.  They were so excited about the previous evening.  The concierge had put together a great plan for them to see the highlights of Atlanta.  At one of the subway stops, the concierge got on their subway (he was on his way home).  He caught their eye, engaged them in conversation, and wished them well before getting off.  When they returned to their hotel room later that night, there was a nice note and a bottle of wine from the concierge thanking them for the great conversation.  They were thrilled, they told the class the story, and I have been telling the story for the past 5 years. 

I own the problem

Every employee who works at the Ritz-Carlton is committed to 12 service standards.  Each of the commitments begins with the word ‘I …’.  Number six is my favorite.  It says “I own and immediately resolve guest problems”.  In other words, if any employee becomes aware of a guest need or problem, they own that situation until it is fully resolved.  Every employee is committed to this standard. It is amazing to see in action.  I saw it lived out the first time I stayed at a Ritz.  Khalid was the bellman who took me to my room.  He talked to me about Wisconsin (my home state), Atlanta, and the group of credit union people who were gathering.  When he opened the door to my room, we discovered that the room was a mess.  Sheets and a bedspread on the floor, dirty dishes, litter throughout.  It was an awkward, embarrassing moment for Khalid.  But he never blamed anyone, nor did he roll his eyes. He simply apologized and brought me to a nice lounge.  He said he would get the room cleaned and come back and get me in 30 minutes.  Sure enough, in a half hour, he came and got me and brought me to my room.  It was perfect.  And there was a gift on my dresser for my inconvenience.  Khalid saw the problem, owned the problem, and dazzled me – the first time guest.

The lessons at the Ritz come fast and furious.  There is nothing like examining the very best, see how they do it, and return to your credit union to put those lessons into practice. 

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from looking outside of the industry?

Rick Olson is the President of Rick Olson Seminars and is the lead presenter for CUNA’s World Class Customer Service Executive Institute.

It has become a tradition now for the Madison-based CUNAverse team to have regular meetings at a neighborhood Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet. It started out by the other team members agreeing to go there to humor me – I talked more than once about eating at one a lot during high school and not going there since.

Then we ate there and were WOWed. So much so that we actually said “Wow” out loud a few times to each other. It’s not that the food is amazing – it’s good not great – but the experience is what makes it amazing. We have a regular table now.

Wait, how is a franchised lunch buffet relevant to credit unions you ask?

Provide Great Service. The first time we went there, the server asked us what kind of pizza we liked and if we didn’t see it on the buffet…they would make it. And they did make it. And then they brought it to the table to give us the first slices to ensure we got it. They did that more than once and in a way that didn’t seem like it was out of character or annoying. Wow. Also, none of us ever had to ask for drink refills because the server seemed to anticipate our every need. We felt special.

Consistency is Important. This great service must be instilled at a higher level because every server we’ve had since we started going there has been fantastic. We’ve started talking about it to others even (heck, I’m blogging about it right now!). But one time recently I did meet my family there for lunch to show them how great it is…and the restaurant failed me. The service was good, not great like the pizza. We had to ask for things and weren’t asked if we wanted anything not on the buffet. If you set high standards, every staff person needs to meet them.

Go Beyond Expectations. The first time we went there, we weren’t expecting much. It’s a lunch buffet right? The whole point is to not serve you and let you fend for yourself. Our server ended up taking care of us better than most do when you are eating a non-buffet meal! They anticipated our needs, met them and went one little step further.

Think about this: to consumers, people generally don’t expect much from their financial institution. It’s a chore that has to get done. It should be easy to WOW them.

Set a small goal for yourself this week – what’s one little thing you and/or your credit union can do to go beyond your members’ expectations?

Tuesday, 8:03 a.m., CUNA Marketing Department

Marketer #1:  “Danielle, you’ve made my day!  Thank you so much!  How much do I owe you?”

Marketer #2:  “No way, I’ve been wanting one of those.  Dang, I’m going to go out at lunch to get one.”

Marketer #3:  “Get me one too.  Those are cool!”

"The Cup"

So, what were we discussing? A cup. That’s right, a cup. But, not just any cup.  A clear plastic, insulated cup with twist on top and plastic straw equipped with a “bump” on one end so it won’t fall out.  And, it has the Starbucks logo on it.

Fast forward to the day that Danielle, our Starbucks resident on staff, arrived to work with multiple cups.  Apparently, Danielle was requested that if she ever went to Starbucks and saw “the cup,” she had to pick up more for our other marketing staff.  That’s the day that the conversation above took place, and I realized I was not just a lone non-coffee drinker in search of “the cup,” but one of many.

Throughout the day, I found out that these cups are quite a big deal.  Starbucks staff indicated they only get these cups in sparse shipments, and people flock in to get them. While the cup retails for ~$13 in Madison, it can be found on eBay $20+. Later, I found out from Lisa (Marketer #1) you can buy a three-pack of similar cups at Costco for ~$19 (no Starbucks logo though).  That Tuesday, I called ahead to make sure Starbucks still had the cups, drove over and bought four.

Members of CUNA's Marketing Department with "The Cup"

After spending more than $50 on these infamous cups (and filling mine with Mountain Dew), I began to think about what a marketing/branding wonder these cups are.

• Does Starbucks purposely limit the distribution so a whole word-of-mouth market will start when “the cup” shipment arrives?
• Where did I see the cup first?
• What made me recall it, and desire it?
• How many other businesses have non-core products that non-customers clammer to get?

Then, I began to wonder about this branding success, and if credit unions were trying anything similar?  So, how about it?  Does your credit union have any items, service, or “cups” that you’ve found your members (and hopefully non-members) desire?  What’s “the cup” for your credit union that’s got people talking?  Cool credit cards?  Your service?  Chime in with some of your examples.  The first comment will receive “the cup.”

GET “THE CUP” CONTEST DETAILS: Contest begins today and ends when the first comment appears.  No purchase necessary to win.  Make sure you leave an e-mail address where you can be contacted.  The winner will be notified via e-mail (in case you don’t see that your comment is first) and will also be announced on the blog (just to be sure there’s no confusion on what first means).  Multiple comments are allowed but there will only be one winner. I could only get one cup!  The odds of winning depend on how fast you can comment.  Void where prohibited.