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Customer Service Lesson From KFC Manager.

by Claude Whitacre
29 replies
Guys. This happened yesterday afternoon.

I go to the local KFC about once a week. I buy a 10 piece bucket of grilled chicken. I get charged $10. They ring it up as all dark meat, and then serve the regular pieces. The manager is a customer, and set this up a few years ago. It's what I eat for lunch, nearly every day, at my store.

So...yesterday, a new guy is behind the counter. I say "I want a 10 piece bucket, grilled, all dark meat".

He says, "We do not have 10 piece buckets, Sir". He was really nice about it.
I said, "OK, the manager knows how to do this. You ring it up as 10 pieces of dark meat, and it comes to $10".
He said, "Sir. we do not have 10 piece buckets of chicken"

Claude; "I understand. Any manager can ring this up. I've done this dozens of times".

Him; "Sir, you don't understand, we don't have 10 piece buckets".

Claude; "No problem, thank you anyway"...and I walked out.

My store is a mile away from the KFC. About 30 minutes later, the manager comes in with a 10 piece bucket of grilled chicken. "I'm so sorry. The guy was new. He had no idea how to ring it up. I saw you leave, and I didn't want you to think we forgot about our deal. Here. Take this with my compliments".

I reached in my pocket to get the $10. "No, it was my fault. It's on the house".

I asked, "Are you on your way home?"
She said, "No. On my lunch break."

I took out a $50 bill. She said, "No, it's free".
I said, "I know. This is for you". She hesitated a second, and took it.

She went out of her way to rectify an unintended slight. I wasn't upset at all. I understood why the new guy couldn't help me. She went the extra mile on her own time.

Customer service, like that isn't soon forgotten. Just a thought.
#customer #kfc #lesson #manager #service
  • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
    Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

    Customer service, like that isn't soon forgotten. Just a thought.
    About a month ago my mothers minivan broke down half a dozen states away from her home.

    Waiting with the car for help she was bored and called me.

    When I found out where she was, I realized she was only a few hours away
    from where I send my performance parts to be machined.

    So I called them. Asked if they knew any trustworthy business that
    I could call to get her help.

    What did they do? - no recommendations. They went and picked her up
    with a flat bed and then fixed her mini van .... for FREE.

    Previous to this i was questioning the merit of sending my parts so far
    because of the turn around time and cost.

    Now - I'll take it on the chin, they earned a customer for life.
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  • Profile picture of the author BarbaraP
    Last summer my daughter's car wouldn't start. She and her boyfriend were under the hood in 100 degree Houston heat and humidity. An insurance guy who's office was down the street drove by and came back 5 minutes later with bottles of cold water and an auto repair guy who was at his office for an appointment. Got the car started in 10 minutes. That State Farm agent got 3 new clients from that 15 minutes of random kindness. And the auto repair guy has 3 car repair clients forever. This kind of customer service is just "treat others the way you want to be treated" and it comes back to you so many times over.
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  • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
    What an interesting story. I guess I wasn't sure what I was going to read, but I hope everyone learned a golden nugget from this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mav91890
    KFC every day? Haha, if I did that I wouldn't be able to fit through my door. Thanks for the story Claude, an excellent example of giving the customer a wow moment that earns a long term relationship.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Pines
      Originally Posted by Mav91890 View Post

      KFC every day? Haha, if I did that I wouldn't be able to fit through my door. Thanks for the story Claude, an excellent example of giving the customer a wow moment that earns a long term relationship.


      Actually, grilled chicken is a pretty healthy option. You've just got to stay away from the deep-fried chicken, and the fries, and the ice-cream...
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      • Profile picture of the author Chris Grable
        Originally Posted by The Pines View Post

        Actually, grilled chicken is a pretty healthy option. You've just got to stay away from the deep-fried chicken, and the fries, and the ice-cream...
        Sure, it's healthy! The total absence of taste, however, keeps me going back to fried...


        Chris
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by Chris Grable View Post

          Sure, it's healthy! The total absence of taste, however, keeps me going back to fried...


