Rothacker Reviews

WingHouse Tampa: Imagine

Imagine owning a restaurant.  Imagine for one day, the cash registers scream out in mercy, "boss I'm overworked. I can't take in anymore money."  Imagine for this to happen all you have to say to your employees is, "folks, we're going to honor our public and civil defenders.  Lets have some fun, and oh yeah, wear a costume."

A few of us from work eat lunch a couple times a month at the WingHouse on Route 301 in Tampa.  We always try to get there before noon to beat the lunch rush.  We pulled into the parking lot the other day at a quarter to twelve.  There were no parking spaces.  Burly pick up trucks had even invented a few of their own parking spaces - off pavement.   We quickly tried to figure out what was up.  Was Hillary Clinton in town?  Was Britney Spears in town?   Paris Hilton?

We were mystified, until the young lady opened the front door for us.  Costume day at the WingHouse.  You'll have to use your imagination, but I can start you off with young, fit women wearing slightly less than full uniforms.

The atmosphere inside was festive and cool.  Ownership was running a contest for the most favorite costumed girl.  Sitting there with my colleagues, my mind began to drift (I know, I am a little sick).  I thought of this one simple and brilliant decision that the owners made...to quadruple their business.  And aside from promoting the event, it didn't cost them a dime.  How could this work in my business?

WingHouse takes their product (wings are their other products), and basically, puts it on steroids.  This takes thought and imagination but think of what kind of move you could make with your own business, using this mindset.

Speaking of thought and imagination and increasing your revenues...   While dining that day, an announcement came over the loudspeaker asking people who had parked in the Red Roof Inn parking lot to move their cars or they would be towed.  Now we are talking the middle of the day at a hotel.  Were the cars disturbing the cleaning folks?  It seems to me that for folks smart enough to whip up an event that hardly costs them a dollar and makes them thousands more, they might be able to work out an arrangement with hotel.  It is also entirely possible that they have and Red Roof Inn is stonewalling.  No matter which company is doing what, the Red Roof Inn came away with egg on its face and the WingHouse was short on parking spaces.

I like this WingHouse.  No matter when we've been there, the staff has been friendly (in spite of the pressure to git ya out), they always demonstrate a sense of urgency - like they actually want you to be there, and the food is good.  And in an attempt to demonstrate that I am not sick, the girls are pretty.

Chili's: New Tampa

"Man!  There are so many to choose from.  Where should we go?"

There are seemingly a thousand restaurants within twenty minutes from our house.  Why choose one over the other?  Good food is the ticket to the concert.  Without good food you ain't getting in.  For us, that narrows down our choices to about eight-hundred.  Hey, we're normal people.  We're not some sort of Zagat zealots. 

The restaurant's environment determines whether or not we sit on the concert hall floor or up in general seating.  It must be clean and comfortable.  Knock off two-hundred more choices.  In all reality my numbers are skewered.  Selection is much less.  It is amazing how unclean some establishments are.  A very good friend of mine who is a connoisseur of customer service, goes into the restrooms prior to being seated in a restaurant.  If they are unclean, she leaves. 

So, what gets us seated in the front row?  Or more correctly, who?  Maritza Torres.  Maritza is the manager at the Chili's in New Tampa.  One word of caution prior to entering her restaurant though.  Wear sun glasses.  Because Maritza's smile just lights the place up! 

As connoisseurs of not only good customer service ourselves, Rosemary and I are connoisseurs of good management.  Good management is what we witnessed at our last visit to Chili's.  We watched Maritza supporting her staff.  The product of this support was obvious.  Nearly everyone working there acted as if they wanted to be there and that they wanted their customers to be there as well. 

One final observation.  We were waited on by a young lady and a gentleman working his first day.  She was sharp.  By her mannerisms, confidence and voice inflection, we could tell that she is in for a very successful career - in whatever line of work she chooses.  As for the gentleman, his level of customer service blew us away - considering it was his first day.  On that level he is already a seasoned professional.  I have also noticed a couple of other folks in the half dozen or so times that we've visited Chilis.  Their friendly personalities and sense of urgency stands out.

You just don't have folks like these working in an establishment unless you have a manager like Maritza Torres.  Stop into see them when you have a chance...but pack your sunglasses.

