Great Customer Service or Great PR?

Great post. I agree, it was a fantastic PR stunt on the part of Morton’s, but it wasn’t customer service. To me, customer service is not a one-time occurrence. Great customer service means creating positive experiences for all customers consistently, over time. Or at least making the effort to give them the “wow” experience. That is the key to strong long lasting customer relations, and positive and meaningful public relations.

Great post. I agree, it was a fantastic PR stunt on the part of Morton’s, but it wasn’t customer service. To me, customer service is not a one-time occurrence. Great customer service means creating positive experiences for all customers consistently, over time. Or at least making the effort to give them the “wow” experience. That is the key to strong long lasting customer relations, and positive and meaningful public relations.

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Thank you for this highly informative and useful piece. Here is a little sneak peak on how one can reward their royal fans! http://creativaindia.co.in/blog/important-reward-loyal-fans/check out our blog on how to use social media for customer service. http://creativaindia.co.in/blog/social-media-customer-service/

@adamtoporek Great analogy with the Oscars, mate. It's like many "good deeds" - there's usually another motive for it. Nothing wrong with that - but at least be upfront about it, I'll have more respect for you...

I'm really late on this one, but I'm glad you wrote this. I absolutely have to come down on the side of PR, not customer service. Exceptional service on behalf of a celebrity (even the online kind) that would not be performed for an average customer is not service.

To call it customer services is sort of like saying the companies that put products into gift bags at the Oscars are charitable. They are doing it in the hopes of garnering some sort of publicity/endorsement value not because Tom Hanks needs a new watch. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it -- it's just not an example of customer service.

Kudos to Morton's for thinking on the spot and doing a smart publicity move.

I'm really late on this one, but I'm glad you wrote this. I absolutely have to come down on the side of PR, not customer service. Exceptional service on behalf of a celebrity (even the online kind) that would not be performed for an average customer is not service. To call it customer services is sort of like saying the companies that put products into gift bags at the Oscars are charitable. They are doing it in the hopes of garnering some sort of publicity/endorsement value not because Tom Hanks needs a new watch. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it -- it's just not an example of customer service. Kudos to Morton's for thinking on the spot and doing a smart publicity move.

@megfowler EXACTLY, Meg! I have the option of going to the restaurant chain, or the one-off family-owned place. The prices are similar, but the experience (both from the food and drink, and the waiting staff as well as the ambience) is far superior at the solo place. I'll take that any time over a gimmick to tell me you care, when it seems you only care about certain customers. ;-)

Seeing as Peter is an avowed fan of "outrageous PR stunts", I think Morton's saw an opportunity to run with the ball -- and maybe they'll get a case study in his next book as a reward. Game, set, match.

That said, I find most of the things companies do to catch the eye of noisy / large audience'd social media folks kind of empty. The freebies at conferences, the comped trips to amusement parks where the compees are encouraged to "share the experience", the "samples" in the mail just waiting to be Twitpic'd, the SXSW parties where thousands and thousands are spent to get mentioned in active Twitter streams...none of these things speak to a commitment to service, or making a great product. Sure, it's nice that you got something nice without paying for it... but what about you getting it for free should make me want to spend money? Simply put, I don't choose a brand because of audacious PR stunts.

I choose a brand because they make or do something I need, and they do it well. I choose a brand because they respond consistently across channels to ALL their customers, rather than just "big names". I choose a brand because a friend recommends it -- a friend who actually paid for what they received.

Fortunately for brands, plenty of people love a stunt. Maybe I've just been in marketing too long. :)

Seeing as Peter is an avowed fan of "outrageous PR stunts", I think Morton's saw an opportunity to run with the ball -- and maybe they'll get a case study in his next book as a reward. Game, set, match. That said, I find most of the things companies do to catch the eye of noisy / large audience'd social media folks kind of empty. The freebies at conferences, the comped trips to amusement parks where the compees are encouraged to "share the experience", the "samples" in the mail just waiting to be Twitpic'd, the SXSW parties where thousands and thousands are spent to get mentioned in active Twitter streams...none of these things speak to a commitment to service, or making a great product. Sure, it's nice that you got something nice without paying for it... but what about you getting it for free should make me want to spend money? Simply put, I don't choose a brand because of audacious PR stunts. I choose a brand because they make or do something I need, and they do it well. I choose a brand because they respond consistently across channels to ALL their customers, rather than just "big names". I choose a brand because a friend recommends it -- a friend who actually paid for what they received. Fortunately for brands, plenty of people love a stunt. Maybe I've just been in marketing too long. :)

