Over the holiday break, my wife and I had two memorable experiences when we went to Morton's and the Olive Garden for dinner. These chain restaurants sit at different ends of the market, and we had very different experiences -- but not in the way you might expect.
I am not talking about the food; I am talking about how the marketing staffs at both chains responded to me as a customer after I left the premises.
We had a bad experience at Morton's, a top-end steakhouse, and a great experience at the Olive Garden. As an experiment, I posted comments on both chains' website feedback forms, and I posted two tweets on my Twitter account. This is when things got interesting.
One restaurant immediately emailed me an automated response that said it would take up to a week for someone to get back to me. Setting expectations and letting people know that a comment didn't fall into a black hole is a good idea. A few days later, I did get a very nice, personal email that showed me someone had taken the time to research the situation, contact the employees at the restaurant, and send along my comments. I felt appreciated for my business, and I believed the time I spent filling out the form was worthwhile, since the restaurant acted on it quickly.
With the other restaurant, there was no response to the web comment form. Where did the comment go? I have no idea.
Both chains sent almost immediate Twitter feedback. That is to be expected, since both chains' Twitter accounts are fairly active and engaged with followers.
Which chain did what? The Olive Garden was the proactive one, perhaps because I was praising it. But it was clear to me that this chain had the right corporate culture and took its feedback seriously.
From Spaghetti Sauce to Social Media
David Strom found that the Olive Garden has mastered more than garlic knots and lasagna.
Morton's was the laggard. Eventually, a district manager called me (from my Twitter interaction) and offered me a gift certificate to return to the restaurant and try it again. I probably will, just because the temptation for free food is great. But after I posted a column on my personal blog, I heard from other dissatisfied Morton's customers, many of whom didn't take the time to email or tweet about their experiences.
What made the difference? The Olive Garden was proactive in communicating with us, both at the restaurant and afterward. Morton's took its time and was unhelpful until our dissatisfaction with our meal became public.
It shows you how any brand is built on a single experience. Would I go back to the Olive Garden? Definitely yes. How about Morton's? Unlikely, if I have to spend my money.
What is the lesson from this experiment? Take your customers seriously, or they won't be your customers for long. Every interaction is a test to see if everyone in the customer-facing arena can deliver on the best possible experience. And though my Olive Garden meal wasn't as fancy, the level of service was far beyond what Morton's offered. Ultimately, that is what matters. And if you aren't using any social media monitoring tools, there are numerous inexpensive ones, including Gremln.com, Viralheat.com, and Ubervu.com.
— David Strom is a world-known expert on networking and communications technologies. He has worked extensively in the IT end-user computing industry and has managed editorial operations for trade publications in the network computing, electronics components, computer enthusiast, reseller channel, and security markets.
I am glad that Olive Garden stepped up and worked to make it right. Yes, it could easily due to your praise fir them. But at least they did interact and show that they do care.Nobody wants to feel unwelcome or ignored by a brand. So kudos goes to Olive Garden!
They may have the great customer service, but it's not a substitute for quality. That's a real brand killer. Most customers just want, and should expect, decent food and service. By not delivering either consistently customers will stop coming back. Complimentary or not, MBCS (marketing by customer service) after the fact is not good for the top or bottom line.
Yes, being aprt of Landry's has hurt their brand, to be sure.
So their regional manager called me and offered me their apologies and said they were going to fix the issue at the particular restaurant and offered to send me a gift card for my trouble. Oh boy! I got the gift card today: $25. That will barely buy you a drink at Mortons. Maybe I will use it at one of their other chains and see if things are better.
Interestingly, my wife and I went to another Olive Garden last week just to try them out again. The food arrived late and cold, and again, before we could complain, the manager came by and comped our entire meal. While it wasn't a great experience, we will give them another chance!
Morton's was acquired by Landry's hospitality group about a year ago. Now one of forty restaurants in the portfolio, their somewhat disinterested response is not a surprise. But then Morton's has been consistently underwhelming since expanding beyond Chicago. Customer attrition took it's toll once loyal customers realized the restaurant forgot the importance of offering a great customer experience and there were other places to get a good steak. Eventually a takeover target, Morton's is just another cog in the wheel of a conglomerate ready to exploit the brand, seeing the customer as a necessity and not a relationship. On the Landry's website (landrysinc.com), there's only one short reference to the customer. Interestingly enough, the page "Our Philosophy"(landrysinc.com/philosophy), has no reference to the customer at all. Strange but telling - one brand down, thirty-nine to go.
Olive Garden is one of only eight restaurants in the Darden restaurant group. Their stated mission: "Darden's core purpose is "to nourish and delight everyone we serve" and their place on the Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work Forsay it all. BTW, Darden also owns The Capital Grille, a competitor of Morton's. Unlike the many not-very-memorable meals I've had at Morton's, I remember every one I've had at The Capital Grille.
One reason might be due to the increase in volume. While a certain percentage of people might not want to complain in-person, what number of those have no qualms about typing some comments into an email, Facebook, Twitter, or an online comments form? I'd think it's a greater percentage than would take the time to call or write - then actually mail - a letter, pre-Internet.
I don't disagree with you at all, Sunita -- but if a company waits until the feedback process to check in on a customer, the damage may have already been irreversibly suffered.
Once a person's mind has been made up about something, it is very difficult to get them to change their mind. Better, then, to do address a customer concern before the concern leads to a "I'm never coming here again!" -- post-experience cathartic feedback or no.
At that point I probably would have -- very unhappily -- eaten around the charred outsides of my steak (rather than have been the guy who insisted on sending his steak back twice), and then perhaps never have gone back to the restaurant. The manager, by inviting me to share freely my realtime experiences with him, saved a customer that night.
It's still the old problem, companies neglecting customer feedback and delays in the process.
@kq4ym, I totally agree with you. I am surprised why companies neglect customer feedback. I guess many companies forget the fact that if customer is not happy then it will definitely impact the growth of the company.
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