Harvard Business School Press

The prize inside.  I received my April edition of Harvard Business Review last week and inside was one of the coolest inserts I've ever seen in a magazine.  The Harvard Business School Press Spring 2007 Collection. 

Now, please try and understand Dave here.  To equate my joy is to equate a woman with disposable income receiving the latest Coach catalog.  The insert's content speaks to the business book lover in me...a wide array of mental mind candy for an insatiable sweet tooth!  But that is not why I am writing about the Harvard Business School Press today.

It's about the insert's design.  It pickles my brain and jellies my backbone.  It's sooooooooo open and clean!  Books are grouped and presented according to their main theme.  For instance, books on global economy are listed on two pages.  And in a neat little graphic at the top of the page, HBP writes, Business Without Borders.  Plenty of white space ordered about by thin lines of distinction surround pictures of the books, flanked by succinct descriptions and crisp testimony.  To round out my delight, HBP infuses a subtle message from start to finish, a call to action if you will.

Now, please try and understand Dave here.  If business books strain to satisfy an insatiable appetite for knowledge and ideas, then reviewing marketing pieces is a full blown addiction.  I mean, throwing away junk mail before reviewing it, is akin to throwing a dollar bill into the trash container.  It seems as if I'm on a perpetual journey to discover messages that are presented in a clean, appealing and meaningful manner.  These pieces are few and far between.  A couple of years ago I received a small course catalog from the Corporate College of Cuyahoga Community College.  It registered off the charts on my difference from status-quo meter.  I got so excited that I found out who the editor was and wrote her a glowing e-mail review.  I believe she found that very odd and unusual, but I felt a powerful need to get it off of my chest, as I do today with the Harvard Business School Press.  And that has presented a problem!

Unlike the Corporate College piece, there is no contact information in the HBP's insert.  For that matter, there isn't even a Web site listed.  What a shame!  I've recently become enamored with HOW, Print and Communication Arts.  Okay, enamored is weak.  Let's try obsessed and addicted.  Articles list the writer, designer, illustrator, photographer and the editor's grandmother.  And that's just for an article!  Very cool. 

Of course, I'll go some place online and hunt someone down and tell them how awesome I think The Spring 2007 Collection is.  But aside from making it easier on me, don't you think the folks who participated in putting together such an inspiring piece of communication deserve a little credit?  I do!

Lousy Service...But we'd go back

We had stopped into a local restaurant between the holidays and encountered a young lady, who might be the world's worst waitress.  Or perhaps, might have been experiencing personal problems.  Through the course of our visit, we had to ask seven or eight times to correct something.  Here's an example:

Rosemary and I asked for un-sweet iced tea.  The young lady brings out sweet tea.  Two minutes later we discover her error and call her over.  She walks away with our instructions.  Now hang with me here  because this really happened.  Not more than three minutes later she comes back without our iced tea and asks if everything is alright and do we need anything else.  In the emotion of the moment, I believe we were more embarrassed (for her) than she was.  And, in case you were wondering, this girl was not mentally challenged.

Would we return to this restaurant?  Incredible as it might sound, yes.  Here's why:

• The food was good
• The other wait staff balanced out this young lady

This operation is a franchise and a sports pub, which was actually founded in the area.  I like the food.

Although perhaps the other server was related to the owner or even the owner, this forty-something year old woman almost single handedly made up for the younger one's short comings.  She helped us with two or three of our server's errors...and she acted like she wanted to be there.

We left that day however, not feeling too good about the overall experience.  Later on, when Rosemary checked our bank account online, we learned that our server had placed another order on our card.  Ouch!  She immediately called the manager and explained our entire adventure.  They had already caught the billing mistake and corrected it and he offered to cover our next meal there.

Ordinarily I would be praising the manager, other server and naming their establishment.  But I'd like to cut that young lady some slack...it wasn't like she was mean or vicious.  I hope things work out well for her in school, work and life.

