YOUR SUBWAY NEWS SOURCE • MARCH 2011
GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
NEWS
Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic News • March 2011
W
hile you can’t force your customers to come in
your door, by providing great customer service
you can help increase the odds they will come
back. It is simply a matter of making the most out of every
conversation or transaction with a customer. Especially in
today’s competitive marketplace, great customer service can
be the difference that makes you successful.
Service With a Smile
1. Although being pleasant
when dealing with customers may
seem to be the obvious thing to do,
some fail to do so, yet it is critical
in providing great customer serv-
ice. Serving a customer with a gen-
uine smile on your face helps to
put the customer at ease and
makes her feel as though you care
about her. Even if you are only
speaking to a customer on the
phone, smiling will cause you to
come across in a more pleasant
and caring way than if you don't
smile.
Acknowledge the Customer
2. Greet all customers as quickly as possible. Even if you are
on the phone helping another customer, smile and acknowl-
edge the customer in front of you. Let him or her know you
will be with them as soon as possible
Pay Attention
3. Listen carefully to everything your customer is saying
and give them your full attention. Having to repeat them-
selves because you were not paying attention is not going to
make for a pleasant visit.
Also any side conversations while you are waiting on a cus-
tomer are a big No-no as few things are deemed as more dis-
respectful to our customers than this. For our English is a sec-
ond language owners and staff also a big No-no is talking
amongst yourselves while you have customers in line or in the
store. Nothing makes people feel more uncomfortable than
having people talk in front of you when you do not under-
stand what is being said. They start wondering, “Are they
talking bad about me?” or “Is something wrong that they
don’t want me to hear about?”
Never Take Anything Personally
4. Unfortunately, there are people who are so wrapped up
in their own problems that no matter how wonderful you are
they want to make their problems
yours. They may raise their voices
or get upset because of their own
frustrations. Rather than take it
personally, this is an opportunity
for you to be a true professional
and deliver great customer serv-
ice. Say, for instance, "I can see
you're upset, and I really want to
work with you to resolve this mat-
ter--what can I do to ensure your
satisfaction?" This will calm them
down as they think about what
you can do for them, and chances
are they will then become much
more reasonable.
Treat the Customer the Way You Would Like to Be
Treated
5. You also have likely experienced both great and poor cus-
tomer service as a customer yourself. You know what it feels
like to be on the other side of the counter. If you simply ask
yourself, "How would I like to be treated in this situation?"
and then treat the customer that way you will exceed the
expectations of the customer most of the time.
Always Show Appreciation
6. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and our customers are
no different. They have a choice of where they go to eat , so if
they choose to visit your store , even if you are not the owner
or manager, let them know you appreciate it. At the conclusion
of order, say "Thank you and have a great day!
By Scott Wooten

G
reat customer experiences doesn’t just happen.
Great companies center their operations on the
customer, not on operational efficiencies. But
without insight into what customers really value and a pro-
gram to communicate these insights to employees, the com-
mitment can’t be acted upon.
Know Your Customers Priorities
Many businesses either make the mistake of assuming they
know their customers, or they’ve conducted a satisfaction
survey that they trust for many years longer than it’s valid.
It’s critical to periodically survey your
customers to monitor how their priori-
ties have changed this is a main reason
why it is important to have our
Sandwich artist push our customer
surveys. Subway is constantly evolv-
ing. Customers interact with a many of
companies and organizations, and
their experiences are constantly broad-
ened. FedEx’s ability to track packages,
or Walgreen’s ability to fulfill a pre-
scription nationally both impact your
customers’ expectations of how your
business should be serving them—
even though you don’t compete direct-
ly with either FedEx or Walgreens.
Understand Your Performance Benchmarks
While performance assessment tools like customer satisfac-
tion surveys are in plentiful use, they generally make the
mistake of assuming that points of reference are competitors
within the industry. This can be a major mistake.
Customers’ expectations and needs are influenced by a
wide range of the experiences they have. Their demands
may be influenced by an experience online with a financial
services organization or how they were treated at a Marriott
hotel the week before.
Objectively Track Your Performance
One excellent method to observe how well the vision is
being implemented is mystery shopping. With mystery
shops, a chain can specify key elements of the experience
they aim to deliver and then have professional shoppers
monitor their stores to see that the elements are being deliv-
ered. If they’re not, local managers can be contacted, given
the mystery shop report, and asked why compliance is low.
