Quick thinking creativity: The key to good customer service.
What you might think would be the easiest interview question, is often the one people struggle with. The first question we typically ask is “Why are you interested in this job and how does it align with your careers goals?” I was interviewing a candidate once and their very candid answer was “It doesn’t. It really doesn’t. I want to be a dog groomer but don’t have the money to start that up so I need something in the meantime.” I wanted to stop the interview right there. What I heard was this candidate was not interested in anything to do with the organization, the role, or the type of work. They were telling me what it could do for them, and I wanted to hear what they could do for us.
Here’s what they could have said. “Well, honestly my life goal is to have my own business as a dog groomer, but it’s expensive to start up. So while I’m working on it, I want to find something that allows me to do what I love, which is being around people.”
That answers gives me the same basic information. It’s honest, but it tells me much more. It tells me that they have ambition, they’re goal oriented, and they wouldn’t see this job as a sacrifice while they work towards their goals, (which means they’d have a good attitude). They tell me why I should hire them: because they enjoy and are good at working with people. Maybe most importantly, they thought quickly and used creativity to frame their answer with a positive spin.
This year I started rug tufting as a hobby. I took one workshop and was hooked. I asked my family for rug tufting supplies for my birthday and then repaid them all with custom rugs over the next several months. Early on into the hobby I visited a Joann Fabrics store with my Dad in tow, looking to see what supplies they had. I stopped an associate and asked what they had for rug tufting supplies. She said “oh, um, no, we don’t have that here.” I said “oh ok, thanks” and walked away.
After thinking about it for a little while, I commented to my Dad about what a huge missed opportunity that was. She could have said “Well, we don’t have rug tufting specific items, but we have yarn, scissors, canvas, fabric for backing, markers for marking the canvas, glue guns, hot glue sticks…. is any of that something you’re looking for? I can show you where it is.” Joann’s has all the things! She just had to think quickly and creatively about what I was asking for. I wasn’t asking for a specific rug-tufting product. I was asking for supplies to help support my rug tufting hobby. Am I being too critical? Like what if she doesn’t know what rug tufting is? Sure. That’s fine. But had she not known what it was, then how about saying “I’m not familiar with rug tufting, what type of supplies does it require?” Then she would not only help me, but be equipped to help the next time someone asked.
Thinking creatively and on your feet is crucial to public serving positions. Every interaction that comes to you is unique and our frontline staff need to know the tools available to them to provide excellent service. Sometimes it doesn’t require monetary compensation or something for free, it could just mean a follow-up question or a little extra time spent with the customer.
My favorite question that we ask during interviews is “Can you tell us about a time when you used a creative approach to a work policy and how it was successful or not?” This question is great at allowing your candidates an opportunity to show how they can think on their feet and find creative ways to deliver good customer service. When asked that question in an interview another candidate once responded with a story about how they were working at Whole Foods on Mothers Day and a gentleman came in at closing. Most store employees were annoyed and closing their drawers, so the candidate explained how she walked him around the store helping him select items for his Mom. When he indicated he wanted a personalized cake from the bakery, the candidate went to the back room to ask the bakery associates if they wouldn't mind personalizing a cake for his Mom. What a beautiful act of kindness that took her just 10 minutes to make their day. I’d guarantee that that gentleman shopped at Whole Foods again.
And that’s how you get hired.
If you can demonstrate that you can think quickly with creativity, then you have learned one of the most valuable skills for customer service roles. And, I’ll admit, often one of the hardest to train.
To that point, how do we build up those skills? Well, I’d recommend starting by familiarizing yourself with all the policies, procedures, and tools in your toolbox. Policies and procedures are in place generally for a reason, and quick thinking creativity doesn’t mean throwing the rules aside. It’s the opposite, really. It means respecting and knowing the policies AND finding a solution for the customer. It provides you with the parameters, and your job is to work within that in a creative way.
Think about what the customer is asking or complaining about and break it down. Ask qualifying questions if needed. When I was in JoAnn’s, the store associate just needed to break down what I was asking- not for a specific item or even type of item. I was asking for general supplies and things that she did indeed have in stock. If she didn’t understand, she could have asked a qualifying question to learn how she could help me.
What do I mean by “tools in my toolbox”? Customer service tools are experiences or offers that you have at your disposal to turn a negative experience into a positive. That could be providing directions to a guest and when they don’t understand, then taking 3 minutes to walk them to their destination. (Time is an extremely useful tool in your toolbox.)
It could be offering them tickets on the next guided tour because they are too late to join the one in progress, and when they say they can’t stay that long then offering to guide them around yourself for 10 minutes. You don’t give tours? Then instead offer to show them your favorite best kept secrets about the museum (an insider’s look). You’ve just pivoted 3 times with one set of guests. That’s creative thinking!
A guest is upset over arriving late to a photo permit reservation because they were stuck in traffic? Say “well we typically don’t allow you to come into the house after 9:30am, but how about I make an exception and walk you around for 10 minutes before it gets busy and allow you take a few pictures? Guests appreciate when you can make an “exception” for them.
A group brings a wagon and they aren’t permitted? Then tell them you’re willing to keep the wagon by the Admissions Booth so they don’t have to walk all the way back to their car to return it. They might not be fully pleased that they can’t take it with them, but they’ll be less frustrated than if they had to lose time backtracking to their vehicle.
People appreciate it when we try to find solutions for them, even if it’s not equivalent to exactly what they’re asking. Think creatively. The more you put it into practice, the faster you’ll be at thinking on your feet.
Pro Tip: the people who do this best, are the one’s who ace the interview, the one’s who get hired, and the one’s who get noticed and promoted.
