Give 'Em the Pickle! . - Media Reviews - video recording review

T+D, August, 2002 by Dan Michaluk

Ice cream magnate and customer service guru Bob Farrell wants "Give 'Em the Pickle!" to become the battle cry at your organization. He explains: "Pickles are those special or extra things you do to make people happy. The trick is figuring out what your customers want and then making sure they get it."

Through this metaphor, Give 'Em the Pickle! teaches four principles of customer centricity:

* Service: Make serving others your number 1 priority.

* Attitude: How you think about customers is how you will treat them.

* Consistency: Set high service standards, and live them every day.

* Teamwork: Find ways to make each other look good.

Farrell is the founder of the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor chain, known for its unique dining experience and enthusiastic customer service. Since the mid-1960s, Farrell's wait staff has dressed in turn-of-the-century clothing, beat bass drums, and cranked sirens in explosive performances of enthusiasm. Farrell displays that drum-beating enthusiasm in the video, championing customer service and reminding us to be proud of our service jobs and embrace the chance to make people happy. Only a character like Farrell, who is utterly genuine, can pull off such a pep talk. Watching and listening to him will motivate your staff to excel in serving customers.

This video is the Bob Farrell show, consisting of clips of a Farrell lecture. Although the video and audio quality are excellent, the overall production scheme is just basic--limited camera angles and no vignettes.

Fortunately, Farrell is an excellent storyteller and carries the video by recounting good and bad customer service stories from his years in the business. He rages about bad service at banks. What do those pens on chains tell you about how your bank regards you? He pounds the airline that gave his granddaughter a hard time. He also explains how he has delivered great service at Farrell's. Imagine having to sing "Happy Birthday" with gusto 100 times in one day. Each story is interesting and illustrative. Your staff will laugh but will also reflect on their own service performance.

At the time of this review, the support materials weren't available.

Recommendation

Give 'Em the Pickle is a good choice for teaching customer centricity. Although the lessons can easily be applied by frontline service staff, managers will benefit most. To get the most from this video, you'll need to invest the time in a good debrief, ensuring that your audience generates ideas for applying the principles. Ask your managers to describe how they'll make service a number 1 priority, change their employees' attitudes, set high service standards, and encourage teamwork. If you support the video with discussion and coaching, its value will triple, and you'll be serving your customers more pickles than ever.

P.S. Remember The Guest, another video by the same producer. It's a good fit as a quick pre-opening or post-close for customer service seminars.

Give 'Em the Pickle

***      Holds viewer interest
*** 1/2  Acting/Presenting
** 1/2   Diversity
***      Production quality
***      Value of content
*** 1/2  Instructional value
***      Value for the money
***      Overall rating
RATINGS KEY

****     Outstanding
*** 1/2  Very good
***      Good
** 1/2   Above average
**       Average
* 1/2    Below average
*        Poor

Dan Michaluk is a principal of Cloudbreak, www.cloudbreakcompany.com, a company that helps organizations, consultants, and technology vendors implement change. Cloudbreak is based in Toronto, Canada, and Tempe, Arizona; dan.michaluk@cloudbreakcompany.com.