Discrimination Against Women - Retail Style

My cousin, who is in her early seventies, was browsing in a golf pro shop in Clearwater Beach, Florida, with the intent to make a purchase.  Three or four men came in after her and were waited on while she was completely ignored.  (I found out later that this isn't the only time it had happened to her in this store...just the last)  I asked my cousin if she complained to anyone about this rude treatment.  She said, "no need to, I'll never go there again!"  She also said that she would mention this experience to her friends.  No big deal, right?  This kind of stuff happens all the time.  After all, how many folks could a seventy-something year old lady know?  Well, in this case, more than you could imagine.  My cousin however, is not the evangelistic-militant type.  Good thing for this golf shop, because she is Internet savvy and is extremely connected and I am relatively sure that the folks she is connected to have younger sons, daughters and friends.

I am of the opinion that one should never take anyone shopping in their place of business for granted.  And although the damage to this store's reputation that will take place will be akin to a slow, steady drip of cyanide, I wish there was a way to measure its loss of business.

Your Web Site

Does your Web site deliver Information, Clarity and Truth?

In his Monday Morning Memo this week, Roy H.Williams, tells us how to keep our eyes on the ball when it comes to Web site usability.  His message is short and to the point.

As far as blogs go, we'd better deliver the truth in a clear (to the best of our ability) and concise fashion.  The part that intrigues me is after we deliver the information, how do we archive it for easy retrieval?  Personally, I feel my Typepad categories are a little unwieldy.

Customer Service

Another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure...

On our last adventure I left Christine Kane talking to Dorothy and Toto began to follow me down the Road.  Christine uses the time she found her dog to explain experiencing creativity.  For me, this is a perfect example of trying to find my place in the universe.  So far the dog hasn't come home, but I feel one is following me.  I even named it, RadioBack.

Starting today, our primary method of travel for Six Degrees will be the Starship Cruiser.  The speed in which she vaporizes the boundaries of status-quo and flirts about the fringes of the universe is beyond human comprehension.  The music piped on board originates at The Loft.

A short time in hyper-drive places the Starship outside our solar system and in the beautiful city of Des Moines, Iowa.  (Thanks to Starbucker for these coordinates)  Thea Gilmore is just finishing "When I'm Gone" as Tom Vander Well of QAQNA greets us at the Space Port.  Tom doesn't just instruct when writing about customer service, a very dear topic of mine, he orchestrates.  Before leaving, Tom takes us ten miles past the city's edge to a Mail Pouch barn.  Inside we find this absolute beauty.  Tom directs us to the West and CustomersAreAlways.

Dar Williams barely lays down "Echoes" before California re-entry.  Maria Palma hands us an aromatic Breakfast Blend as we de-board.  Maria injects heart and soul into positive customer service experiences.  Thanks so much for your hospitality Maria!  She says, "if you enjoy my stories you'll be delighted with Mary's.

The Starship elevates and rockets toward New Mexico and Mary Schmidt.  Lindsey Buckingham picks a beautiful guitar on "Down on the Rodeo."  The very first impression that leaves an everlasting one with us about Mary is that she's a professional - her writing projects this most clearly.  While showing us around Albuquerque, Mary points toward Service Stars & Snafus.  We found this inspiring tidbit there.  Mary talks about sound, positive business practices, but she didn't hesitate to tell us about something Broken.

Screaming eastward across the U.S., Gold Frapp plays "Beautiful."  Ordinarily we wouldn't be visiting someone line Mark because he has no blogroll.  But Mark is one of those cats out here doing good things.  His work, This is Broken, is a most constructive vehicle that businesses and folks should pay attention to.  Here's what else Mark is up to.  I recommend Uncle Mark's Gift Guide.  We contact Mary from New York and ask, "who else has passion out here?"  "Go Down Under guys."

Sweet!  We can crank up the Starship.  We might be able to get two songs in before arriving in Adelaide, Australia.  Evanescence jams on "You" as we revel in our good fortune in meeting really good people today.  Lee Hopkins greets us with most south of the equator warmth.  Lee writes about blogging, communications and tools to help your personal growth.  We can't help but to notice the sincerity and human voice that he weaves into his work.  Lee says, "you guys look pretty tired, but try stopping in Winter Haven, Florida, before taking Route 4 back to Tampa."

