The Waiter Test - Serving The Servers by Kim Robinson

Here’s a tip: How you treat service workers reveals your true colorsI was finally in my airline seat after a long delay when the pilot announced that our flight was canceled. A mechanical problem had surfaced and we all had to be rebooked on another flight. The pilot apologized for our inconvenience and directed us to the customer service agent at the gate.
The line was long but moved forward at a good pace because the gate agent was efficient.

The man standing in line directly in front of me grumbled as he waited to be served, and his grumbling turned to screaming when got in front of the agent. Waving his cell phone above his head like it was the sword of justice, he declared to the agent in a loud voice thick with patronizing contempt, “This is UNACCEPTABLE! I have to be at an important meeting. Get another plane!”

She calmly responded to his rudeness. “I’m sorry for your inconvenience sir, but you will have to wait for the next flight.”

You’re Not the Boss of Me
You can tell a lot about a person’s character by how well he or she treats clerks and tellers and (in this case) airline employees. People of low character treat such front-line workers poorly because they perceive these workers to be in a subservient position. Therefore, it’s OK to be rude and is, in fact, necessary to “show them who’s boss…” They act as if being rude is a sign of leadership.
Rubbish.

People of good character know that rudeness and leadership are incompatible. They treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless their position because they feel no need to “lord it over” someone who has a front-line job. In fact, a common final screen among Fortune 100 executives when they consider a candidate for hire or promotion is “The Waiter Test.” These top executives take the candidate out to lunch and watch how the candidate treats the waiter because they know that someone who will bully a waiter is likely to also bully his or her staff.

This arrogant businessman at the airport showed everyone his lack of character with his bullying behavior toward the agent. He clearly failed “The Waiter Test” and most likely treats his staff just as poorly as he did the airline agent.

The comical part was that although the agent was in a perceived position of subservience, she was not powerless.

The businessman had a coach ticket but demanded to be upgraded to first class on the next flight for his “inconvenience.”

The agent said nothing more until she handed him his boarding pass. “The best I can do for you on the next flight is a center seat, row 28.” He snatched the boarding pass out of her hand, glared, tossed out another “unacceptable,” raised his nose even higher and punctuated his exit away from the podium with his promise to “never fly on this airline again!”

Respect Has Its Rewards
It was my turn to be rebooked. I smiled at the agent and received one in return as I gave her my name and destination. I added that although I needed to be on the same flight as the man previous, and we were both flying coach, we were definitely not together and I would gladly take any seat she could find.

We chatted about rude people in general, and I complimented her ability to remain calm while dealing with the rude businessman. She then handed my new boarding pass to me with a smile. “Here you go Mr. Robinson,” she said. “The best I can do for you is a seat in first class. Is that all right?”

“Yes, thank you. That will be fine.”

The rude businessman passed me sitting in first class on his way to the rear. I made a point of stretching my legs and settling into the big seat as he passed. You sure showed her who’s boss, I thought. You sure showed her.

Kim Robinson is the president of The SMMarT Consulting Group, Inc. (www.smmartconsulting.com). SMMarT stands for Sales, Motivation, Marketing and Training. Kim has authored numerous articles and a number of books on sales, including Communicate Clearly, Confidently & Credibly. He also speaks about creative marketing techniques, the consultive sales process, and the need for the personal touch in business communication.

Waving his cell phone above his head like it was the sword of justice, he declared to the agent in a loud voice, “This is UNACCEPTABLE!”

Fewer Music Hits Mean Challenges for DJs by Mark Johnson

Greater choice for music lovers means greater challenges for mobile music programmingOver the last few years I’ve been bemoaning the state of current pop music. I’ve observed that there seems to be an ever-increasing number of new artists and songs that all fight for their precious exposure. I’ve also observed that it’s more difficult to follow the trends of our audience’s taste, to identify their favorite current music. But I didn’t have a real reason for why it is more difficult.

Musical Tail-Wagging
An obvious reason is the Internet, and along with it, the iPod. Both are technological masterpieces but may do more harm than good for us mobile DJs. An article in the July 2006 issue of Wired magazine hit the nail on the head and validated my suspicions regarding the perceived short lifespan of today’s songs.

The article “The Rise and Fall of the Hit” is an adaptation of the book “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More” (by Chris Anderson, Hyperion, 2006, ISBN 1401302378) It touches on hit music, hit movies, celebrities and other cultural items. It really made a lot of sense regarding the current state of hit music.
To summarize, it illustrates the cultural audience having much more diversity and many more choices for their entertainment, music included. In the past, the record companies depended on a few major artists or albums to “carry” their entire catalog of artists, income-wise. Now the sum value of all the secondary artists, i.e. “The Long Tail” (like a comet) is actually greater than the sum value of the primary artists.

