I\u2019m not exactly sure where the fad began.\u00a0 Perhaps it was with a popular Mexican fast food restaurant.\u00a0 I do recall that this is where I first encountered the practice a good number of years ago.\u00a0 As I walked into the restaurant all of the workers behind the counter shouted \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d\u00a0 (I\u2019m sure you can probably guess the name of the establishment if you\u2019ve ever eaten there.)\u00a0 I got in line, ordered my food, paid, and received my food, the whole time being interrupted in the process for them to shout at the next person that came through their door their group welcome.\u00a0 I ate my meal, left, and I\u2019ve never been back.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the practice has taken hold and started to creep into other establishments.\u00a0 There was a breakfast place down the road from our house that we used to frequent every Sunday morning.\u00a0 At the time we were living in an apartment, being in the process of relocating to Macon.\u00a0 Our Sunday morning ritual was to eat breakfast as we reviewed the real estate section of the local newspaper to see what Open Houses we wished to visit.\u00a0 The house that we eventually bought was in the same vicinity as the apartment complex, so we would still visit our breakfast place on a regular basis, although not quite as frequent.\u00a0 Then they started the \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d stuff, and now we will go months on end before visiting.<\/p>\n
The next thing I knew, the hair salon that I go to started the same thing.\u00a0 I walk in and everyone yells \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0If I didn\u2019t really like my stylist, I would probably be finding a new place to go, but I\u2019ve tried to ignore the practice.\u00a0 But it is hard to carry on a conversation with her about what I want done to my hair as she has to pause to yell \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d\u00a0 And once we have taken care of the instructions, it is hard to carry on a casual conversation with her having to constantly pause to yell \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked her why they were doing it and she said that it was what the owner wanted.\u00a0 That\u2019s interesting, as that is exactly the same answer that I got from our waitress at the breakfast place.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that is the same answer you\u2019d get from countless other service folks who are forced to engage in this nightmare of a customer service practice.\u00a0 None of the employees knows why they are really supposed to do it, and most of them don\u2019t like doing it, but it is what the \u201cboss\u201d wants, so they do it.\u00a0 Obviously, the owners or managers really don\u2019t understand why they shouldn\u2019t have their employees doing this horrible customer service nightmare.\u00a0 They would if they understood Whole Person Dynamics\u2122 and the DISC Model.<\/p>\n
For example, I score high on the D dimension and low on most of the other dimensions, especially the S scale.\u00a0 While I certainly don\u2019t mind being the center of attention, as evidenced by my many professional presentations each year in front of large audiences, I don\u2019t care to be the center of attention in public.\u00a0 I have too many years of law enforcement behind me that tells me that it is best to be quite and watch others, rather than to have them watch me.\u00a0 This keeps me \u201cin control,\u201d one of the main drivers for a person with a high D style.\u00a0 And while I don\u2019t care to be the center of public attention in my private life for safety reasons, I do want to be the center of attention of the person who is providing me with service.\u00a0 Focus on taking care of me and then you can move on to taking care of the next person.\u00a0 But this doesn\u2019t happen when you constantly have to stop to yell at the next customer coming in the door \u201cHi, welcome to\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n
Given the four behavioral styles of DISC, probably only people with high I tendencies would really appreciate having people welcome them to the establishment in such a boisterous manner.\u00a0 They like the camaraderie and \u201cparty-like\u201d atmosphere.\u00a0 And they wouldn\u2019t mind being interrupted to welcome another person to \u201cthe party.\u201d\u00a0 They revel in this sort of atmosphere, while the other three styles would have varying degrees of negative reaction to it.\u00a0 For example, the high S style, while enjoying interaction with other people, wouldn\u2019t want to be made the center of attention by having everyone stop what they were doing and welcoming them to the establishment.\u00a0 This is going to put them off, and may keep them from coming back.\u00a0 The high C style would find the excitement a bit too much \u201cin your face\u201d and feel that the establishment is not as efficient as it could be, with all the constant interruptions.\u00a0 And the high D style would not like to have to deal with the constant interruptions as they are trying to engage in business.\u00a0 They want the attention, want to be taken care of, and then you can move on to the next person as they exit.<\/p>\n
So only about 25% of the population will find this sort of greeting welcome.\u00a0 Some tolerate it quietly, while others grumble about it openly or simply just avoid it entirely by never returning to your establishment.\u00a0 Perhaps the number that avoid you because of this practice is only 15% to 25% of your potential customers, but are you really doing so well in your business that you can afford to lose that amount of business?<\/p>\n
Clearly for the Mexican restaurant this practice is a core component to their culture.\u00a0 It is part of who they are.\u00a0 They are boisterous, rowdy, and noisy.\u00a0 After one visit you know this.\u00a0 If it appeals to you, or you can at least tolerate it, then you return.\u00a0 But for most establishments that have adopted this practice it is just another set of Rules that employees endure and go through the motion of doing.\u00a0 Their hearts aren\u2019t in it, and it really doesn\u2019t add to the atmosphere of the establishment.\u00a0 If this is your organization, then I recommend that you stop doing it immediately, and find a way to welcome customers to your establishment that will reach all of your customers, no matter what their behavioral style.\u00a0 Use your welcome to build relationships and Trust, and stop aggravating them just as soon as they walk in the door.\u00a0 Instead of placing emphasis on a fake show of customer attention, perhaps it would be best to actually give each customer the individual attention that they crave based on their behavioral style.<\/p>\n
Do this and you might see the mood of your customers improve dramatically, along with the attitude of your employees because they no longer \u201chave to\u201d do something that they don\u2019t like and don\u2019t know why they are doing it.\u00a0 Instead, teach your employees how to reach customers individually, provide them with good service, and you will end up with a much more enjoyable experience for both customers and employees.\u00a0 In the end, customers return and employees stay and perform exceptionally.\u00a0 Both of these are necessary if an organization is to become exceptional at increasing performance and returns.<\/p>\n
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Make a Great Day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m not exactly sure where the fad began.\u00a0 Perhaps it was with a popular Mexican fast food restaurant.\u00a0 I do recall that this is where I first encountered the practice a good number of years ago.\u00a0 As I walked into … Continue reading