UX: Chick-Fil-A

"I  ♥  companies that get it"

 "My Pleasure!"  You WILL hear these two words from the cashier if you are ever eating at a Chick-Fil-A.  If this is your first time eating there, you may be caught off guard by the departing comment.  After all, it is a much more classy farewell than people are accustomed to at a fast food place.  (Sorry, I mean "quick service".  If you call it "fast food" in the presence of an employee, or, God forbid an operator, you will be throat punched.)  Saying "my pleasure" at a fast food place is like having Cristal and caviar at a WWE match.  It just doesn't fit.  But let's deconstruct why that particular farewell is actually very fitting with the brand that is Chick-Fil-A.

Customer Service
I honestly hate using the term "customer service", its over used and under practiced.  But when a company elevates the term, I take note.  And they are serious about it!  Chick-Fil-A actually spends over a million a year just to MEASURE their service.  If you are in business and sell a commodity there are only two reasons that you will have people pay more for your products: convenience and customer service.  And while CFA doesn't have the omni-presence of a Starbucks yet, they are crushing it in customer service.  Consistent customer service will eventually lead to big profits and also...


Cult Followers
What better way to sell your products, and ultimately you brand, than producing consumer advocates.  Consumer advocate is just a fancy term for a customer that had such a good experience with your brand that they in  turn tweet/status update/yelp or just buy a friend lunch at your place.  CFA converts people to the Church of Chicken (not to be mistaken with Church's Chicken).  In fact, when Chick-Fil-A opens a new location, they will seek out CFA loyalists in the area and invite them to a free dinner the evening prior the the grand opening.  That evening, they will hand out free chicken coupons to those in attendance and will anoint them with chicken blood and black and white robes and send them out to proselytize others into the cult. (not really, but they should look into having some quasi-cult ceremony for grand openings)


Culture
Culture is really the ethereal substance that produces the whole brand aura.  This starts with the hiring.  To make sure that all operators are on the same page as the corporation, CFA has an epic hiring process.  The process can take up to a year sometimes and the hire will endure numerous interviews, along with their family members.   I had a buddy that went through this process, and when he came out the other side he was never the same. (I'm pretty sure they water-boarded him at one point, but he ain't talking. )  But This all ensures that the culture of CFA is consistent and excellent.  They want to be sure that the operators are the embodiment of Truett Cathy's words: "If we have to keep telling people what to do, it means we're not modeling the behavior ourselves.  If we're living it everyday, we don't need to talk about it."  Words I wish all companies would take to heart.  




*UX means "user experience"