The Bygone Days of Big Hits
Mobile DJs do not create hits. We play hits. Thus, we react to our guests’ requests for their favorites. For the sake of this article, I’m referring to contemporary music and not long-term favorites. Classic songs have already proven themselves.
Take any mobile DJ standard song and many DJs can remember when it first came out. Thus, there was a “BC” and “AD” to that song. Many of you can remember the time period before “Macarena.” I’m sure many of you can remember the time period before many other favorites like “The Cha Cha Slide,” “Electric Boogie” (The Electric Slide), “Billie Jean,” “Y.M.C.A.,” “Stayin’ Alive,” and more. When those songs came out, they hit big, embraced the entire country, and then became burned in our cultural memory of that time period.

These songs were on the Top 10 playlists of CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) stations for weeks if not months. Some artists, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Janet Jackson, produced albums that spawned four to six hit songs that were released as singles over the course of a year or longer. Thus, you could not avoid hearing one of those artist’s hits every hour on those radio stations. I also recall some stations purging their playlists of these artists for a weekend just to illustrate how saturated it had become.

Back to today’s music. As mobile DJs, we attempt to align ourselves with the thinking process of our adolescent audiences. We’re not 15 years old anymore, so we try to think like them on a proxy basis, i.e. listen to their stations, read some of their publications, watch some of their TV programs and listen to them directly when they talk about music. What I’ve concluded is a little frightful for us adults trying to sneak into their world.

Trouble on the Dancefloor
Years ago, when current super hits were prevalent, you could have an audience of 200 kids at a school dance and any one song could have 30-40 percent of the kids interested. That would mean that roughly 60-70 percent of the kids were disinterested. Now with the music so splintered, having 5 percent of the kids liking the song you’re presently playing means that 95 percent don’t. We all have enjoyed the tremendous effect such mega-hits like “Macarena” cause at a dance, but you cannot maintain that participation for 3 to 4 hours.

Today’s kids have many more sources for their song information. Once they decide what they want to listen to, they merely go to iTunes and easily download it. No longer is it the single channel sources of one or two “hot hits” stations or the TRL or Yo MTV Raps playlists. Good luck trying to pin down where the kids get these songs today. Years ago, when a 13-year-old asked for “Free Bird,” he was probably influenced by his parents or an older sibling. Now, that 13-year-old has dozens of influences, each offering their version of great music. It’s anyone’s guess what his favorites are now.

During a DJ event, we have all encountered that group of three, four or five kids (boys or girls, it doesn’t matter) that approaches the DJ booth, with their representative asking for a particular song. Chances are, it ain’t “Y.M.C.A.” Most likely it is some obscure song from some obscure artist that is their current reason for living. You may try to fluff them off by writing down their request, knowing that you don’t have it and are just trying to survive the current conversation. They may return to re-request it and you could say you’re looking for it or are trying to decide when to play it. Eventually, their persistence will prevail and you may have to confess that you don’t have it. (See my many articles on the impractical goal of 100% request satisfaction.)

So now they walk away, disappointed that you aren’t in sync with their little world and you’ve added a few lame-o points to your DJ status. You may make a mental or physical note of this song and look it up when you got home, but it’s too late. You’ve crushed the spirit of these kids and their lives will never be the same.
You may also try to see if that song/artist comes up as a request during later events. With a few exceptions, it will probably not. So, how could you possibly anticipate such a request without carrying 10,000,000 songs that may only get played once if at all.

No Future Oldies in View
A lot of us can remember when the M in MTV stood for Music. Now it means Miscellaneous. VH-1 has taken over as the purveyor of music videos, albeit not necessarily current hits. BET, CMT and other music video sources are too specific for mobile DJs.

Two litmus tests for today’s music are: 1) how long the songs presently last and 2) the future anticipation of their need. I cannot imagine most of these songs being requested next year. They really are quite disposable.

In essence, we are being deprived of “future oldies.” Since no current songs stand out that significantly (they don’t have to), next year they will be truly forgotten. I used to consolidate the best songs for each year onto a single CD; I haven’t done so in the last two years. Even the disc I made for 2004 looks pretty sparse today, unlike the still-useful songs on my 1998 through 2001 discs. Time was that Eminem and No Doubt would have their hits plastered all over CHR. They were catchy tunes and great fun for us mobile DJs. Now even they are considered passé.

