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Are You Ready For Your Customers To Hear Thunder?

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It was a sudden storm, one that blew up without warning.  I was in the hardware store near my home.  Strong wind and driving rain falling at greater than a 45-degree angle caused me to worry about getting to my car in the parking lot without becoming soaked.  Then, a bolt of lightning hit nearby.  The thunder that instantly followed sounded like a bomb in a warzone. The entire store went dark; everything stood still and silent.

But then emergency lights came on.  Seconds later, the store generator came on and the setting was back to normal. Store employees seem unphased by the "lightning" occurrence.  The store owner went to the stockroom at the back of the store and brought back a case of bottled water and placed it on the check-out counter.   As customers checked out, each was given a free bottle of water. 

When it was my turn to check out, I told the cashier she didn't need to give me a bottled water "on the house;" the power outage was an act of nature and outside the store's control.  With calm and confidence, she said, "That is true.  But it happened while you were in our store. When you remember our store, we would rather you remember a free bottle of water and not remember getting the dickens shocked out of you!"  

Their calm I witnessed was disciplined and organized.  There was no confusion, uncertainty, or handwringing about what to do.  It was as if all the store employees had been well prepared for this exact type of incident and not only knew their role, but the attitude that needed to accompany it. I imagined the case of bottled water was purchased and stored for this moment since the hardware store did not sell water.  

Customers enjoy consistency and predictability, especially around the core features of their service experiences.  They abhor anxiety as much as they detest bureaucracy.  In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." How do customer-centric organizations treat customers like treasures when the unexpected happens.

Conduct 'What If's' and Treasured Customer Drills

Schools conduct fire drills (or unfortunately active shooter drills) so students will not only know what to do should the unexpected occur, but their "I've been here before" experience will arm them with confidence. Organizations are wise to allocate time during staff meetings to brainstorm "what if" situations and craft plans for what to do should they occur.  When I asked one of the employees at the hardware store about the lightning strike, he told me, "We'd not talked about lightening, but we have talked many times about what to do for our customers when the lights go out."

The essential component of this preparedness is the attitude to be communicated to customers.  I borrowed the label "Treasured Customer Drill" since that is the moniker one of my favorite retail stores uses to refer to their customers. "Oh, we saved you this because you are one of our treasured customers," I have been told.  It makes me know I am valued.  From that vantage point, it surfaces the pinnacle of generosity and kindness in the planned customer response.  It undergirded the orientation of the cashier at the thunder-invested hardware store.  

Be Prepared to Involve Customers

Few actions make customers feel like insiders than getting to lend a hand in times of an unexpected disruption.  I lived in Charlotte, NC when Hurricane Hugo came through.  Myers Park Hardware was slammed with people in my neighborhood getting supplies to deal with a long power outage, downed trees and damaged houses.  Owner Jo Huntington pulled a few of us regulars aside (I love hardware stores!!) and said, "Guys, I need your help.  If you have some time, I need a couple of you to run registers and a couple of you help bag purchases.  Once in place, customers wanted to take our jobs.  It was a bit like Tom Sawyer turning whitewashing a fence into a chore only available to the highest bidder.  People will care if they share.

Craft Customer Communications with a Bit of Humor

I am a fan of the Kimpton Hotel Group brands.  Opening the closet in my guest room at The Palomar Hotel in Philadelphia, I discovered an umbrella hanging in the back, placed there for my use.  Attached to the umbrella was a very clever poem: "Rain, rain, go away.  Feel free to use me during your stay.  Take me home and you will pay, $45 on your bill today." As it turned out it was raining and I had a meeting two blocks away.

The First Watch Restaurant in Overland Park, KS, went one step further in telegraphing their forward-thinking insight to their guests.  Near the entrance of the restaurant is a container of umbrellas, each with a business card attached.  On the back of each card, it read: "Take an umbrella if you need one; a free cup of our amazingly delicious coffee if you return it." The restaurant manager claims about 99% of guests return the umbrella after an unexpected rain.

Always Follow Unexpected Events with Post Mortems

Once the dust has settled on the unexpected uproar and things are back to normal, it is valuable to focus on lessons learned.  Post mortems work best when you first outline a blow-by-blow sequence of what happened.  After cataloging steps, take time to identify what went well (so it can be repeated), what needed to be done differently (so it can be planned) and what was missed (so it can be added to the plan).  This is also an excellent time to provide affirmations to people who did an outstanding job and reflected the attitude needed to make customers feel "treasured."

The scariest crisis is the one that "blindsides," forcing a deer-in-the-headlights reaction. Keep in mind that "winging it" not only looks unprofessional to customers, it seems like you don't care.   Crisis management experts will tell you that when it comes to a crisis, there are just two categories of victims: those who've had 'em and those who will.  The secret to snatching success out of the jaws of disaster is caring enough to prepare. Look for ways to head off customer angst and worry by always preparing for "lightening."