          Chris
          Chris; I admit, Original is about as good as it gets. But the grilled is pretty good too. And I get to pretend that it's part of a conscientious diet plan.
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          • Profile picture of the author Chris Grable
            I'm sort of old school, Claude. If it's not fried... it's not chicken. Gotta be dark meat too.

            Same thing goes for fish.... I want mine fried or... fried.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        and the food...

        Originally Posted by The Pines View Post

        Actually, grilled chicken is a pretty healthy option. You've just got to stay away from the deep-fried chicken, and the fries, and the ice-cream...
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        • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
          Originally Posted by DABK View Post

          and the food...
          I've reviewed most of the food research over the past 15 years
          and have concluded that all food is somewhat bad for you, and all
          food is somewhat good for you.

          Except, without a doubt, all artificial sweeteners, food coloring,
          and MSG are bad for you.
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          • Profile picture of the author savidge4
            Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

            I've reviewed most of the food research over the past 15 years
            and have concluded that all food is somewhat bad for you, and all
            food is somewhat good for you.

            Except, without a doubt, all artificial sweeteners, food coloring,
            and MSG are bad for you.

            Milk causes cancer and life causes death... - I will agree with Artificial sweetners tho! LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Mav91890 View Post

      KFC every day? Haha, if I did that I wouldn't be able to fit through my door. Thanks for the story Claude, an excellent example of giving the customer a wow moment that earns a long term relationship.
      You should know that I am very sensitive about my weight. And was feeling pretty good about myself, until you made fun of me. Now, I'm sad, and eating a whole bucket of chicken sounds pretty good...as I wallow in self pity.

      Originally Posted by The Pines View Post

      Actually, grilled chicken is a pretty healthy option. You've just got to stay away from the deep-fried chicken, and the fries, and the ice-cream...
      Oh great. Now I also want to eat a large order of fries, and a gallon of ice cream.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mav91890
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        You should know that I am very sensitive about my weight. And was feeling pretty good about myself, until you made fun of me. Now, I'm sad, and eating a whole bucket of chicken sounds pretty good...as I wallow in self pity.



        Oh great. Now I also want to eat a large order of fries, and a gallon of ice cream.
        Lmao, you made my day with that
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  • Profile picture of the author Talltom1
    For me this is an absolutely fascinating thread.

    99.9% of the people that inhabit the WarriorForum are completely blinded and caught up by the game of 'competing' and 'selling' and creating a more effective marketing funnel.

    Think about the overall dynamic in each of the awesome stories above.... and how the person or the business paid rapt attention to 'taking care of people' without expecting a payback. People...you can't freakin' BUY that kind of advertising!!

    Sure it was an investment of time to deliver a bucket of chicken during that lunch hour or walking across the street with a few bottles of water, or driving a few hours to pickup a disabled vehicle.

    But did you ever think that these business people just received a customer for life? That people can't pay you enough for future products and services you supply (i.e. Claude puts away the 10 dollar bill and pulls out a 50)? That they will spread the virtues of your business like a missionary with passion? No more selling the virtues of your product / service. No more competing on price. No more "my product is better because....". No more justifications or explanations about why they should do business with you. In the future these customers simply operate on the basis of, "I need more of your stuff...send it over along with the bill because I know you'll take care of me."

    The message people receive when you 'walk the talk' is a H*** of a lot louder than when you just 'talk the talk'. And its far more profitable.

    T/
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    And you sell this chicken to Riffle for how much?

    This reminds me of an old study that found when people have good service,
    they tell a handful of people. Bad service, they tell everybody.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I have a story to share too. I have diabetes and part of that is having to care for my feet and toes. I see a podiatrist regularly. I had a day when I accidentally stubbed my big toe quite badly.
    To put this in perspective, I get swollen feet so I live in sandals 99% of the time but 2 days after this I had to dress up as it was a mate's wedding AND I was best man. I certainly had to wear decent shoes.

    I rang my podiatrist as she always says ring if there is an issue and she will try to fit me in.

