Give 'em the pickle training is created by Bob Farell, a successful restauranter who opened more than 150 restaurants across America without a single failure (the failure rate of running restaurants in America is 80%).
Bob Farell is a strong advocate of customer service and he started his "give 'em the pickle" campaign at the time when he was starting his second restaurant.
At that time, a disgruntled customer wrote him a letter to complain about a staff wanting to charge him for the extra pickle that he requested (he had been getting it for free); he mentioned that he will not visit his restaurant again. Farell had to do some service recovery to retain that customer but is thankful for that letter.
From the incident, Farell realised that customers continue their relationship with a business because of the experience that they enjoyed and if they consistently receive that experience, they will continue that relationship with the business.
He summarises customer service in four keys:
1. Service
2. Consistency
3. Attitude
4. Teamwork
give 'em the pickle
Farell believes that many businesses give "pickles" to their customers - it could be a value added service, a freebie, or it could be an unforgettable experience.He also believes that if we are willing to listen to our customers, they will tell us what they want.
Service
We should learn to find out what "pickles" our customers like and are looking out for when they use our service or purchase our products and continually give them out to the customers.
We should also be consistent in giving out "pickles" - we can't give it on the first visit then stop or only give it out during certian times. When they re-visit for the same experience but don't receive it, they will be unhappy.
Farell also notes that unhappy customers may not always complain; some of them just walk away and many of them will share that "bad experience" with their friends and relatives.
Consistency
That is why Farell believes that all businesses should give out pickles consistently. He also firmly believes that ALL staff (regardless of front line or support staff) should understand the importance of customer service and the fact that whatever we do ultimately ends up infront of the customers.
In order for an organisation to deliver great customer serivce, ALL staff need to deliver quality results consistently.
Consistency also means that if we discover that something was not done in the way that it should be done, we should have the courage to correct it so that we are consistent in the way we treat our customers.
Attitude
Farell also touches on the importance of having a positive attitude when dealing with customers. He gives an example of how having a positive mental attitude can affect how we perceive customers, how we treat them and ultimately, how they treat us in return.
Through our workshop, participants will realise that a good attitude will affect how we feel about a particular stiuation, it will affect how we make others feel and also the final outcome of the situation that we are in. Attitude is key not only in customer service but also in the area of personal growth and success.
Teamwork
Bob Farell believes that good team work is an important ingredient of great customer service. In most large organisations, different people specialise in different roles. In some cases, many people share the same role and serve the same customers at different occasions.
There are often situations where we can help one another look good infront of the customer. Farell gives the example of how he was taught as a gas pump attendant ealry in his career life, to write the names of the customers inside the gas cap of their cars so that anyone who serves the customer can address him by name.
This adds the personal touch to the customer experience and creates a conducive environment for repurchase and larger orders.
Lesson Delivery
Give "Em The Pickle workshop consists of presentations, video clips, case studies, quizes, discussions and role plays. It is an entirely indoor workshop but can be customised to include some outdoor activities.
This customer service workshop is suitable for front line and support staff in all industries in suggested group sizes of about 20 pax per run in order to get the best interaction level.
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