Doing It All Right

    Who would have thought I'd find the best example of great service for a dental office in a restaurant?  My husband and I went to 131 Main, a new restaurant in Biltmore Park in Asheville last night night.  I was blown away by the great service and wonderful food.  I sat there amazed at the fantastic service given to us by multiple employees in the restaurant.  Our main server explained that everyone works as a team and that the person closest to any server will always take care of whatever need presents itself at any given moment.  Not only that, I noticed that if a server was holding a plate that a diner had finished with while they were explaining something to the diner, any passing server would notice and take the empty dish as they walked by.
    I was thrilled to hear another server explaining that he had come up from the Charlotte restaurant to help train the new servers in the recently opened 131 Main.  He explained that they had a culture in their restaurants and he wanted to help the new servers understand and develop that culture in this new restaurant.  Wow!  I found myself wanting to beg them to give me just one of their employees for our office.  We have a great staff, but could use one more to help fill out the group.  I just find it hard to find people who are willing to accept constructive criticizm or who can last through the frustration that sometimes comes with learning and adapting to a new job. 
    I asked to speak to the manager because I want to know how they do it.  He explained that they have a very definite and intensive training regimine that each new employee must go through.  It works.  Every single person working in that restaurant was watching, ready to fill any need before it was even recognized as such by the customer. 
    The service set you up to want to love the food.  We weren't disappointed.  Everything was fresh, delicious and perfectly prepared and presented.  Everything was a delight, right down to the cup of tea I finished off my meal with. 
    Attention was paid to every single detail.  Even the soap in the rest room smelled wonderful and the place was immaculate.  I felt like the intention of everyone in the restaurant was to make it an exceptional experience that would keep us coming back again and again.  That is how regular customers are born.
    This is what we need to do in our practices.  We need to make every visit an experience.  We need to leave our patients feeling that we strive to meet their every need.  We need to figure out how to develop our teams the way 131 Main does. 
    I have the managers card and I'm hoping to interview him in the near future and find out how he does it.  If he gives me any insight, I'll post his tips here so keep watching.  In the meantime, call 828-651-0131 and make a reservation.  It's my new favorite restaurant.  Hmm, maybe I shouldn't be telling you all this.  It'll probably make it harder to get a table.  Imagine having that problem in your practice.  Now, that's a problem everyone would like to have.

Comments

[Lin Goldston]

Hi Linda! It is truly amazing when one encounter excellent service. I just finished reading a book that gives valuable insights in hardwiring service excellence in health care practice. Have you heard of Quint Studer? His book, Hardwiring Excellence is a real wake-up call for healthcare executives or managers like us. I really recommend it. I am using its principles in my program. Hope you will get time to read it. Trust you are doing well!

[Linda Zdanowicz]

Hi Lin, I'll have to order that book, sounds good. I think the hardest thing about trying to inspire excellence is walking the fine line between encouraging others and discouraging them. It often seems like a tightrope to me.