    On this day she was on a holiday about 90 mins drive from me.
    She said she would come and fix my toe.

    So she drove the 90 mins, came and fixed my one toe.
    Here is where it is amazing.
    1. She did not charge me for it.
    2. I thought she was heading home but she fixed the toe and then drove back to her holiday house.
    3. She said if it is still playing up, let her know.

    I was astounded at her coming and then going back to her holiday, and not charging me anything.

    She already knows I am a client for life but a few months later her husband needed some help with content for a website.
    So there I go...my chance to pay it back. I did what he needed at no cost.

    I have also sent at least 4 people I know to her that have actually gone to see her. But i have told a lot more than that about her excellent services (not that she did me a freebie as that may cause problems for her).

    People are kind if you are kind. It's when you're a jerk that they tend to behave the same way.
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    • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      I have a story to share too. I have diabetes and part of that is having to care for my feet and toes. I see a podiatrist regularly. I had a day when I accidentally stubbed my big toe quite badly.
      To put this in perspective, I get swollen feet so I live in sandals 99% of the time but 2 days after this I had to dress up as it was a mate's wedding AND I was best man. I certainly had to wear decent shoes.

      I rang my podiatrist as she always says ring if there is an issue and she will try to fit me in.

      On this day she was on a holiday about 90 mins drive from me.
      She said she would come and fix my toe.

      So she drove the 90 mins, came and fixed my one toe.
      Here is where it is amazing.
      1. She did not charge me for it.
      2. I thought she was heading home but she fixed the toe and then drove back to her holiday house.
      3. She said if it is still playing up, let her know.

      I was astounded at her coming and then going back to her holiday, and not charging me anything.

      She already knows I am a client for life but a few months later her husband needed some help with content for a website.
      So there I go...my chance to pay it back. I did what he needed at no cost.

      I have also sent at least 4 people I know to her that have actually gone to see her. But i have told a lot more than that about her excellent services (not that she did me a freebie as that may cause problems for her).

      People are kind if you are kind. It's when you're a jerk that they tend to behave the same way.
      Laurence,

      Wonderful story. Thank goodness you don't live in the United States. You would have lost both feet.

      I happen to be part of a program that gets durable medical equipment for people on Medicare or who have insurance. It's a great program. One of the DME items is called a Stabilizer. In the real world we call it a bootie or a sock.

      It is designed with a non-slip sole for stability and it increases blood flow. This can provide temporary pain relief from diabetic neuropathy.

      I am NOT selling anything here. I will send you a pair for FREE in memory of my mother who had diabetes for 45 of her 76 years. No strings, no handouts, no now you owe me.

      PM me with your address and shoe size and I'll do the paperwork. Because you are out of country, it'll take a few weeks before you see them.

      Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Wow Tom. That is a very generous offer. I truly appreciate it. I will pm you now.
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    • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      Wow Tom. That is a very generous offer. I truly appreciate it. I will pm you now.
      So Claude doesn't fell like we hijacked his thread, eat some chicken before you read my email.

      BTW, ice cream is not the bad guy it has been painted. Granted you don't want to eat a quart at a time but having it for dessert two times a week is in fact good for you.

      And Claude, you are absolutely 100% correct. Kindness and being a nice guy is always the style du jour and will get rewarded.
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  • Profile picture of the author daniyal100
    Hope she got increment from the owner for this act of kindness.
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  • Profile picture of the author Talltom1
    So...now that the thread has completely done a sharp left turn, and become a discussion about food, diabetes, health, etc....oh, what the heck, Claude won't mind if I hijack his thread...

    I'd read some research report, perhaps 2-3 years ago, some of you may even have seen it. Basically what it said, was that the high temps of cooking created carcinogens in food. The article stated that exposing the organics in food like vegetables and meat to very high temps broke down the chemical composition of the food, resulting in the formation of carcinogens. So the conclusion was that cooking food on your grill, fried foods, and especially potato products like chips was not a good thing to do.

    If eating is hazardous to my health, I might as well resign myself to my fate. Eating is a hobby.

