I’ve been meaning to post this story for a couple of weeks but due to the fact that I’m trying to be Superwoman this summer, I’ve barely had time to sleep, much less write. More on the “Superwoman Summer” later…
People like to complain. Complaining is easier than taking the time to notice what someone is doing right. It’s a cinch to point out what they are doing wrong. And, social media tools make it even easier to blast out your dissatisfaction with the world. As the brand, if you aren’t listening to what people are saying, you miss an opportunity to turn that unhappy customer’s frown upside down, so to speak. The reality is that someone who is passionate about communicating what they don’t like about you or your brand could, with a little extra TLC, be turned into someone who tells everyone how great you are. They simply want to be heard, acknowledged, and have their problem addressed in a respectful way. This story is a textbook example of how to do that.
As you may (or may not) know, I am allergic to gluten. I have Celiac disease. Therefore, I cannot eat bread. Most of the time, this isn’t a big deal but when I go to a place that specializes in hamburgers, I sit there eating mine with a fork or, worse, between two leaves of lettuce. Kind of takes away from the whole “burger” experience. Even when eating at home, I’ve had a hard time finding good hamburger buns. French fries, which I love to eat from time to time, are another issue. Potatoes are gluten-free but restaurants fry them in the same oil as battered onion rings and therefore cross contaminate them with gluten so they are a no-no on a gluten-free diet. Enter Yeah! Burger. They not only serve a burger on a gluten-free bun but with <drumroll> gluten-free french fries, too! Yeah? No, Yaaaaaaaaay!!!!! I cannot tell you how long it had been since I have eaten a burger and fries. Granted, not the healthiest thing in the world but a nice treat every once in awhile. Oh! And, they have gluten-free beer to wash all that down. I’ve been overindulging in burgers and fries since they opened possibly to make up for all this time where I’ve been deprived. Anyway…needless to say, I’m a raving fan. So, I have been inviting others to have lunch or dinner there whenever possible. They serve up normal-people food, too and from what I hear, it is delicious. Like the onion rings. I miss those. Mmmmm…onion rings. Oh, sorry…back to my story.
I decided to invite two friends to have dinner with me. Robyn rode with me and we were meeting my friend David there. As David was pulling into what he assumed was the only parking lot, which was full, he got frustrated because he wasn’t sure where he was going to park. As he was waiting to exit the full lot, he Tweeted that he and Yeah! Burger were “not off to a good start.” He had already been dealing with a customer service issue with his cell phone provider so I think his fuse was pretty short that day. In any case, his Tweet was very vague so it would be difficult to know what he was talking about. One might assume the food or service. Anyway, he found the large parking deck behind the restaurant, parked, and came on in. He ordered his food and sat down. As he was finishing his meal, a Yeah! Burger employee (Russell, the manager) c
ame over to ask him if something was wrong. At first, he looked puzzled. Russell explained that they had seen his Twitter post and just wanted to make sure everything was okay. David then remembered what he had written and he told Russell that he hadn’t realized the parking situation and suggested that a sign might be helpful telling customers that more parking is available behind the restaurant. Russell agreed. David was also pretty astounded that the people at Yeah! Burger were monitoring their brand in real time. He thanked Russell for his attention and concern. Now the folks at Yeah! Burger understood what was behind the vague Tweet from David. Needless to say, we were all quite impressed. I’m not sure David is a “raving fan” but he’s certainly no longer a “disgruntled customer” as it would have appeared from his Tweet. Of course, I was already a raving fan so I’m not sure what the next step from that is. Stalker? That’s it! I am a Yeah! Burger stalker. I seriously eat there way too much. Again, I’m making up for lost time. Next blog post: “Stephanie Joins Weight Watchers.”
Anyway, the lesson here is a good one. Don’t ignore your complaining customers. You can learn a lot from them even if you don’t turn them into a raving fan. But, most likely, someone passionate about sharing their views with others will want to talk about the attention they received and how that made a difference in their customer experience. Just ask Frank Eliason, formerly of @comcastcares on Twitter. He and his team did a great job of turning lots of disgruntled customers (including me!) into raving fans. I’m sure he will be missed.
I’m now craving a burger…wonder why?
