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Chick-fil-A’s Service Focus, It’s the Small Things that Matter

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I took my family to Chick-fil-A recently for a school fundraiser. The local restaurant was donating a portion of the proceeds to a local school and I wanted to support the event. I had heard a lot about Chick-fil-A’s customer service focus and I was interested in seeing for myself.

Staff it Right

On a weeknight and during dinner time, I was worried about having to battle a crowd at the restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the staff at the restaurant had prepared for the rush and had more than plenty of people ready to serve a restaurant full of customers, without delays. Even with a full restaurant, but I walked in and within 30 seconds was already placing the order for the family.

The Smallest Thing Blew Me Away

After seating the family, I headed over to the counter for some condiments and utensils and there I found something that blew me away. Amongst the assortment of items, I found little tiny cups wrapped in ribbon. Inside the cups…cheerios. A sign above them said that even the little ones can have something at the restaurant. Being a customer service fanatic is tough, you spend so much time and energy on awesome customer service that the mediocre service offered at most places is disappointing. Chick-fil-A is a bright star in a market of duds. When the competition is struggling to just get started in customer service, Chick-fil-A is already going the second mile. Cheryl with ServiceUntitled points out:

It’s not the extra mile of service franchises bring to Chick-fil-A; it’s been described as the second extra mile. It’s where new franchise owners can take up to a year to come aboard. They have worked in the restaurant, gone through countless interviews, involved their families in the business, and identify with corporate values. All Chick-fil-A’s for instance, are closed on Sundays as a day of rest and prayer. While it’s not mandatory to be Christian, all owners must have demonstrated a special passion, humility, and genuineness.

This mentality translates to the quality of service that they provide. It’s not just a business, it’s a lifestyle. The people involved aren’t just doing a job, they’re making a difference. The idea behind it all is to create customer loyalty and through service, coupons, special events, and community functions, create “ambassadors” to spread the good word of Chick-fil-A to others who may just think of the restaurant as another fast food chain.

I’m not big on fast food, especially when taking the family out for a meal, but Chick-fil-A has won me over. I won’t hesitate to visit them again and tell everyone about my amazing experience.

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Flavio Martins

Flavio is the VP of Customer Support at an award winning global customer service team.

As a customer experience blogger, and customer service fanatic, bad service keeps him up at night so he's on a mission to show that excellent service can be consistent, simple, and easy.

  • albrtwhite

    Staffing is arguably *the* most important aspect of customer service. If you don’t have the right people in place, nothing else will matter. Customer service is about the people, plain and simple.

    • http://www.themana.gr Flavio @ TheMana.gr

      Isn’t it? If you look at companies that are known for service, it’s always about personal connections and the personal touch in service. I can’t think of too many people that are in love with automated systems and phone mazes.

      In the end, to make connections and create great customer experiences, you need people. It doesn’t always have to be face-to-face, technology can be used to make connections more efficient, but there will need to be people connecting with each other to have the maximum impact in the customer experience.

    • http://www.themana.gr/ themanagr

      @albrtwhite Isn’t it? If you look at companies that are known for service, it’s always about personal connections and the personal touch in service. I can’t think of too many people that are in love with automated systems and phone mazes.

      In the end, to make connections and create great customer experiences, you need people. It doesn’t always have to be face-to-face, technology can be used to make connections more efficient, but there will need to be people connecting with each other to have the maximum impact in the customer experience.

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