Amy welcomes her first podcast guest, Tacey Atkinson of Customers First. They talk about the connection between employee attrition and customer retention. Tacey shares her tips for creating a customer-centric culture and how it can benefit your museum.

Where to find Tacey:

https://www.taceyatkinson.com/

IG: @taceyatkinson

Check out Tacey’s Customers First podcast!

Here are some of the episodes Amy has joined her on:

The Art of Authentic Brand Messaging and Relationship Building Through Experiences

In Search of Your Ideal Client

Clear, Concise Messaging Everywhere

More free resources:

Download the Planning Calendar for Museums: https://bit.ly/2024museumcal

You can also join Amy’s email list here: https://bit.ly/LMMpodcast_signup

Welcome to the Love my Museum podcast.

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I'm your host, Amy Kehs

and I love museums.

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I also happen to be a brand strategist

and communications expert, and today's

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episode is a really special one.

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I am being joined by my

first guest, Tacey Atkinson.

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My friend, Tacey is the owner of

Customer's First, where she helps

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her clients increase sales and

brand loyalty while decreasing

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employee and customer attrition.

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Her goal is to create a customer

centered culture from the inside out.

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Welcome, Tacey!

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I'm so excited that you're here.

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Tacey: Ah, I am so excited, Amy.

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I cannot wait for us to

have this conversation.

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Amy: First, I think we should

probably let everyone know that we've

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been friends for a while now and

I've been a guest on your podcast,

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"Customers First", quite a few times.

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Tacey: Multiple, yeah.

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Maybe five, six.

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Yeah.

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Mm hmm.

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Amy: You have taught me so much

about the connection between happy

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employees and loyal customers.

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So I'm really hoping today,

that's what we can talk about.

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Let's start by telling my museum friends

a little bit about your journey, and how

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you came to found "Customer's First."

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Tacey: Absolutely.

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So, I grew up in a very small

town, maybe 5, 000 people.

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And my father was a serial

entrepreneur, is what we say now.

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He was just a guy who had business after

business the whole time I was growing up.

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He really understood the importance of

building that connection with the customer

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and so much so that he used to at our

restaurant--we had like a lunch counter

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and underneath the counter--he had a

recipe card box and on those cards would

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be people's names and then information

about them so that when people would

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drive into the parking lot, he would

quick duck down, find their card, read

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whether or not, you know, maybe their

favorite meal, or how they liked their

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coffee, or what family members they

had, maybe they had a kid that was just

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off to school, those kinds of things.

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He would very quickly scan the

card so that he could greet

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that person and make them feel

welcome within the establishment.

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And that taught me the importance of

putting your customer first, whether

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that's the customer internally

within your business, the employees,

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you treat them like family, you

respect them, you care about them.

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And whether it was that or the people who

went from business to business with him.

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He had a loyal following that used

to, you know, drive for miles just

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to have a piece of his lemon meringue

pie and listen to him tell a story.

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So I learned from I was barely

able to see over the lunch counter

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when we first started and for to go

from that to I'm 62 years old now.

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I made it my life mission to

spend my time in service as well

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in the hospitality industry.

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So I got a degree in food and

beverage management, and then

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I took a little bit of a break,

raised my family, and then I started

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Customers First about 10 years ago.

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And then I just kind of did it,

you know, dibbling my toes in.

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My dad got very ill and he made me

promise before he passed that at some

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point I would bring the business to

the east coast of Canada, where I am

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right now is Halifax, Nova Scotia, and

he grew up here in, in Nova Scotia.

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Uh, and really teach people here that the

internal customer, your team, is just as

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important as all your external customers.

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That meant a lot to him because East

Coast Hospitality, everyone knows about

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that and treats their customers well,

sometimes forgets about their team.

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And without your team being treated

well, you won't ever succeed at the

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rate you want to because you have to

make the internal people happy so they

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can make your external people happy.

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It all comes together.

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So that's a bit about us.

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Amy: It's so true, and you and

I have talked about it so much

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that connection between happy

employees and loyal customers.

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And I love your mission and I love,

how you are helping businesses

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create that customer centric culture.

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When you're working with a company and

you're talking to them about a customer

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centric culture, what does that look like?

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What do you want to help them build?

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Tacey: So being customer centric has to go

beyond just giving great customer service.

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It's not just about that.

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It is about everything from the proper

onboarding to make people feel welcome

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on your team, the proper training

so that they have the knowledge that

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they need to be able to answer all

the customers questions when they

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come on site or over the phone or

however they interact with them.

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It is making them feel

heard and respected.

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There's nothing worse than working for

a company and you are the front line

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person and you see that there is a hiccup

that you know could be easily fixed.

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Every time you try to make your boss aware

of it, they're like, "Oh, I don't care.

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We do it this way."

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You can't get stuck in that

because being customer centric

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involves the entire organization.

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Everyone has to serve that customer.

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So much so that I believe in

team meetings, you have an empty

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seat, you have an empty seat,

and that's the customer's chair.