@Steve Birkett@KenMueller@Neicolec Loyalty cards are one of the best ways to encourage repeat custom, as long as they're done properly. I'm all for rewarding those that support you, just not at the expense of those that support you but don't have 100,000+ followers on Twitter... ;-)

@JGoldsborough The title of the post did seem a bit exuberant, mate, and like you say, made Morton's sound like some kind of superbrand. They undoubtedly look after their clientele, but as michael schechter mentions, it would seem that kind of service is reserved for VIP members. Which makes a wee bitty difference. ;-)

@Debra_Ellis Ban on, Debra, and ties into what I was saying to @Maranda above (after seeing your comment). Nothing wrong with offering personal service, but let's call that for what it is. Calling it customer service would raise expectations that that's how Morton's - or anyone else - deals with all their customers. And I'm not sure delivering a steak to an airport is what Joe from New York is going to get if he asks for it... ;-)

@Maranda Exactly, Maranda, it's all about scale and what customer service is all about. Just making a great experience for one (or a few) doesn't make it great customer service, it makes it great personal service. Similar wording, big difference. ;-)

@adamsok Hi Adam, Agreed, mate, and I think that's where we need to be subjective and say, yes, great job, but it's a bit slanted because of the person involved. As many others have stated, it's not something you'd expect to scale because of the cost involved, which takes it out the customer service realm and into the PR one. And agree, Comcast has really adapted their mindsets into the social media culture, always nice to see businesses that do. Cheers, sir!

Danny,

Looks like I'm a little late to the party, but let's call this exactly what it is - Great PR! Morton's saw an opportunity and went after it. I agree if Peter were an average Joe, this would not have taken place.

I do have to say bravo to Morton's. This even trumps Apple when they released the iPad 2. A customer had returned one saying his wife said no. Some bigwigs at Apple got wind of the story and sent the gentleman a new one in the mail with a note stating "Apple say yes!"

I think what's important here is that in both cases it seems that the culture of these companies is to listen to their customers, and listen well.

In terms of using social media to provide outstanding customer service, I would use Comcast as an example. Yes, a cable company that is listening via social media and then swiftly responding. In fact, I was having a problem with Comcast and send out a tweet regarding the frustration with my issue. Literally a few minutes later I was met with a tweet from a Comcast rep asking how they could be of service. They even escalated the situation and took care of my problem. Yes Danny, a cable company!

Adam

Danny, Looks like I'm a little late to the party, but let's call this exactly what it is - Great PR! Morton's saw an opportunity and went after it. I agree if Peter were an average Joe, this would not have taken place. I do have to say bravo to Morton's. This even trumps Apple when they released the iPad 2. A customer had returned one saying his wife said no. Some bigwigs at Apple got wind of the story and sent the gentleman a new one in the mail with a note stating "Apple say yes!" I think what's important here is that in both cases it seems that the culture of these companies is to listen to their customers, and listen well. In terms of using social media to provide outstanding customer service, I would use Comcast as an example. Yes, a cable company that is listening via social media and then swiftly responding. In fact, I was having a problem with Comcast and send out a tweet regarding the frustration with my issue. Literally a few minutes later I was met with a tweet from a Comcast rep asking how they could be of service. They even escalated the situation and took care of my problem. Yes Danny, a cable company! Adam

@KenMueller@DannyBrown@Neicolec How about rewarding customer loyalty at differing levels, though? Air miles, super market and pharmacy 'rewards' cards, Foursquare mayorships (one for Danny... ;-) etc? They may not pay more but their frequency of visit/"loyalty" arguably deserve more attention.

