The Secret to Service Excellence

Jackie Carpenter 09/12/2018

When I heard Bryan Williams speak at the World Conference on Club Management a few years ago, I knew he was special. Bryan is a keynote speaker, consultant, author and noted authority on service excellence. What made him different from the hundreds of other “service experts” I’ve heard speak is that he provided clear, actionable takeaways for each concept he identified. He didn’t just say “you need to provide great service and here’s why,” instead he explained whatto do specifically and howto do it. He explained the steps in a way that left no room for interpretation and they were so clear that they could easily be replicated by others. 

In the club business “excellence” has to be the name of our game! The tricky part is that we have to provide excellence consistently. That’s where so many clubs miss the mark. One day it’s outstanding and the next day it’s average. If we want to truly provide an experience of excellence than perhaps we need to use Bryan Williams as the example. Take a deeper look at your training and employee education. Are you telling your people “you need to provide great service and here’s why” or are you teaching your employees what to doand how to do it specifically?

Too many times we generalize “service,” expecting others to understand what we mean and don’t provide clear, actionable takeaways. For example, a server might be trained that good service means “food and drinks are served promptly.” The “promptly” is left up to their interpretation! Training and employee education should be clear and specific. Train employees to deliver drinks within three minutes and food within 16 minutes after taking the order. This is clear, actionable and measureable; “prompt” is none of these.

As you look to elevate your member service and ensure consistency throughout your club, follow the example of Bryan Williams, service excellence extraordinaire and teach your people specifically “whatto do and howto do it!”