Standards
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Thank you, Dustin Dale
When was the last time you walked into a place of business and looked at the dirt on the floor, broken supplies lying around, or enjoyed the sound of your shoe making that sticky noise as you walked around?
Let's get a little deeper. When was the last time you visited a place of business and thoroughly enjoyed the lack of care from the employees that you were there? Or better yet, when was the last time you enjoyed the conversation that the sales clerk gave you about how crappy customers are?
If you are wondering why I am starting out with such positive questions, then I want to share a little secret.
Each of these scenarios has happened in the last 45 days. So, this became my inspiration to not bash but bring to attention the importance of company culture, training, and validation of expectations.
Also, I'd like to briefly share that I am not writing this from a singular view of being a "customer" but also from the other side, who worked for two of the largest big box retailers and was held to extreme expectations of ensuring locations were clean, shoppable, labeled, and employees engaged with shoppers. In fact, it was one of the fastest ways to lose your job. Run a dirty, unfriendly store that could not be shopped.
That said, I know the pressures and unrealistic expectations that can be put on owners/operators (I also had those), but I also accepted the mission. And so do all the individuals out there who are in similar positions that set standards for their business, both physical and digital.
Early in my days as store director, I didn't fully understand the importance of standards in terms of running "clean" operations. I figured if my stores were shoppable then we were winning the battle. Transparently, I didn't validate the areas often forgotten.
Parking lot. Offices. Trash cans. Shopping carts. Checkout register. Pop Machines. Etc.
Until one day, I met THAT customer.
One sunny day... yeah, never mind. I'll get right to it.
I had a customer who approached me while I was making my rounds and stopped me because they read my name tag. They asked me, "Why is your store so damn dirty?"
Needless to say, I stopped in my tracks, and I just looked at them with a very puzzled look.
"Can you provide more detail/context?"
They began to point out the overflowing trashcans out front, the weeds growing in the parking lot, the lack of paper towels in the bathroom, the toilet paper on the floor, the carts that were never neatly in a row for customers, and on and on.
By the way... that location was well exceeding financial goals. But guess what!
The customer didn't know, nor would they have cared. That particular customer taught me a lesson that allowed me to move up multiple levels because I realized how important the little details are.
I went from operating a sub-par-looking store to a store where you could see your reflection when you looked down. Our registers were spotless, the bathrooms were pressure-washed routinely, and we ensured the paper towels and toilet paper were in the right holders; if the holders were broken, we replaced them immediately with new ones.
This made all the difference in the value perception our customers thought about shopping at our store.
My question for everyone reading is, when was the last time you thought about the value perception of your location/business?
When was the last time you did a "walk-through" of your location, or if your business is virtual, then your website and all the system operations?
An excellent training method I used with my leaders for our weekly touchpoints:
"Parking Lot to Office Chair."
We would begin at the very edge of our business and look for all the dirt, debris, broken signs, lackluster marketing material, etc., and make a list with fast deadlines to replace, clean, or ensure fixed.
We would then proceed into our store and shop through the customer's eyes. We shopped from every angle to ensure we didn't miss details.
Some of those details:
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Were our shopping cart handles dirty? Were they clean enough for a parent to trust sitting their child in the cart?
Were the wheels working correctly- nothing will drive a customer crazy quicker than wheels that do not work.
Checkout lanes- did we have dirty-looking signage or material that cluttered up the look? LESS is MORE!
We followed this level of detail from the parking lot edge to the office chairs at our desk. We walked the training rooms, the employee learning stations, etc.
These walks taught my leaders the importance of details not just to the customer but also to the employees. Our job as senior leaders was to ensure our "customer= employees" felt the same way our customers did about visiting clean operations. We wanted our employees to feel proud when they walked in, and many of them helped keep it clean because they could feel a sense of pride.
For those who run businesses where customers interact online more than in person, the same "walk" can be conducted.
Begin with your website, app, etc., and is there anything that detracts from the brand?
Are there any 404 error pages that a customer might, see?
Is all the information on the website updated? Nothing is more frustrating than an outdated website when you are in a hurry to show up.
Is the buying process complicated? Do the customers receive all the essential return information or critical information about their purchase?
What is also great is that this applies to those who are not in the "store/selling" space.
Higher Education: what do your students see? What's the faculty experience? How friendly is the admin office? What feedback are you seeking from the community that can help you attract students? Does your school have a clear message?
Medical: What does the hospital look like? Not just lovely landscaping but inside as well? How friendly is the staff? When billing goes wrong and patients are upset, what do the phone calls sound like? What's the focus on staff development?
Restaurants: What does the building look like? Missing letters on signs? Dirty hand-written signs? Sticky menus? How's the smell? Is there clutter everywhere that the customer sees? How friendly is the staff? Do they know the right questions to ask to engage in a pleasant experience for the guest?
Your competition will capitalize on everything you don't do once they know you don't do it!
It does not matter what industry you pick: standards are critical and make all the difference in a business.
As leaders and owners, we must often remind ourselves that we need to step back and "see" what our employees and customers see. We need to feel their experience and take that information to improve upon.
Help your team and business win by creating the right expectations through the best resources, tools, lists, etc.
Servant leadership, at its core, is establishing influence through standards where everyone becomes better.
Are you focused on taking your leadership development to the next level?
Also, don't miss out on grabbing your copies of Dustin's bestselling leadership series of books and the brand-new workbook!
Book Links:
Learn to Lead by Serving: https://a.co/d/dsgJQFj
Learn to Lead by Serving 2: https://a.co/d/isIeTRR