3 ways your employees engage your Customers

Customer Engagement is a contact sport – When dealing with Customers face-to-face, there are three ways employees can engage with Customers: incidental contact, secondary contact, and primary contact. Don’t just tell your employees to be present or to provide genuine hospitality without telling them how. Make it black & white, and make it measurable. One of my favorite hospitality systems for making a Customer connection is the “5 E’s.”

1. Eye contact
2. Ear-to-Ear smile
3. Enthusiastic greeting
4. Engage
5. Educate

It is important to note that not all 5 E’s should be used in every Customer encounter, as some might appear unrealistic in certain circumstances.

Incidental contact – This is traditionally very brief, like a walk by, seeing the Customers (coming within 10 feet), but not necessarily coming in direct contact with them where you are going to have a conversation. This can be absolutely anyone in your business, from the President to the maintenance personnel. In these cases, only the first two E’s should be executed every time and take a total of two seconds to execute:

1. Eye contact
2. Ear-to-ear smile

Secondary contact – This type of contact with the Customer is usually some type of support team, i.e. hostess, greeter, or receptionist. The first three E’s should be executed every time and these also take a total of two seconds to execute simultaneously:

1. Eye contact
2. Ear-to-ear smile
3. Enthusiastic greet

Primary contact – This encounter is involved, it is typically with the main person who is providing you service, i.e. a service provider, account executive, consultant, or Customer service rep. All five E’s need to be executed every time. The first three only take a few seconds to execute, the fourth and fifth ‘E’ are a little more detailed, can be done extremely quickly and efficiently, and are where the relationships are made, and expertise is demonstrated.

1. Eye contact
2. Ear-to-ear smile
3. Enthusiastic greet
4. Engage

• Use your name
• Use Customer’s name
• Provide Secret Service (FORD, Customer intelligence)

5. Educate

• Ask “Is there is anything else I can do for you?”

Johnism

Secret Service is not something you do; it is something that is in you, it is something in all areas of your life,
from your Customers to employees, family, and neighbors.