I'd have to say the decision to deliver the steak is a matter of opportunity. I firmly believe if I tweeted them the same, I would not get a steak delivered to DFW - because I don't have the kind of pull that Peter does. Is it wonderful that Morton's responded in such a way? Sure - I think so. But customer service is completely different. Customer service is about finding the opportunity to do something great for every customer, and not just those that are going to get you some good PR.

I wonder if a better move would have been a clever tweet to respond to him with some sort of offer. Instead of delivering a steak to the airport a better idea would have been something that they can have more readily applied to every customer who might be in an interesting situation and requesting Morton's product. For example, a tweet that would give him a % off his next meal at the steakhouse.

I'd have to say the decision to deliver the steak is a matter of opportunity. I firmly believe if I tweeted them the same, I would not get a steak delivered to DFW - because I don't have the kind of pull that Peter does. Is it wonderful that Morton's responded in such a way? Sure - I think so. But customer service is completely different. Customer service is about finding the opportunity to do something great for every customer, and not just those that are going to get you some good PR. I wonder if a better move would have been a clever tweet to respond to him with some sort of offer. Instead of delivering a steak to the airport a better idea would have been something that they can have more readily applied to every customer who might be in an interesting situation and requesting Morton's product. For example, a tweet that would give him a % off his next meal at the steakhouse.

I guess if we have to be intentional about a lot of things... to create our desired results

@DannyBrown If it were anywhere other than this kind of steakhouse, I'd completely agree with you. Places like Mortons are built on both a spoken and unspoken elitism. And for some reason I think they do have a VIP program... but I could be wrong there...

Danny,

This is my new favorite post from you. Morton's responding to Peter's tweet is a great PR move if quality is measured by the amount of free publicity. It is also great service...for Peter. Unfortunately, it is not a brilliant business move because it creates expectations for a service level that is not sustainable. The logistics and costs associated with a delivery service are quite challenging.

If they are not offering a delivery option to everyone, it is not great service (as you noted.) It isn't great PR either because great PR improves a brand's reputation. It doesn't mislead people and create false expectations.

Danny, This is my new favorite post from you. Morton's responding to Peter's tweet is a great PR move if quality is measured by the amount of free publicity. It is also great service...for Peter. Unfortunately, it is not a brilliant business move because it creates expectations for a service level that is not sustainable. The logistics and costs associated with a delivery service are quite challenging. If they are not offering a delivery option to everyone, it is not great service (as you noted.) It isn't great PR either because great PR improves a brand's reputation. It doesn't mislead people and create false expectations.

The key here is that Morton's never said it wasn't a PR move. Peter did. And PR and customer service are not mutually exclusive. In fact, you could make a strong argument that the best PR any brand ever gets comes from customer service -- especially if you believe in the value of WOM.

Peter is out of his mind if he really believes this is how Morton's would treat every customer. It's not possible for any company to treat every customer that way, even if they took all their TV and traditional marketing budget and reallocated it to customer service. Companies should have a social media response protocol that takes influence and online presence into account. Morton's obviously does. Again, good for them for being prepared and understanding the space. But we shouldn't knock Morton's because Peter thinks it makes his story better to say it was an everyday customer service experience, right? We all know better, as you point out, DB. Cheers!

The key here is that Morton's never said it wasn't a PR move. Peter did. And PR and customer service are not mutually exclusive. In fact, you could make a strong argument that the best PR any brand ever gets comes from customer service -- especially if you believe in the value of WOM. Peter is out of his mind if he really believes this is how Morton's would treat every customer. It's not possible for any company to treat every customer that way, even if they took all their TV and traditional marketing budget and reallocated it to customer service. Companies should have a social media response protocol that takes influence and online presence into account. Morton's obviously does. Again, good for them for being prepared and understanding the space. But we shouldn't knock Morton's because Peter thinks it makes his story better to say it was an everyday customer service experience, right? We all know better, as you point out, DB. Cheers!

