Yesterday, my daughter received a free, single topping, personal pizza coupon for reading a set amount of time at school. She was very excited and asked her mom if she could have extra cheese rather than pepperoni or other topping. Seemed reasonable, so my wife called Pizza Hut to preorder it. When she asked for the pizza she was told “I don’t have a button for extra cheese as a substitute topping so I will have to charge you for it.” After trying to explain it’s just putting extra cheese instead of another topping, my frustrated wife conceeded and went to pick it up. When she got there, she realized it was the manager who she spoke with on the phone. When he heard what she was picking up, he quickly ducked out.
Why do so many people refuse to give good service? “It’s company policy”, “there’s no button for that”, etc…seriously? You can’t use your brain and figure out a way to put extra cheese on it in place of pepperoni? I shouldn’t be amazed, but I am. I am amazed that poor, ridiculous, service happens again and again.
What is your answer when a customer asks for something a little different? Are you willing to find a way or make a decision? It could be the difference of having repeat business or getting a bad review. And always remember that “there isn’t a button for that” is the worst answer ever!