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Hi Reader,

My first job was in a retail clothing store.

I'll never forget my boss teaching me the concept of zone coverage. Each employee on the sales floor was assigned to a specific "zone" within the store.

It was your job to greet every single customer who entered your zone. I later learned this technique is called the 10 & 5 rule.

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The 10 & 5 Rule for Greetings

The 10 and 5 rule is famous in the hospitality industry as a simple reminder to consistently greet people you encounter.

• When customers are 10 feet away from you, use a non-verbal greeting such as a smile or a wave.
• When customers are 5 feet away from you, greet them verbally.

Why is the 10 and 5 rule effective?
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Because it reminds you to walk with your head up while looking for opportunities to serve. It creates a customer service zone around you that makes you more approachable and may lead you to find an unexpected service opportunity.

You can also modify the 10 and 5 rule to suit your needs. For example, I often extend the distances to 20 and 10 feet respectively to create a bigger hospitality zone.

Bonus Info: Greeting customers is one of the four fundamental steps of service that make up the HELP framework.

Mailbag: Answers to your service questions

Q: How can you recover from a service failure without giving something away for free or giving discounts?

A subscriber emailed this question because they work in a medical facility where giving away something for free isn't a service recovery option.

My advice was to focus on restoring trust. This means convincing the customer they'll have a better experience in the future.

It's counterintuitive, but freebies and discounts often hurt service recovery.

Have a great week!
Jeff

PS. Next week's tip will be sent on Tuesday since Monday is a holiday in the U.S.
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Jeff Toister
The Service Culture Guide
619-955-7946
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