@MackCollier@newdaynewlesson@PeterShankman Well said, Mack. You make a great point in highlighting that Morton's ability to make this happen, even though we know it was because of Peter's online rep, says a lot about how the company has embraced social media as a part of its culture. A lot of brands could not have made this happen even if they saw the PR benefit. Cheers.

Agree 100%. The problem now for Morton's, of course, is that they're going to have to deal with a lot of dissatisfied customers who don't get the same treatment, forcing them to employ the very same tactics that that brought about this notoriety: PR. So it's a double edge sword. I think the lesson is, you definitely want to wow your customers, but not if you're selectively choosing those who have more influence. After all, "All customers are created equal".

Agree 100%. The problem now for Morton's, of course, is that they're going to have to deal with a lot of dissatisfied customers who don't get the same treatment, forcing them to employ the very same tactics that that brought about this notoriety: PR. So it's a double edge sword. I think the lesson is, you definitely want to wow your customers, but not if you're selectively choosing those who have more influence. After all, "All customers are created equal".

@DannyBrown@dino_dogan So wait...what I'm getting out of this is that Danny will be tweeting Dino this week, asking him to kiss his ass? Man, that is definitely NOT customer service.

@lauraclick@DannyBrown@MackCollier@newdaynewlesson And that is exactly Danny's point, and why this really isn't an issue of "customer service"

@DannyBrown@MackCollier@newdaynewlesson I agree. But let's be honest, is that even feasible? Or, would it be worth the investment? Before you know it, you'll have a cadre of folks tweeting about wanting steak in hopes Morton's will show up on your doorstep delivering a steak in a tuxedo. It would be cool, but I wonder about the practicality of it.

@lauraclick@MackCollier@newdaynewlesson Be even more damn awesome if they do it for anyone who asks the same question... ;-)

@MackCollier@newdaynewlesson@PeterShankman Totally agree, Mack. There is definitely an element of both here. And, at the end of the day, does it really matter if it was good customer service or good PR? Probably not. I just think it's amazing they were nimble enough to pull that off in two hours. No matter how you cut it, that's pretty darn awesome.

@FocusedWords Hi Pamela, I guess the main difference is the registration and premium membership option, versus just regular use. Some frequent flyer programs are tied into being with a certain credit card company, so you're limited in participation.

I guess I am missing a huge part of this discussion. How is this example of customer service a whole lot different than the airlines providing frequent fliers with a special lounge, free flights, etc.? I see both as examples of trying to influence your best customers in hopes that they will spread the word about your company. I doubt that Morton's would treat the average Joe who makes reservations once or twice a year the same as someone who not only dines at one location frequently, but also dines at their other locations and talks about it. What I would really like to know is what Morton's system is for recognizing these types of opportunities.

I guess I am missing a huge part of this discussion. How is this example of customer service a whole lot different than the airlines providing frequent fliers with a special lounge, free flights, etc.? I see both as examples of trying to influence your best customers in hopes that they will spread the word about your company. I doubt that Morton's would treat the average Joe who makes reservations once or twice a year the same as someone who not only dines at one location frequently, but also dines at their other locations and talks about it. What I would really like to know is what Morton's system is for recognizing these types of opportunities.

Smart move on Mortons part. People can argue about what it was and while they do Mortons name keeps getting tweeted and or blogged about.

Smart move on Mortons part. People can argue about what it was and while they do Mortons name keeps getting tweeted and or blogged about.

@socialmediagod Right. When service becomes the norm for everyone, and it's part of the job description, then it becomes truly great.

You're right about that Danny. If an average person were to do this or even ask for a $10 off coupon they probably wouldn't of received it. Yes, this is a great PR situation for this person as his social status is very popular and he has the leverage to let Morton receive a lot of great press. The average social person wouldn't receive this treatment.

You're right about that Danny. If an average person were to do this or even ask for a $10 off coupon they probably wouldn't of received it. Yes, this is a great PR situation for this person as his social status is very popular and he has the leverage to let Morton receive a lot of great press. The average social person wouldn't receive this treatment.

@DannyBrown I would like a new car from BMW. I think I will tweet it.