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Everything has to focus around what is

going to be best because ultimately your

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team and that customer are the only two

things that are going to make you the

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success that you believe you can be with

whatever product or service that you have.

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So treat your team with the respect

and reverence that they deserve so that

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they do the same for your customer.

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Amy: You know, that I talk about

external communications and internal

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communications and how they're connected.

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No matter if you have three people working

in your museum or 200 people working.

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They need to feel supported.

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Making them feel supported is huge.

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Tacey: Absolutely.

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And I, and I agree that communication

is key because it ensures that

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everyone is on the same page.

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All the information is accurate

because you may have told Bill, Sally,

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and Joe, but you didn't tell Susan.

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And so Susan is out on the front line

saying something totally different,

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but it's not her fault because you

didn't communicate the changes to her.

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So, having everyone get all the

same communication and keeping the

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communication channels two way.

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Communication within any organization,

whether you're talking internal or

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external, has to be a two way street.

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You have to be willing to listen

to your team and you have to be

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willing to listen to your customer.

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If you, if they're telling you,

well, it was really hard to

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get in the parking lot today.

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I don't know if you've noticed,

but there's a big pot hole in

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the middle of your parking lot.

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If you're not paying attention

to those things, you're not going

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to have quick, um, responses.

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They're not going to be happy.

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If your team isn't happy, I promise

you, if you've got employees who show

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up every day just because they have

to, your customer is going to feel that

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and you need to nip that in the bud and

that's all done through your culture.

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Amy: What are some suggestions

that you can give to help

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teams become customer centric?

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Tacey: Sure.

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So building a team to be customer centric,

like to build a culture, you're going

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to build a reputation in the community.

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That's how I want you to

think about your culture.

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That is what your brand

is going to be known by.

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So, if you're known as the museum that

has very distant, employees, so people

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who, when you try to approach them,

they're very curt with the answers.

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They only give you what they need.

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Instead of, "Oh my gosh, you

have to go to this place!"

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I'll give you an example.

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I travel a lot with my daughter, and

we went to Miami a few years ago.

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And we went to a museum there,

very off the beaten path,

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we kind of wandered around,

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and someone must have noticed us out of

the corner of their eye, because then

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all of a sudden, this woman comes up, and

she's like, "I see that you're new here."

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And we, we both said kind of

collectively, "Does it show?"

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And she said, "Yes, but you know what?

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I cannot wait to show you

this new exhibit we got."

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We ended up in a totally different section

of the museum than we were even standing

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in, but she was so passionate about this

new exhibit that they just got, that she

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just learned about that she was bursting

at the seams to share it with someone.

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And that's what you want.

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You want, I mean, that has to be 12, 13

years ago and I've never forgotten it.

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I haven't been able to be back there

yet, but I, it is definitely the

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next time we're in Miami, that is

definitely one of the stops that

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we will make because of the people.

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It wasn't because of the exhibits,

exhibits change all the time.

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But your team is going to

be what you're known by.

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So making sure that when you've got

something new, you're training your staff

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because they are the face of your brand.

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I guess that's the other thing

that I find people struggle with.

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You are not your building.

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You are your people.

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Because when your customers come

in your door, it's the people that

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they're going to associate with

your brand, not your building.

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If you can get everyone to collaborate

together, swiftly address anything

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that comes up and boost the customer's

morale while they're there, they're

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going to--just like you and I know with

Disney-- they're going to want to come

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back for more because you've made them

feel special while they were there.

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Amy: You want that loyal

following just like your dad

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had with his lemon meringue pie.

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And you're right.

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It may not necessarily be the

exhibit or the painting on the

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wall or the science interactive.

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It is going to be how people felt

when they visited your museum.

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Tacey: Absolutely.

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And I would even go so far, Amy, as

to say that people that you are lucky

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enough that are regulars, that come in

all the time, find out what they love.

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When you're getting a new exhibit

that is in, let's say, like I'm

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very passionate about birds.

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If you sent me a letter

and said, You know what?

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We have a new aviary opening and you are

going to die when you see all this stuff.

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I would be signing up and

telling every friend that I have.

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So yes, it's important to get to know

your customers on a personal level,

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but you have to start with your team.

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So putting the right people in the

right place to give the customer

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the right experience is what's

going to make you a success.

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Amy: Oh, definitely.

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Customer experience is everyone's job.

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Even if you don't think that you are, you

know, customer facing or visitor facing,

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that customer's experience is still your

top priority, whether you're working

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behind the scenes or at the front door.

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Tacey: Absolutely.

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Foster effective communication

within your team with the

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customer in mind all the time.

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Remember the empty seat.

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Really solve problems when they

arise with a customer in an

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efficient and timely manner.

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Give them personalized service.

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Streamline everything so that

it's always in the customer's best

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interest, not yours, because their

best interest is your best interest.

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And as long as you continually work

on it, and customers can see that, and

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employees can see that you're continually

trying to make it an atmosphere of joy

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and everyone working--I always tease that

everyone's driving on the same train.

