The Wayne Homes Regional Steering Committee visited the Zingerman’s Roadhouse and Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan to observe the outstanding customer experience firsthand.
Uniontown, OH – Last week, employees from Wayne Homes, an Ohio-based custom home builder that specializes in on-your-lot homes, traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to gain firsthand knowledge and experience on outstanding customer service from Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, the company which Wayne Homes bases their customer service practices from.
“As members of the Regional Steering Committee, our main focus is finding ways to improve customer experiences internally and externally,” Brittany Burkhart, product designer and regional steering committee member, said. “Zingerman’s is a leader in providing outstanding customer service. We wanted our members of the committee to experience firsthand what outstanding customer service looks like so they could better model this service and share what they learned with their teams.”
Members of the Regional Steering Committee, which includes employees from the 11 offices across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, started the trip on Wednesday, June 6 with dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse.
Ari Weinzweig, the owner of Zingerman’s and author of several books, surprised the group by refilling water glasses and serving until he was noticed.
“That left a large impression on me,” Stephanie Yates, online sales consultant and regional steering committee member, said. “After someone pointed out that Ari was there, he spoke with us for quite some time and even answered some questions people had. It was so refreshing to see how down to earth he was and willing to share and any knowledge he could with us in a short amount of time.”
Thursday the committee gathered at the company’s newest model center in Hartland, Michigan and toured the brand new Kinston model. Before going to the Zingerman’s Delicatessen to experience the place where the Zingerman’s businesses all started, the committee had their quarterly meeting at the model to discuss what they took away from the previous evening at the roadhouse and new ideas to implement in the offices.
“We’ve established what is means to give outstanding customer service and go the extra mile for our customers, but there is always room for improvement and our goal of this trip was to find the empowerment to make a difference in our customer experiences,” Burkhart said. “We hope all of our members will be able to share with their teams what they experienced and be able to give them all ideas on how we can improve experiences for our customers, both externally and internally.”
Some members of the committee even realized that outstanding customer service and experience even go beyond big gestures.
“What I experienced will help me because I was able to understand that you don’t have to do some grand gesture in order to provide excellent service,” Yates said. “Sometimes, it is the little things that matter the most. It encouraged me to be more mindful of my customers wants and needs and how I can help them get those things with a positive attitude while going the extra mile.”
For more information about Wayne Homes or to inquire about job opportunities, please visit WayneHomes.com.
About Wayne Homes
Wayne Homes is a custom home builder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer nearly 50 customizable floorplans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by live chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.