Where Do We Go from Here?
If you’ve experienced the same feelings that I have about the slippery nature of today’s disposable music, then you owe it to yourself to read the Wired article. I even bought the book referenced, and it goes into greater statistics and rationale regarding the last few years of current music.
Unfortunately, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Today’s marketing methods have shattered yesterday’s distribution methods to the point that it’s anyone’s guess what current songs are truly necessary for mobile entertainment. While the variety may be great for the music fans and musicians, mobile DJs have a harder and harder job chasing this ever more slippery collection of current “hits.”

For more on current musical challenges, check out Mark’s article, “Predicting the Musical Future,” from Mobile Beat #95, archived at www.mobilebeat.com.

We have all encountered that group of three, four or five kids asking for a particular song. Chances are, it ain’t “Y.M.C.A.” Most likely it is some obscure song from some obscure artist that is their current reason for living.

Customer Complaints: Gather All Evidence Before Filing Charges by Paul Beardmore

Gather all the evidence before deciding who committed the “crime.”The typical multi-system manager’s Monday morning begins with a cup of joe to get the day going, and a review of the coming weekend’s events. You’ve made it through a hectic weekend of events, and the cycle that just ended is about to begin anew. As you review your schedule of client meetings, employee training sessions and the rest of your “to do” list, your phone rings at 9:02 in the morning. It’s an upset customer who is calling to complain about the DJ who did their wedding reception the previous Saturday. The disgruntled customer says the DJ didn’t play their requests, and the music was horrible!

Welcome to the world of multi-system management! Sometimes, you have to take the bad with the good. Dealing with customer complaints is one of the tasks we would rather not have to handle, however, it is something that goes with the territory of operating a business involving employees who provide a service. On one hand, your ability to properly handle a complaint can make the difference as to whether the upset customer spreads negative information about your company, or recommends you to their friends. On the other hand, the interpersonal skills you utilize to investigate the complaint with your staff can make or break whether your company grows from the experience in a positive way, or suffers morale problems with DJs who are disgruntled.

On the Case
When customers complain, they complain for a variety of reasons, and their motives aren’t always pure. Often times a customer complains because of a perceived problem; sometimes that perception is wrong. The degree of validity of the complaint can range from zero to one hundred percent. Your job is to become a detective, sorting through the information to determine if there is any validity to their complaint, and then to take corrective action.

Explain to the customer that you would like to get more information about their observations and concerns, and that you take these matters seriously. You should NOT make statements that suggest that you are siding with the customer. Yet, neither should you try to argue with or dispute what the customer is telling you. You need to carefully LISTEN to what he or she is saying. Make sure you write down any details that the customer provides, and ask for clarification or elaboration on anything that may help you determine the validity of the complaint. Once the customer has outlined the complaint, take the time to summarize the complaint, so that you are certain you have taken down all of the information in accurately. Let the client know that you will be speaking with the DJ about the complaint, and that you will make a follow-up call once you have done so.

Behind the Music
The manner in which you handle customer complaints should be discussed with your staff during their training, PRIOR to any complaints ever being made by a customer. You need to explain to them the process that you will use in handling the complaint, and reassure them that you understand that a customer complaint isn’t always valid. In our training sessions, I always make it a point to cite specific examples of previous complaints we have received from customers (leaving out the names of the DJs involved, of course!), illustrating how some complaints are totally valid, some completely invalid, and that many have some validity, but not 100 percent. This reassures your DJs that you will be fair with them in the event that a customer makes a complaint about them.

I prefer to meet with the DJ face to face, rather than handling these matters over the phone. Make SURE you resist the temptation of biting the DJ’s head off and assuming that the customer’s complaint is valid-no matter how certain you are that the DJ may have made a boneheaded decision that is contrary to your company protocol. You would be surprised at how often there can be a valid reason for the DJs action! For this reason, it is important that you present yourself in a manner that doesn’t indicate you have already rendered judgment. Remember, you are a detective on a fact finding mission. You need to LISTEN to your DJ, the same way you listened to the client.

You also need to probe the DJ for more information by asking questions that help you determine the validity of the complaint. For instance, let’s look at the customer complaint mentioned at the outset. The client is complaining that the DJ didn’t play very many of their requests, and that the DJ’s overall music selection was horrible. In this instance, the first thing I would do is pull the paperwork from the event.
I know from experience that out of the few complaints we receive each year on our DJs’ performances, this sort of complaint is one of the more likely a client may make. For this reason, I require my DJs to place a checkmark next to each of the client’s music requests as they play them during the event. Our DJs are also required to complete an event report that asks a variety of questions about how the event transpired. One important question that provides essential documentation asks if there were any problems or issues at the event. The amount of dancing that took place is another important factor that the DJs document. I also ask them to place a percentage figure next to a listing of the typical music genres, so I have an idea of the type of music they played for this event.

