I recently had the occasion to order pizza twice in the last two weeks (which is a rarity in my life). Both times the pizza came from national chains, but only one does any type of significant advertising in my area. I could change the names to protect the innocent, but I won't.
My first call was nearly 2 weeks ago exactly, and it was to Poppa John's. It was a call in order, single pizza, nothing especially challenging. The time when I called in the order was not during the height of any meal rush, and I was going to to the store to pick it up. The person on the other end of the line answered with the single word "ThankYouforcallingPoppaJohn'sMayIHelpYou".
"What specials are going on right now please?"
"Umm, <very fast delivery of 2 specials that were said without a pause or breath anywhere>"
From what I gathered, I wasn't interested in either of the specials (what I heard of them), therefore I told the person on the other end of the phone my pizza order, they responded with "Name?" -- I told them my name, then "That'll be $$, and ready in 10 minutes. Thank you" <click>
The feeling that I got was that there was a time crunch in that person's life - they got the order right, but it wasn't confirmed with me to make sure of that. There was no offer to tell me what the specials were, no real interaction that couldn't have been done online just as well, in other words - get the order, tell the price and timeframe, and get off the phone. Nothing particularly wrong with that approach, but there just wasn't enough right about it either.
My second call was last Friday, and it was to my local Poppa Murphy's. I can say that Poppa Murphy's doesn't do any TV/radio advertising in my area, so I don't know if other people are aware of them. They are a take and bake pizza shop, so they'll make the pizza for you, but it's up to you to cook it yourself. So they do put some of the work onto the customer, which means they might not be for everyone/every occasion.
Again, this was a call in order, wasn't going to be a single pizza since I was feeding the entire family this time., and it was closer to the dinnertime rush on a Friday, but wasn't at the height of it (maybe 4:15/4:30). This conversation went a bit differently. "Hey, this is Mike at Poppa Murphy's, what can I get for you today?"
"Mike, before I order, what's the specials going on today?"
"I'm glad you asked, we have our large one topping pizza for $$, and we have one that we just created called the Chive. It's got (and I wish I could remember everything, but I remember chicken, chives, olives and pineapple), which I know sounds strange - but it's become our favorite here in the store."
"That does sound interesting, but I don't think my kids will be willing to give that a try."
"Really, how old are your kids?"
"They're X and Y"
"Yeah, at that age they probably aren't quite ready for that kind of taste adventure, but if you get it, they can pick off what they don't like and you can get extra, right?"
"Well, the wife and I were going to either do the chicken/bacon/artichoke . ."
"ooh that's a great one - it's our third best seller"
"or the garlic chicken and spinach"
"That is a tough choice. Would it be easier if I suggested getting one family size, and I'll have them do half of the pizza with each of those two choices?"
"Winning - we'll go that route. So for the kids we'll do the once topping pepperoni, and a Greek salad."
"I can do that..."
The rest of the conversation dealt with how much it was, and what time would I like to pick it up.
That was the kind of conversation I'd expect from a sit down restaurant from a waiter or waitress, not the person taking my pizza order over the phone, and it's one of the main reasons I keep ordering from Poppa Murphy's. (Well that and the pizza is extremely good.) That welcoming spirit was also found at the store when I went to pick up the pizza - I didn't see the person who does the phone work, but each of the people behind the counter really made me feel welcome, even when I discovered I had to add one item to my order at the last minute. Where they shone isn't that they got the order right, but they made sure they got it right for me. They interacted with me, I wasn't just a voice on the other end of the phone, and as such - they keep getting my business, even if I have to cook the pizzas myself.
So for those who are in the selling/service/support position, and if you have a job - make no mistake about it - you are in one of those positions - are you doing what it takes to fulfill the job requirements, or are you actively taking care of your customers? If you're taking care of your customers, they will continue to take care of you.
Thanks Mike for making me want to order from Poppa Murphy's again, and again.
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