Walla Walla, Washington, the sleepy town near which my lovely bride and I moved a few months ago, generously lists its population at 30,000 people.  So, when a rock festival is scheduled to invade bringing 20,000 fans of Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters, Dawes, Flaming Lips and several other music acts, it is all hands on deck for the local businesses.  Since Lori (my lovely bride) works part time at Plumb Cellars, yours truly was drafted to work the door.   Given that I am 5’ 11” and 190 lbs, my immense physical presence made me the perfect candidate.  That, and I work for free.

My responsibility essentially boiled down to two tasks:  check everyone’s ID to verify they were 21 years of age or older, and forbid anyone from taking alcohol off the premise.  As such, this made me the first impression and last impression in creating a customer experience.  In my opinion, first impressions and last impressions are critical to how a customer views an experience, and Plumb Cellars was smack dab in the epicenter of the festival.  I felt like I was the ambassador for the local businesses and community at large.  With that in mind, I set out to contribute my part to service excellence.

First, I greeted each person with a smile and a compliment.  I was genuinely surprised by how much attention people put into their wardrobe selection for a rock festival.  The ladies dressed in colorful dresses and many of the guys clearly labored over finding just the right ironic tee shirt.  I made sure that I had a brief interaction with every person and used their name (since it was on their identification).  Many people traveled thousands of miles, even traversing entire continents and oceans, to arrive in Walla Walla.  I reveled in transforming a typically confrontational experience (“ID please”) into something joyful (“You two are an impossibly good looking couple.  Come on in, you will help us attract the cool people.”)

Second, during the occasional lulls – and they were brief – I would check on people at their tables.  As a special for this event, the winery was selling BBQ, wines by the glass, and wine slushies all at the bar or a counter.  As a certified advanced wine sommelier, I can honestly say that I have never had a wine slushie.  I can also almost assuredly say that I won’t, but I was curious as to their popularity.  Chatting up the folks near the door while maintaining a careful awareness of anyone coming or going gave me a chance to poll the crowd.  Not only did they enjoy the slushies, they seemed delighted that in the midst of rock and roll bedlam, someone would check on them mid-drink.

Third, I made it a point to thank each and every person for stopping by.  When they told me how much they liked the experience, I made sure to tell them to send others.  “Have them ask for Dave and I will take care of them.  They beamed just at the thought of being an out of towner who could name drop about a local winery.  As my shift continued, I would often hear, “You must be Dave,” as new customers approached; a sure sign of a referral.

Of course, there were a few of those rogue customers who were hell bent on taking their drinks to the street; I had to devise an upbeat way to forbid these persistent patrons.  My approach was to compliment them on their initiative.  “I see you over there trying to smuggle a slushie out of here,” I said with a big smile.  “I could tell you were trouble when you walked in.” You’re lucky I don’t call for a cavity search.”  Okay, I was very selective when using that last line.  Know your audience and all.  But what I did do is smile, laugh, and generally make light of any folks who tried to push past the door with their frozen fermentation.  I would call them by name or a complimentary nickname related to our brief conversation at the door.  I would offer to monitor them for brain freeze, or suggest they finish it on the patio, which would give them the illusion of having successfully escaped the confines of the building with contraband on their person.  By being jovial rather than stern, not one single person protested.  

Those four strategies translate directly to any service excellence approach:  

• Smile, use names, and strike an immediate and positive tone with a customer
• Get feedback DURING the experience when you can react immediately, not just afterward
• Make sure your final impression is as good as your first one and don’t hesitate to ask for referrals
• If you find yourself having to manage a customer, do so with the same smile and positivity that you would display when handling their requests.

I experienced many rock concerts in my reckless youth.  Many, I even have some vague recollection.  While I didn’t see one band perform all day (although I could hear them), I think this will go down as my favorite.  There’s just something special about delivering an exceptional customer experience in the most unexpected of scenarios.