All of this information is helpful when a customer complaint is made. For instance, if the DJ noted that there was a LOT of dancing, I may ask the customer how much dancing took place at their event. You would be amazed at the number of people who would freely admit that the DJ kept the dance floor packed, but insist that the DJs music selection sucked! In contrast, if the DJ’s event report states that there was very little dancing, you need to probe a little more to determine if this portion of the complaint is valid.

If you require your DJ to check off the client’s requests as they play them, you can quickly see if he or she made a reasonable effort to play those requests. Of course, you have to determine what’s “reasonable.” If the client provided you with 15 requests, and the DJ played 6 of them, is that reasonable? What if the client provided 90 requests, and the DJ played 40 of them at a four-hour event? Each complaint has to be evaluated on a case by case basis, using common sense.

Just the Facts, Ma’am
I’ll never forget the complaint I received from an angry bride who called to complain that the DJ invited the guests through the buffet prior to the arrival and introduction of the wedding party. By the time the wedding party went through the buffet, it was well picked over. The bride was livid, because she had specifically chosen to keep the buffet closed until after the wedding party was introduced.

According to our event planner, the bride and groom were supposed to be the first people to serve themselves at the buffet. Needless to say, I was a bit upset with our DJ for what seemed like an obvious blunder. Then I spoke with the DJ and got his side of the story. Apparently, the bride’s guests decided to help themselves to the buffet while the DJ was outside the reception hall lining up the wedding party for introductions. When the DJ returned to his equipment, people had picked over the buffet like hungry wolves! The DJ confidently advised me that he never invited or suggested that people serve themselves to the buffet. I never considered this possibility, and neither did the bride when she made the complaint. This is the reason I always ASK my DJs their side of story, prior to rendering judgment on a complaint. Once I informed the bride about the DJ’s side of the story, she understood, and all was well.

Handle with Care
Once you’ve gotten the DJ’s side of the story, you will need to follow up with the customer. Valid complaints that are of a minor nature require that you apologize to the customer, and promise that you will use their constructive feedback to improve the way you do business. Serious complaints may result in a total or partial refund. For instance, if the DJ was 30 minutes late starting the music, it would be most appropriate to award a partial refund. The action you take with the DJ also depends on the seriousness of the complaint. If the DJ was late, and can verify legitimate reasons for his or her tardiness, the corrective action is going to be very different from that of a DJ who late for no good reason.

There are occasions where the customer’s complaint has little or no validity. Contrary to popular belief, the customer ISN’T always right. However, that doesn’t mean that you should tell the customer that they are wrong. If there is a logical explanation that you feel may change the customers mind about the complaint, explain it to them. If, however, you are dealing with a “bridezilla” who is looking for a refund without merit, I recommend that you simply thank the customer for their feedback, and tell them that you will use their constructive advice to improve your services. This is preferable to telling them they are wrong - and will help reduce the negative publicity they may spread about your company.

Getting to the bottom of a customer complaint can be somewhat challenging. In a service-oriented business like mobile entertainment, the quality of our performances will always be in the eyes of the beholder. Your job is to sort through the facts and information, and make the best judgment possible.
Problem To Ponder: No Motown?
DJ Fails to Play Requests

You send one of your DJs with one year of experience to cover a 50th birthday party. The party has a mix of guests, and some of the guests are requesting that the DJ play some Motown. For unknown reasons, your DJ fails to play ONE Motown song for the group. Shortly after the event, the customer calls you to complain that your DJ refused to play any Motown music, despite receiving several requests from the person who hired him, as well as other guests. The customer says that the DJ was very polite and courteous, and told them that he would gladly play Motown music - but then never followed through with his promise. The DJ did play other requests from different genres. Other than his failure to play the Motown requests, the DJ seemed to play a decent variety, and the party was successful otherwise.

How would you handle this complaint? What information would you probe the customer for? How would you approach the DJ, and what questions would you ask?

How would you resolve this complaint? Email your solutions to multisystem@mobilebeat.com. Please include your name, company name, and contact information. Although we will not print identifiable information (name, company name, etc.) without your consent, we must confirm your identity.

The degree of validity of the complaint can range from zero to one hundred percent.