This post is the second in a series that will identify 10 different obstacles that have emerged from my analysis of customer satisfaction data. Maybe you will have encountered one or more of these obstacles in your own business? The second obstacle is insufficient employee training.

Recently a large family entertainment complex, Celebrity Lanes, had its grand opening. It boasts 40 spacious bowling lanes, VIP suites, an arcade, and a 40-beer tap house.

I attended the grand opening with my family earlier this month. At a kiosk near the arcade, I purchased a set of cards that were loaded with $10 each worth of game tokens. Not long into playing, my oldest son had a problem with his card.

When I approached one of the arcade employees standing behind the counter, she pointed to another employee outside the arcade and said, “I’m not in charge of those. Talk to the woman in the pink shirt.”

Well, the woman in the pink shirt had a line of customers in front of her and a line had also formed at the lone kiosk in the arcade. So I asked the employee, “Can I just buy a replacement card from you and sort the problem out (with the woman in the pink shirt) later?”

She replied, “I haven’t been trained on the cash register.”

Interestingly, I had met a Celebrity Lanes employee at a social event prior to my visit and asked her what she thought of the pre-opening training. Her response: “What training?”

She went on to describe how her orientation and training consisted of an icebreaker activity, Two Truths and a Lie, and group bowling.

Unless one of my children is invited to a Celebrity Lanes birthday party, we have no plans to return. There are just too many family entertainment options available that don’t leave me with a feeling of buyer’s remorse.

So, what can we learn from this experience? Here are several clues that may indicate your new-hire employee training is insufficient:

• When an employee is approached about a common problem that directly pertains to her job role, she responds: “I’m not in charge of those. Talk to the woman in the pink shirt.”
• When a counter employee in a retail environment is asked to ring up a sale, she responds: “I haven’t been trained on the cash register.”
• In response to questions about the quality of her pre-opening training, an employee responds: “What training?”
• Your pre-opening training consists of an icebreaker activity and bowling.

The remedy for inadequately trained employees is simple: Offer effective job-related training.

Many employers neglect training because they feel that it is too costly. This shortsighted perspective tends to focus on the operating statement over the next 30 days and does not take into account what happens in the months thereafter.

If you have failed to rehearse customer service scenarios in advance through formalized job-related training, then you are practicing on customers. This is a recipe for disaster. Here’s why:

Every single customer is irreplaceable.

Recognize that when one of your customers defects because of a poorly trained employee, that customer is irreplaceable. And his or her lifetime contribution to your business—including future spending, feedback, and referrals—can never be replaced. Ever.

So even if Celebrity Lanes manages to attract another customer to replace me, I am gone forever. And forever is a long time.

I read a Wall Street Journal article this week by Timothy W. Martin titled, Choice Advice From Meat Cutters. The article highlighted the benefits of training butchers at leading supermarket chains to engage customers as a chef rather than as simply a meat cutter. The difference separates a memorable, customer-focused experience from an ordinary, process-focused transaction at the meat counter.

As the scale of operations have grown at most supermarkets, many meat cutters disappeared from the meat cases to backrooms where interactions with shoppers were limited to announcements over the intercom. Their roles shifted from a familiar butcher who formed close bonds with shoppers, remembering names and preferences (people-focused), to an anonymous meat cutter whose priority was churning out enough hamburger patties and chuck steaks to fill meat cases (process-focused).

In the article, Frank Thurlow, director of meat and seafood merchandising at Winn-Dixie Stores, observed, “Meat cutters have a reputation for not being the most personable, outgoing types of individuals. I mean, we sit in the back room all day and cut up animals.”

So, how do you address this perception and change it in order to increase sales at the meat counter while boosting employee morale and job satisfaction?

There are many factors including vital processes such as the selection and onboarding of employees. The quality of customer service provided by an employee will never exceed the quality of customer service he or she is ready, willing, and able to deliver. The scope of this blog post cannot take into account every variable, so I’ll just focus on the obvious one: sharing unique knowledge.

Unique knowledge is not the same as job knowledge. Job knowledge is necessary for an employee to be proficient in his or her job role. It is expected by the customer and, generally speaking, is transactional—not memorable. Unique knowledge, when provided by the employee, is unexpected, refreshing, valued, and memorable. It’s the sizzle!

To illustrate the difference, read this testimonial from Aram Dakarian, meat manager at Jewel supermarket in Chicago: “Before, I’d tell customers just to squeeze out the blood and add some salt and pepper (job knowledge).” Now he eagerly offers cooking tips (unique knowledge). For example, for baked chicken, he recommends olive oil with a dash of lemon pepper. For steaks, a garlic or peppercorn seasoning rub, or two hours soaking in a wine sauce marinade.

Instead of simply sharing job knowledge: A flat-iron steak is cut from the shoulder of a steer, he can add more value by sharing unique knowledge: How to properly grill a flat-iron steak and the difference between dry (grilled or broiled) and wet (simmering or braising) cooking.

Grocers are banking on shoppers’ willingness to pay higher shelf prices in return for general dinner advice. And there is also a benefit to employees as described by Mr. Dakarian: “Now, I’m getting more in-depth with the meat, looking at it more like a chef. It makes me feel good.”

While customers appreciate nice employees, they value knowledgeable employees. And the more unique knowledge employees possess, the more value they bring to the customer experience.