Training and customer service go hand in hand

Successful multi-unit franchisees will take wisdom wherever they find it. David Plait, a Michigan-based Hungry Howie's franchisee, recently found it at the breakfast table.

He asked his wife Kimberly her thoughts on customer expectations. She told him that she's always looking for value at a restaurant, grocery store, or dry cleaners, but she's more concerned with how she's treated.

"I said, 'Does that mean if things don't go exactly as you want at the dry cleaners, but the person behind the counter is pleasant, you're still okay with that experience?'" Plait recalls. "And she said, 'I am. Mistakes will happen. What I can't tolerate is somebody on the opposite side of the phone call or the opposite side of the counter not recognizing that I decided to come here. I could've gone somewhere else.'"

Plait says Kimbery explained the franchise owner's duty better than he could've done. Price and quality matter, but in the competitive business world, fortunes turn on meeting and exceeding customers' expectations about how they should be treated.

"I've seen many great minds go around and around with this issue, but she touched on it almost immediately," Plait says. "It's the personal touch that truly matters most. Today's consumer is looking for service and an experience."

The goal is to make sure every team member knows what high-quality customer service is and how to deliver it. Plait says older workers at his restaurants are likely to understand because they've been in the workforce and know what works. However, younger generations respond to specific training on how to make customers feel like they chose the right business to frequent.

To be fair, Plait says younger workers come in the door with their own set of benefits. They innately understand the importance of Yelp or Google reviews while older workers aren't always concerned about online reviews.

Plait and his managers used to bring new employees in on a Friday night, otherwise known as family pizza night. The point was to expose them to the pace that the busiest times demanded.

"We've realized that this newer generation, for the most part, doesn't respond to training in a pressured environment," he says. "We take it more slowly now."

The company created a learning center, which is a collection of 41 videos that cover most aspects of working at a pizza restaurant, including filling out a W-2, assembling a pizza, and providing standout service. Each video runs for approximately three minutes.

"They watch the first eight as part of the onboarding process, and they have 33 to go," he says. "They're paid to view them because we discovered that a percentage either didn't view or didn't dig deep enough into the messaging. Isn't that crazy? Is it worth $150 to $200 to get them to go through the videos?"

That's a question franchise owners have to ask themselves. Plait says the upfront investment of resources and time means his team members are more likely to treat customers the way Kimberly Plait knows they should be treated.

"You know, the training and education are to get our team members to fulfill the promise to our customers and meet and exceed their expectations," he says. "This younger generation of workers thrives on knowing that their actions can influence the choices guests make. We need to ensure that each guest—our guest—enjoys their experience with us."