Customer Service 101; If you can't Ho Ho Ho, just say No No No!

'Tis the Season for volunteering and I say unto you... DON'T.  No, really, don't do it.  Now, before you go calling me Scrooge or Madame Grinch, let me explain.  I DO volunteer.  I joyfully pack up my camera, printers (two... gotta have a backup), photo paper, frames, Santa Outfit and a beautifully painted backdrop that gets velcro-ed to a PVC frame (which I built with my own two little hands), slap on my elf hat and head to the local Pet Mega-Store to take pictures of the furred, feathered and scaled sitting on Santa's lap, shoulder and sometimes hiding in his beard.  I do this for a wonderful local animal rescue organization which has been doing great work for over 20 years.  Santa is also a volunteer (Duh, the REAL Santa is too busy for pictures right now!), though most often he is the spouse of a member of the rescue team who has been 'volunTOLD' by his wife to don the gay apparel and sit still.

No matter, we have lots of fun, meet lots of adorable, timid and sometimes just plain ticked off to be dragged to the store to sit with a stranger critters.  I have learned the tricks of the trade over the years; not all dogs like treats, cats want to pull off Santa's beard, birds will always poop down Santa's back, don't call a seated dog by name to get their attention they will run at you and lick the camera (I have a secret attention getter I'll share later), and, most important, check the floor before kneeling down 'cause when doggies get excited... some of them piddle.  Nothing worse than spending hours with wet knees.

Even though we charge very little (every dollar goes to help the animals) and most people are just happy if Sparky holds still long enough for me to get ANY picture, I treat each 'Fur Baby's' Mom and Dad like what they truly are - my customers.  I don't want them to be satisfied, I want them to be delighted,  I want them to look at the finished photo and say, "That's Petey!" or "Oooooh, can I have a second copy to send to Grandma?".  

By the way, I never charge for the copy, but they almost always insist on paying for it.  How is it that I get people to give me money for something they could just scan at home and copy themselves?  I'll tell ya... but first, let me tell you how it was when I started in the 'Volunteer Biz'.


Ah... the good old days.  We used a Polaroid camera and it was pretty much a 'hold your breath and hope for the best' proposition.  If Sparky moved or Santa sneezed, tough.  Hey, the film was expensive and we were on a shoestring budget back then.  As time went by, we moved to digital point and shoot and the slowest printer known to mankind, so it was still 'one shot per customer' unless it came out of the printer looking like something from a cheap horror film - and there was no one in line - then maybe you could get a do-over.


Then I got my DSLR (cue choir singing) and snappy new printer.  Let me just go off on a tangent here and say that I acquired these toys courtesy of Travel rewards points from the insane amount of business travel I log every year, didn't have to pay a penny and that's ALOT of nights in hotels, let me tell ya!


Anyway, this new set-up was a game changer, or, it SHOULD have been.  I now had the ability to take several shots, quickly show them to my 'client' via the nifty screen on the back of the camera, crop the best one and print out a really sweet shot guaranteed to please.  

One huge obstacle, though, and it is one that I have encountered time after time in customer service organizations, 'We've been doing it this way forever and people are fine with it why do we need to offer choices we know what they need anyway". Whew!  The Grinch doesn't have a heart that's two sizes too small, he has an unwillingness to go the extra mile to 'WOW' his customers.  He isn't committed to delivering World Class Service.  Here's the deal (and if you read my last blog you know this), people want to be given choices.  They want to be able to pick something.  Doesn't need to be a HUGE choice, could be 'Do you want that in red or blue?', or 'Do you want that delivered via regular mail or FedEx?'.  Why the heck are choices so dang important to the human animal?  Two main reasons; first, it makes them feel like they are in charge of what is going on and we all want to feel in charge, even if we really aren't and, second, if they make a choice and they wind up less than pleased with the outcome...well, they chose it now, didn't they?  So, who are they going to be unhappy with?  Right, themselves for their own poor choice!  Believe me, this is the absolute truth.  We've trained thousands of service providers and hundreds have resisted offering choices.  And... they have all personally apologized to me in writing for doubting me.  (Well, that is an exaggeration, but I have never had anyone come back and tell me it didn't work once they had become confident and skilled in offering strategic choices.) 

My challenge was how to overcome the resistance of my fellow volunteers and get them to let me 'do it my way'.  I chose to show them that it would work.  At first, I would quickly delete and edit the pics in the camera and simply show the one I thought was best to the customer.  Then, when there was no one waiting in line, I would involve the customer in the selection process.  By the end of the day, my colleagues had seen the benefits of taking the extra time to offer options.  By involving the pet parent, giving them choices and then letting them select, I could insure that they would be so thrilled with the finished product that they would PAY for more of it!


Bottom line, they were coming for a picture of their little Sparky with Santa, but being treated to a little World Class Service, getting some options, took the experience to the next level and they were happy to pay extra.  It is the same in business, delight your customers, give them a WOW interaction and they will repay you with loyalty and additional business.  I see the same dogs and cats year after year, and they bring their friends, which means more money for the non-profit and that's what it's all about.


(My 'attention getting secret weapon'?  The squeaker I rescued from a stuffed toy my dog eviscerated.  It's small enough to hide in my hand, but, since it's not in something fluffy, Fido doesn't know it's there and isn't trying to get at it.  I can pose the pup, get into position, ready Santa and then 'squeaksqueaksqueak', Fido's ears perk up, head cocks to the side, looks right at me and... BAM!  Money shot!)