Ben Lee closes out our trip today with "Catch My Disease."  The Starship lands in one of the many lakes surrounding Winter Haven and we transport to shore.  Josh Hallett welcomes us.  Josh is a true Internet and Social Media consultant.  I am veering off course just a tad here because I am familiar with Josh.  The intent though, is to highlight Josh's vast experience on blogging - click on his blogging category and settle in for a fresh, educational adventure.  Josh leaves us with a  post on our topic of customer service today.

Once home, I see Rosemary attacking her computer.  She's been averaging over 3,000 words a day for the last month on a book and it reminded me of a couple of posts on customer service that she wrote for me when she was still a bank manager.  Mr. Fiorucci's House and Roger.  Be advised, these stories are touching.  Besides being one of the best managers I've ever seen, her customer service skills were almost better!

Man!  What a fantastic day!  Thanks for riding along in the Starship. 

 

Stop...and Think

He was waiting on customers.  He wasn't mildly retarded, he wasn't mentally slow and he wasn't sporting a tude...

I ran out this morning to pick some breakfast up for the family.  There were seven or eight teenagers taking care of the mostly soccer-mom-to-be crowd.  I gave my order of four separate items to the young man - six times.  He finally got it keyed in.  I then reminded him three more times of two of the items that I needed.  After standing at the counter for ten minutes, I started to gaze at some of the soccer-moms-to-be to see if they were receiving similar customer service.  But I stopped.  Would an acknowledgement of my dilemma, possibly embarrassing this kid, really make me feel better?  No.

This young man wasn't chewing gum, wasn't talking to his fellow workers, wasn't singing out loud or to himself, wasn't doing the low-rider britches thing and wasn't rude.  He was trying.  And I am so glad that I didn't make any sarcastic utterings or remarks. 

Although most teenagers don't have mortgages, don't have two kids in college, don't have car loans and don't have the mother-in-law from Mars, they do have life stuff to deal with that's pretty big to them.  The next time you find yourself in a similar situation to mine, stop and think for a moment...then live and let live.

For the record, I have a caring and thoughtful mother-in-law.

Customers.com

Customers.com  is the book that launched Dave 2.0!  It moved my mindset out of the old economy and into the new economy.  It provided a bridge for me to understand the transition from doing business brick and mortar style to conducting business over the Internet.  Author Patricia Seybold published this book in 1998.  I am not qualified to comment on various Web site's technical aspects and how far they have evolved since 1998, but Seybold's philosophy on how to take care of a customer via the Internet hasn't changed one bit.  It still is the best I've ever read.

Seybold outlines the following competencies and success factors for doing business in cyberspace:

• Target the right customers
• Own the customer's total experience
• Streamline business processes that impact the customer
• Provide a 360-degree view of the customer relationship
• Let customers help themselves
• Help customers do their jobs
• Deliver personalized service
• Foster community

Seybold then provides two different case studies for each of the above factors.  She uses companies like American Airlines, Babson College, Dell, Cisco and Amazon as examples.  Case studies consist of business processes, technical infrastructure, best practices and Seybold's recommendation for action.  This book is written for both techies and biz folks.

The case study on Tripod.com actually inspired me and two others to launch a Web site in 1999, designed to acquire, nurture and grow a community within the air conditioning industry.  It was a wild ride for the first two years but we were never able to make money, although that really was never the intent.  (Que lastima, where was Ad Sense then?)

Pick up a copy and read Customers.com.

He Gets It

I have found myself using the term "gets it" when describing a person's business acumen.  Many folks that I converse with are like-minded and acknowledge this statement with understanding.  They get what I am getting at when I say, "he gets it."

Recently however, someone asked, "what do you mean by he gets it?"  This was a most excellent question and one that I had never been asked before.  My attempt to answer it will help to clarify my own meaning.

In a general and foundational sense it means in order to receive you must first give.  When one gives without intending to get, the foundation becomes exponentially stronger.  Connections between human beings can be found at the next level.  It's not a store selling a stereo receiver.  It's Bob in the audio department asking you about your needs, listening and then making a recommendation based on your needs, not his or his store's. 

A form of "getting it" that I do not include in my normal definition, but one that is at the top of the pyramid is collaboration and beyond.  I will reserve these thoughts for another discussion.

Happy Thanksgiving!