Are we asking our customers the most useful questions when it comes to Customer Service?

Are we asking our customers the most useful questions when it comes to Customer Service? 

Why even think about this question?

Well a recent trip to Florida got me thinking after a brief encounter with the manager of a restaurant there. I'd never been to this particular steakhouse before, but had driven past it a couple of times on trips out and liked the look of it. I checked out the trip advisor feedback and everyone said how great it was - so decided to give it a go. It didn't disappoint. Both the food and the service were outstanding. We got seated really quickly, the server was both informative and attentive, giving us recommendations when we told her it was our first visit and the food was beautiful too.

At the end of our meal the manager came over and asked "Was everything okay for you?" to which I replied " Everything was better than okay. Everything was great"

It was this very question that prompted this article, it got me thinking, were they only looking for everything to be okay and nothing more? Was that the purpose of the question? From how they behaved it was clear that they aimed for their service to be much more than just okay, so why didn't they ask "was everything excellent" or "did we exceed your expectations" because that is clearly what they were aiming for. I know that such a question may be out of the ordinary but at least it sets the tone of where you want to be.

"What did we do that was great today?" - now that's a useful question - a bold one - but a useful one. Certainly a question that might take some customers by surprise, but certainly they'll remember you. And if they can't tell you anything great you did today, they might have some ideas what you can do tomorrow that's great instead.

Just something for you to think about....