Would you like fries with that?In 1993, McDonald’s became famous (or perhaps even infamous) for introducing us to larger portion sizes called “Supersized” meals. The idea was built upon previous consumer studies from the movie theatre industry, where they make all efforts to maximise the amount of revenue per customer. Introducing the larger sized meals represented a typical product extension; the key to their success was getting the employees to ask the customer if they wanted to supersize their meal – and their total bill! To ensure this happened, all McDonald’s had to do was ask the customer if the employees offered to “Supersize” them.
Several Fizzback clients have also adopted a customer-centric approach to ensure their employees are completing strategic tasks associated with a sales or service based transaction. This approach essentially asks the customer during a Fizzback administered post-transaction survey if the employee had completed all tasks.
• For a service-based transaction, the employee can proactively address first-bill questions, offer advice to setup the customer’s new equipment, or ask if they answered all their questions during the transaction.• For a sales-based transaction, the employee could offer additional products, warranties, or ask for customer referrals.
The results of the survey show which employees are adhering to the service or sales process. To ensure maximum adherence, employee incentives could be tied to the results. Another strong motivator is recognition, either by senior management or their peers. Celebrating top performers for adhering to sales and service processes becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, where other employees will seek similar recognition and also adhere to processes.
A relevant Fizzback case study shows a client of ours who included several process-adherence questions in their surveys on a rotating basis. They would ask customers if the Sales Representative had offered to demonstrate the product, and whether appropriate product accessories were suggested to them. We observed a 40% increase in product demonstrations and a related 19% lift in accessory sales!
So even though McDonald’s phased out Supersize meals in 2004, don’t be surprised we continue to see the lasting impression they’ve made on the overall customer experience.
Brian Powers
For more info on Fizzback, please visit www.fizzback.com