Still Thinking About Service

   

I can't get the subject of service out of my mind.  Chris Creamer from the Mastery Program remarked that he  had read my article about 131 Main, the restaurant whose service I've been so impressed with and said that he'd just read a book titled Setting The Table by Danny Myer, a NYC restaurant owner.  If restaurant managers realize how important service is, shouldn't we?  Let's face it, the one thing we have in common is the fact that we all offer something that is useless unless someone else wants it.  Lot's of other people offer basically the same service.  The two factors that make some decide to come to you and stay loyal to you are quality and service.  Thankfully, both are completely within our control.
    It's not as easy as it sounds, though.  You can't wave a magic wand over your staff and make them great technically and give them a desire to provide outstanding service.  You, and they, have to work at it consistently.  People tend to like to get to a certain point and say, "Enough, this is as good as I get."  People get tired, I know that.  It's ok to rest and look back over how far you've come and even enjoy a plateau now and then.  That rest should be short though, you should always be looking ahead to see where you want to go next and checking that you haven't lost any of the ground you've gained.
    Yesterday I went to buy some tomatoes at a local farmer's market.  The place is always busy and the stand I wanted to buy tomatoes from was being manned by a nice gentleman and his 8 year old granddaughter.  When I walked up she jumped up and said, "We're getting busy!" and asked me what she could get for me.  I asked her to pick out 2 lbs. of nice tomatoes and she very seriously picked out the best tomatoes and weighed them.  She took the task seriously and thanked me very sincerely.  You could see that she wanted to do a great job and was proud of helping me.  When do we lose that enthusiasm and desire to serve?  When does service change from something we're excited to be trusted with, to something that we avoid or resent?  Trust is the thing that made what she was doing so important to that little girl.  Her grandfather had decided she was trustworthy enough to handle the responsibility and she knew that and valued it. 
    Do we realize that our dentists are trusting us with an important responsibility?  As a manager, I am sometimes awed by the amount of trust Dr. Morgan places in me.  He trusts me with his livelihood and that of the staff.  He and I trust the staff to deliver not only excellent care, but also fantastic service to our patients.  The key is keeping that enthusiasm alive.  It's instilling pride in performance.  It means we have to constantly and consistently notice and acknowledge our staff's efforts and achievements.  Don't take anything for granted on either end.  Uphold standards, do not accept less than required and be very verbal about acknowledging great performance.  It's also fun and appreciated to surprise the staff with special treats now and then, too.  Soon enough, that desire to serve well will return and the childhood thrill of living up to the trust that is placed will return.  Don't we all experience that inner "Yes!" when we know we've done well?  Imagine what having your staff experience the "Yes!" on a daily basis will do for the culture of your practice. 
    Maybe the title of this post should really be, Always Thinking About Service, because that's how it is for me.  How about you?