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When Little Things Count: The Moments of Truth
by Karl Dumas
Have you ever shopped at a store or eaten at a restaurant where almost everything was perfect? While 99 percent of your experience may have been pleasant, that one percent of imperfection had a big impact, didn’t it? Case in point: I recently stayed at a hotel where everything was picture perfect. The grounds were lovely, the pool sparkled, the staff was friendly, the restaurant was excellent, and the room was spacious. But carpet was dirty. At first glance, the room looked neat and tidy, but the carpet stained my white socks black. Yes, I bought a new pair of socks. No, I won’t stay at that hotel again.
This brings me to the “Moments of Truth.” All companies, large and small, have a service cycle that their customers experience. As a customer goes through the service cycle, he makes judgments about everything that he encounters from the friendliness of the staff to the cleanliness of the building. Each moment of truth, no matter how small, can define the entire experience for better or for worse. Little things count.
In order to ensure that your customers are 100 percent satisfied, you must fully understand your company’s service cycle and its moments of truth. Once you understand what your customers are judging you on, you can then take steps to ensure positive judgments throughout the service cycle.
One of the best ways to identify your company’s moments of truth is to become one of its customers. While role playing is effective, consider conducting a real transaction from start to finish. Look for every possible moment of truth and write it down. At this point, you’re not looking for strengths and weaknesses – that will come later – you are looking for the points in your service cycle where a customer will make a judgment.
For example, if you are a dentist, your patients will go through a service cycle such as this:
- Call to schedule an appointment
- Check in with receptionis
- Fill out forms
- Wait in the waiting room
- Meet with hygienist for teeth cleaning
- Meet with dentist for dental exam
- Pay bill
- Submit insurance forms
At each point during the service cycle, your patient will experience one or more moments of truth. Moments of truth involved in scheduling an appointment could include:
- How promptly was the phone answered
- Was the caller put on hold?
- Was the receptionist friendly?
- Was the patient able to schedule a convenient appointment time?
Ideally, your entire staff should be involved in identifying the moments of truth. Not only does this help with generating creative ideas, it helps with buy in. After all, if your receptionist identifies the importance of answering the phone promptly as a moment of truth, you can bet she will be more likely to implement this practice. Once the moments of truth for your company’s service cycle have been identified, empower your team to shine in every possible service area. When everyone understands their part, your business is in a strong position for growth.
Measure your progress by sending customer surveys that address each step of your service cycle. Periodically shop at your own establishment or ask a trusted friend to mystery shop and report back to you. Which moments of truth are you excelling at? Which ones need improvement? Continue to stress the importance of excelling in every single moment of truth and do not settle for anything less than 100 percent. Failing at just one moment of truth can turn your customers away for good. I have the socks to prove it.
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