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So, you know, if you get everybody

going in the same direction, it is

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all going to come to a big circle

and everyone will succeed in the end.

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Amy: Yeah.

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And I think that continuous improvement

that asking, seeking feedback is

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something that people can be afraid to do.

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They're afraid for that feedback.

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But it's important.

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Tacey: And, and I would say it

is probably the most important

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interaction that you will have.

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You need to make sure that you ask

them, "How was your visit today?

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What stood out for you the most?

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What would you have liked

to have seen different?"

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You can ask a half a dozen questions

on someone's exit, whether that's

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physically as they're exiting,

whether that's, um, filling out a

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quick survey after they've had a

visit, however you choose to do that.

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Here's the key, Amy, I think it's so

crucial that if you're going to go

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to the trouble to do this, please,

don't ignore what they tell you.

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I cannot tell you how many times I've

put a not so favorable comment in one

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of those surveys and still have never

heard anything back or have never seen

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anything change within that facility.

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People remember that they took the

time to tell you there was a problem.

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They didn't have to do that.

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They could have just went

and told 50 people instead.

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They took the time to tell you.

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Respect them, thank them for it.

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It's the best gift they could

give you and then fix the problem,

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Being a leader is not for the faint

of heart, and dealing with the public

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is not for the faint of heart, your

perspective on things is always going to

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be skewed and we as human beings always

see things the way we think they are.

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We have to listen to our team and listen

to our customers in order to hear how

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it really is, because that's how you

find all those bumps in the road, the

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things that you're thinking are okay

and it turns out, oh, no, actually,

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there's like this, uh, problem here.

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And there's some friction

and I need to minimize that.

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So someone tells you, pay attention to it,

do what you can to fix it, because that

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is what's going to build your reputation.

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Amy: Yes, 100%.

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So everyone at the end of Tacey's show,

she always throws some pop questions

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out to her guests and, I'm so sorry,

Tacey, I just couldn't let my opportunity

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slip away to ask you a question.

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Tacey: Oh, we're going to

do reverse spill the tea.

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Okay, I'm ready.

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Come on, bring it on.

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Amy: It is.

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It's super easy, I mean, compared to

some of the zingers that you throw

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my way when I'm on your podcast.

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Okay.

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Tacey, what is your favorite museum?

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Tacey: Oh, when my daughter and

I were driving across the country

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from Alberta to Ontario, we

stopped, at the Human Rights museum.

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Now that that museum was--

stop you in your soul.

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There was a lot of things there

that, you know, made us really,

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question some of the things that

have happened in our country.

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So that was very eyeopening,

but I will always, that is in

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Winnipeg and, phenomenal museum.

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If you ever get the chance, you

must go there just absolutely.

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You have to have a whole day.

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You really do.

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It is huge.

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Highly recommend it though,

and their bistro is amazing.

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I do digress though.

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I will always have a soft spot for

the ROM because the, the ROM in

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Toronto is probably the epitome of

everything that I expect from a museum.

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The experiences are amazing.

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Over the summer, they're

doing Monday nights free.

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So, uh, anyone who's listening,

who's in Ontario, for

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heaven's sakes, go to the ROM.

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You will not regret it.

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It is quite an experience.

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But on a side note, Amy, I must

say, the Shoe museum that Bata

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has put up in Ontario, that's a

pretty, pretty big second place

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to the ROM because I love shoes.

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So that's pretty cool.

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But, but, but the ROM for

sure is, is the number one.

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Amy: See, that wasn't so bad.

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That was fun, huh?

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Tacey: Absolutely.

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Amy: Tacey, I'd love to hear

any final thoughts and also tell

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people where they can find you.

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Tacey: Well, the where people can

find me is pretty easy, taceyatkinson.

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com, and I'm on all the

socials as Tacey Atkinson.

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Can't miss me.

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Look for the glitter.

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That's me.

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Spread purple magic everywhere I go.

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As for final thoughts, Amy, I would

just say really think about the

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importance that your team makes in

every day of your facility because

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without them, nothing else happens.

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So you have to treat

them with that reverence.

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I think if there's anything that I

would ask the teams that are listening

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that work inside those facilities,

I'd ask you to think about the

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four things that I love to teach.

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And that's cake.

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So be customer focused, be attentive,

be knowledgeable about whatever

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service or product you have, and

always exceed the customer expectation.

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That's what's going to

take care of your customer.

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And now we know that your leadership

is going to take care of you.

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Amy: Thank you so much, Tacey

for being my first guest.

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And thank you for everything that you've

taught me about the customer experience.

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I will leave your information in the show

notes for my listeners, and maybe I'll

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also leave some links to some of your

podcast episodes that you and I have done.

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together.

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Tacey: Oh, that'll be fun.

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Yes, absolutely.

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I would love that.

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Thank you, Amy.

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It's been my pleasure.

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Amy: Aw thank you so much.

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And thanks for listening, everyone.

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I'll see you next time.