    T/
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Talltom1 View Post

      So...now that the thread has completely done a sharp left turn, and become a discussion about food, diabetes, health, etc....oh, what the heck, Claude won't mind if I hijack his thread...
      I do mind.. My lawyers will be in touch.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlphaWarrior
    Acts of kindness go a long way. Simply treating people the way you want to be treated also goes a long way.

    Had a car accident some years ago. When I call the insurance company's regional office, I always got a brief recorded message from the president of the company thanking me for my business and saying that in a second, I would be talking to a real live person. Sure enough, every time, and I mean every time, as soon as the president's welcome message ended, I got a real live person. There was no waiting.

    Also, they went out of their way to help me, give me good service, and treat me fairly.

    The last time I had an accident, it was the same way. With them, I have never had to go through the number pushing maze to get to the right person. And I have never been given the run around by one of their adjusters.

    As long as things do not change, State Farm, Nationwide, GEICO, Progressive, etc. do not stand a chance of getting my business even though they may be a little bit cheaper.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by AlphaWarrior View Post

      Acts of kindness go a long way. Simply treating people the way you want to be treated also goes a long way.

      Had a car accident some years ago. When I call the insurance company's regional office, I always got a brief recorded message from the president of the company thanking me for my business and saying that in a second, I would be talking to a real live person. Sure enough, every time, and I mean every time, as soon as the president's welcome message ended, I got a real live person. There was no waiting.

      Also, they went out of their way to help me, give me good service, and treat me fairly.

      The last time I had an accident, it was the same way. With them, I have never had to go through the number pushing maze to get to the right person. And I have never been given the run around by one of their adjusters.

      As long as things do not change, State Farm, Nationwide, GEICO, Progressive, etc. do not stand a chance of getting my business even though they may be a little bit cheaper.
      Interesting. In the same way, years ago, I bought a new car...that evening, it hit some black ice, spun out of control, and got totaled. I had bought the insurance on it earlier that day. Yup, my State Farm agent wrote me a check a day or so later.

      We bought our new home about 8 years ago. a week after we bought it, the entire downstairs flooded. Over $40,000 in damages. sure enough, my agent took care of everything. Do you think there is even a chance...that I would consider changing companies? Ever? No. Oh, you have a cheaper rate? I don't care.
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  • Profile picture of the author kemdev
    I have a vendor I use for all my content needs. I've used him for years, on projects big and small. I've always paid the same rate, even though prices on his website have gone up drastically.

    Two weeks ago, he was almost a week late on delivery. Then he emailed me asking for more money for the content I already paid for, and still said the content would be a couple days out. He explained the situation - his rates had gone up multiple times, his workers didn't want to write for less, etc... He apologized multiple times and offered to refund my order completely (it was a couple hundred dollar order).

    After already missing one deadline because of the mishap, I was fuming.

    But you know what? I still paid him the additional money he asked for the order. And I put another order in today, at the higher rate. Because what he provides is that damn good. Service aside, the product itself is worth more than even what I'm now paying more money for.

    ...And there was a couple back-and-forth exchanges of me trying to negotiate a lower rate. He put it very plainly for me - pay the higher rate from now on or I will give you a full refund for your last order. He stuck to his guns and I respected that.

    I guess the point is your service and your being incredibly nice to customers isn't the only way to gain them for life. You can also consistently give them a better product, priced competitively, and achieve the same outcome.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I don't think this thread got hijacked...well not by me, that's for sure, as I related an act of kindness but had to explain about my diabetes so it would be understood in context.
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  • Profile picture of the author charm01
    I may say that customer service from KFC is really good, even here on our country.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
    Nice story Claude but I have to say your food choice is a disaster!
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  • Profile picture of the author erikastanley
    I find your story very interesting.
    The customer service in where I live is very awful.
    I remember, a local department store once offer an apple to every customer who is not satisfy with the service provided by their workers. At that point of time, the service is very satisfying.
    Sadly, after they stop giving apple, the service become even worse than before.
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