“How Does Chick-fil-A do it?” It’s a question that comes up often among customer experience professionals. After all, Chick-fil-A’s service awards just keep coming:
- QSR Magazine honors for “Best Drive-Thru in America” (2009)
- Restaurants and Institutions magazine’s “Choice in Chains” Customer Satisfaction Award (2009)
- BusinessWeek/J.D. Power “Customer Service Champs” top-25 ranking (2008)
- Fast Company magazine’s inaugural “Customers First Awards” (2004)
Chick-fil-A’s secret, of course, isn’t really a secret at all. The answer to how Chick-fil-A does it, or, at least, a big part of the answer, is that Chick-fil-A, has mastered the art of hiring employees who genuinely believe in the company and the people they serve.
When asked about the training program for his employees, Chick-fil-A founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy says that the key is to begin the process by hiring the right people. Chick-fil-A, for example, doesn’t try to train employees to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ If you don’t already say “please” and “thank you,” you’ll never be hired at Chick-fil-A.
The company also asks prospective employees unusually detailed — and sometimes personal — questions about their activities and relationships. Understanding how people grow and sustain their relationships gives Chick-fil-A a picture of how job candidates will nurture and develop their relationships both with other employees and with customers.
Just how intense is the Chick-fil-A hiring process? A 2007 Forbes Magazine article recounted the story of Ty Yokum, the training manager for the chain. Yokum went through seven interviews and still didn’t get the job. When he reapplied years later, he had to go through 17 more interviews before finally getting the job offer. It’s no surprise then that the Chick-fil-A operator turnover rate is only 5% a year. When you’re hired at the Chick-fil-A, you’re hired for life.
It’s only these sort of employees, employees who truly believe in the company and its mission, who can be trusted to carry out Chick-fil-A’s service practices, such as always saying ”My pleasure” after a transaction or folding the last sheet of toilet paper into a triangular point — not the sort of thing you expect to find at a fast-food establishment.
Companies that spend millions on training employees but fail to put the same resources into hiring can learn a lot from the Chick-fil-A story. Good training is crucial, but if you don’t also put time and energy into hiring and making sure that the people you hire share the company’s values and passion for customer service, you’ll be hard pressed to match the level of service at Chick-fil A. Great customer service means a hiring process that is rigorous. It means asking prospective employees lots of questions and paying attention to every detail. It might seem like a time-consuming and difficult process, but your company will reap the rewards for years to come.
