One up, all others down. How you ask?

I love it when I am right!

Except in this case.

For years I have been saying there is an insidious decline in the customer / patient experience. Recently, the annual study by ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) proved my point.

Customer satisfaction is down for the 3rd year in a row. Another 1% drop to 77.4% from a an already low score of 78.1%.

But a couple of companies bucked the trend and went UP! Trader Joe’s being one of them.

Now if you have never been to a Trader Joe’s Grocery, these places ROCK! They tend to be smaller stores than a typical Acme, Wegman’s, Publix or Stop-n-shop. But don’t let the size fool you. (Yes, size doesn’t matter)

These places are a beehive of activity. Fresh produce, Organic items, Coffee tastings (NOT an in store Starbucks), Hawaiian Shirt wearing employees, and fantastic selection. No plastic grocery bags! And don’t forget the bell ringing PA system. More on that in a minute.

They started as a small convenience store in LA back in the 1950’s. But realizing the convenience store model was not working, owner Joe “The Trader Joe” Coulombe opened his first grocery store in 1967.

Joe got his inspiration from of all places, Disneyland, after getting off the Jungle Cruise!

To this day, Trader Joe’s Crew Members consider themselves “traders on the culinary seas” and are known for their bright, tropical-patterned shirts and for generally being nice, helpful, and well informed.

So, what does a grocery store have to do with your business?
Altogether now… EVERYTHING!

Let’s dissect the last couple paragraphs:

• Joe got his inspiration from outside of the grocery industry. This would be a game changer that would separate and elevate him above the competition. Where do you get your inspiration? Do you just look inside your industry or do you venture out?
• Employees are called “Crew Members”, just like Disney employees are called cast members. In my carpet cleaning business my employees are called “Textile Professionals”. A lawyer friend of mine calls his receptionist “The Director of First Impressions”.
• These crew members are on stage playing a role; that of “traders on the high seas”. Dressed in fun shirts, these traders are highly trained about the products they sell. Ask the produce guy or gal about the avocados and they will tell you country of origin, how to tell if they are ripe and even a recipe or two beyond guacamole. How informed are your employees?
• Finally, the bell ringing... The bells are a kind of Trader Joe’s Morse code. Those horrible PA systems (that you can’t understand anyway) just didn’t feel right to them, so they came up with a simple system to communicate, à la their maritime (Trader’s on the culinary seas) association.
• One bell lets their Crew know when to open another register. Two bells mean there are additional questions that need to be answered at the checkout. Three bells call over a manager-type person. And Three short bells–two long bells–three short bells… now they’re just playing.

Later in the first quarter of 2020, I will be announcing an opportunity for you to have me be your personal “Client / Patient Experience Coach”. And employee engagement, themeing and story telling are some of the things we will be covering.

Author of the book “Systematic Magic, 7 Magic Keys to Disnify Any Business”

For more on Disney Style Service and small business marketing or having Vance speak at your next event or meeting, check out the free special report “Systematic MAGIC, How to Disnify Any Business”. Vance Morris is a Walt Disney World Resort Management Alumni, having spent 10 years as an executive in the Resorts. He runs the only Disney Service & Direct Response Marketing business on the planet. Here he coaches companies to create Disney Style Service Systems and then monetize them through direct response marketing. He is also the longest reigning GKIC Marketer of the Year. He can be reached at www.DeliverServiceNow.com or vance@deliverprofitsnow.com .

For speaking engagements, please visit www.vancemorris.com