How important is customer service? If you’ve had a really bad or really great customer service experience, then you know the qualities that can make all the difference. Today’s show introduces you to someone who believes there are small steps that can transform the way businesses interact with customers.
Kate Edwards is an author, speaker, and customer service expert who’s based in NYC. Throughout her 28 years in the service industry, she has learned firsthand how to manage high volume while maintaining impeccable standards. With the mission to bring exceptional service to the service industry, Kate launched her full-service hospitality consulting business in 2007. For the past 8 years, Kate has also been an instructor for culinary education, where she’s helped hundreds of future chefs navigate their own careers and create their own success stories. In this episode, Kate and I discuss her definition and core principles for great service, how genuinely caring for your guests is essential to the bottom line, and why satisfaction, not perfection, is the path to prosperity.
The “back of the house
As a teenager, Kate worked on Cape Cod during the summer at an ice cream parlor/burger joint, joining the ranks of the “summer girls.” Even though she admitted that she couldn’t cook, she got the job, which taught her to love the restaurant business. She wanted to learn more but knew she wanted to be where the “fun” was – at the front of the house. After college, she moved to NYC and worked ragtag jobs, both singing and waitressing and working as a Maitre d’. She spent the next two years moving up the ranks and learning at some of NYC’s finest restaurants, and then she opened her consulting business, with the mission to help people improve their customer service.
Finding her one thing
Kate loved performing; after all, she was a theater major in college. She loved the restaurant world as well, and it soon became clear which career would pay the bills. She had an instinct for what was good and where to learn new things. Being forced to talk to people helped her overcome her inherent shyness and blossom into a poised and confident person. Singing fell to second place because it wasn’t the one thing that made her feel comfortable and confident, like working in a busy restaurant.
“Geeking out” on service
For Kate, geeking out on service became a daily practice, always looking to improve upon the logistics of taking care of customers with synchronized and flawless service. She took great pride in perfecting the art of “putting down plates” perfectly. It’s a testament to the fact that she truly loved what she did and found joy in the geekiness. Whatever your passion, it all comes down to finding enjoyment in the little things.
Rocking it
The world of restaurant consulting is a heavily male-dominated field. The growth of Kate’s business was purely organic and came solely through word-of-mouth for the first 10 years. She explains the great sense of community that exists within the restaurant business, and even today, she has a network of female consultant peers who collaborate and connect with each other. Kate’s work is similar to what you’ve seen on TV shows about improving restaurants through a consultant’s help, but the main caution she gives is that change takes time.
Hello!
Why did Kate Edwards write her book, Hello! And Every Little Thing That Matters? The answer is simple: many of us fail to realize the importance of a proper greeting, especially in the restaurant business. The book is Kate’s effort to bring back the lost art of greeting people. Kate has received an enthusiastic response to the book, which can also be applied to other fields and every other business, and not just restaurants. The book is intended to be a how-to manual to help people – no matter what their occupation.
The potential of customer service
Around the world, some cultures are more adept at customer service; it just comes naturally in some places, but not in others. Customer service at its core is simply about human connection. Being thoughtful, decent, and kind can change people’s lives. Kate Edwards tells a personal experience of how one person can have much power over an unlimited number of customers, simply by giving attentive customer service. In the customer service realm, you have the potential to totally change someone’s day.
The core principles of great service
“Be decent. It goes a long way.” How often do we appreciate the value of looking someone in the eye and greeting them? Kate encourages the “3 and 10 rule,” which means you say hello within 3 seconds to anyone within 10 feet of you. It’s a simple acknowledgment that says, “I see you.” It’s the little attention to details that let people know that they matter. Kate explains why being on eye level is super important to let people know that you value their presence.
Dealing with people
Within human interactions, there are many chances for misinterpretation. Ask questions to be sure you’re on the right path, and use negotiation to find the place of satisfaction. Kate Edwards’ advice is to be careful about complaining because no one wants to be around a complainer. Businesses have to understand what the impact is when people speak up, but they want to know when something isn’t right, so they can fix it.
Customer experience vs. customer service
The customer experience is what we want them to feel: at ease, at home, “wowed,” and excited. It’s the human touch that starts at the first moment of contact. Customer service is what we do on the inside that impacts the customer. Kate Edwards calls it “the blueprint of service” or “the steps of service.” Putting service first means hiring the right people in the culture that values service and humanity. In hiring, ask open questions and talk about values. Find out if a potential hire has the willingness to connect with people.
Highlights of this episode:
- 1:15 – Starting out as a short-order cook
- 1:20 – The moves that led to Kate’s opening her own business
- 3:13 – A compelling career path
- 6:40 – Geeking out on service
- 9:51 – The unique role of a woman as a restaurant consultant
- 11:41 – How Kate’s work parallels the TV shows about restaurant consultants
- 13:53 – Why Kate wrote the book
- 17:49 – How customer service has changed
- 20:33 – Customer service from city to city
- 22:47 – Kate’s core principles
- 26:33 – The importance of details
- 31:17 – How eye level sends a message
- 34:35 – How to improve customer service
- 41:07 – The difference between customer experience and customer service
- 43:30 – How to hire the right people
- 47:35 – The Fem Five
Resources Mentioned:
- Hello!: And Every Little Thing That Matters by Kate Edwards
- Kate’s Website: www.kateedwardscompany.com
- Find Kate Edwards on Twitter: @expect2bebetter
- Find Kate Edwards on Instagram: KateEdwardsCompany
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins
The Fem Five:
1. Favorite book to recommend for women?
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
2. Favorite self-care hack?
- “Getting outdoors, without phone and earbuds. I like to find trees and dirt and absorb nature.”
3. Best piece of advice and who gave it to you?
- “Jane Fonda said, ‘You can have it all, but not at the same time’.”
4. Female CEO or thought leader you’re into right now?
- Mel Robbins, who wrote The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work and Confidence with Everyday Courage
5. One piece of advice you’d give your five years younger self?
- “Your efforts make an impact. You don’t always have to prove it – just trust it.”
Last Time on The NextFem Podcast
A Group of Women Take on the Giants of Tech – with Stephanie Scapa
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