Often managers may have a reasonable explanation which
corporate management hasn’t considered. Other times, the
mystery shop results will remind franchisee, and managers
the importance of reinforcing guidelines with frontline staff,
describing the actions and helping staff members under-
stand the reasons behind the actions.
Monitor the Attitudes of Your Managers and Staff
The leading challenge for quick-serves today is hiring and
motivating good people. Good compa-
nies find it’s as important to maintain
a dialogue with their employees as
with their customers. Employee satis-
faction surveys not only collect valu-
able insights into the staff and their
managers, they also show the staff
their feelings and opinions matter.
Employee attitudes have to be careful-
ly considered. Too many employee sat-
isfaction surveys make the mistake of
asking about the fun employees have
on the job. We all want our employees
to feel valued and respected, but work
is work, fun and friends at work are
not directly related to the profitability
of a business. A far better model is to
ask employees how equipped they are to perform the tasks
management expects from them. Do they understand the
business’ policies, do they have the necessary tools to con-
duct business, and do they believe management will sup-
port them in their duties? Employees who are properly pre-
pared will be more capable of delivering a superior experi-
ence to customers.
Provide Opportunities for Customer Feedback
Many customers appreciate the opportunity to communi-
cate with the companies whose stores they visit. They may
wish to praise a service person, offer a suggestion, or
describe a less-than-satisfactory visit. Offering a channel to
host this correspondence can be very informative. Whether
you use counter cards, an invitation to visit a Web site, or
other devices, providing customers a way to offer feedback
is a golden opportunity to learn and improve.
The Mid-Atlantic News is published monthly by Subway Development Corporation of Washington and is
available on line at SubwayDCW.com. All issues of this publication are confidential and
intended for the use of Subway Franchisees and Employees Only.
Comments, questions, concerns, or ideas for future articles are welcome and can be submitted directly online.
Mid-Atlantic News • March 2011 • Page Two
GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
By Derrick Jones
- Know Your Customers
Priorities
- Understand Your
Performance Benchmarks
- Objectively Track Your
Performance
- Monitor the Attitudes of
Your Managers and Staff
- Provide Opportunities for
Customer Feedback

V
ery often as I travel through stores I hear
employees complaining about what their jobs
do not offer as well as owner’s frustrations
about the difficulties of hiring and retaining quality
employees. At a time when new job opportunities as a
whole are scarce and at an all time low and many of the
unemployed are giving up on looking for jobs there are
things you can do as a business owner and Subway fran-
chisee to attract and keep the best candidates in the sub
shop industry. As a Subway franchisee you have the
opportunity to provide a fun, flexible, stress free work
environment-after all you own a Sub shop that is of the
largest and most well known of its type in the QSR indus-
try throughout the world! Subway
has several tools in place to assist
you with recruiting and retaining
good employees such as my subway
career.com and the 4R’s program. But
aside from these tools there are some
very basic concepts that I ask you to
evaluate and reconsider in your own
individual operation over the next
few months. What does your opera-
tion have to offer potential employ-
ees that distinguishes and separates
it from others in the industry? We are
all very familiar with statistics which
show the significant amounts of
money lost with high turnover as
well as the adverse effects this has on
customer service at the front line. So
it would seem that it would be com-
mon practice to pay better than average to attract and
keep the best employees- seems obvious doesn’t it? Pay
scales and offers should only be decided on after careful
consideration of what your competitors offering compara-
ble positions are paying otherwise the position you offer
will be taken to fill the time and that employee will
resent the pay, feel unappreciated, and leave as soon as
the next good job offer comes their way. Remember the
wage you pay is what enables your employee to provide
for his/her needs. If their needs cannot be met this will
show in their work and attitudes and in turn effect your
customers. So research your region and shop the competi-
tors. Second and often larger than pay is the determining
factor of benefits. Benefits offered can often outweigh pay
rates by far. A basic benefit package (medical and dental
insurance) should always be offered if possible as
employees always appreciate how well you are looking
out for their needs that they often are not able to afford
otherwise! As a Subway franchisee you have access to
IPC services which includes Extend Health (www.ipchealth-
benefits.com) that allows you to shop and compare health
benefits for yourself, family, and staff to determine the
most cost efficient as well as effective ways to offer an
insurance package. However, as you reconsider your
offerings, please keep in mind that there are many other
benefits besides medical insurance to consider if they are
just not fiscally possible and will still have great value
to potential employees such as : Award or gift cards
(redeemable at the employer’s or another local store) as
bonuses for attendance, productivity, and punctuality ,
employee referral bonus, free airline passes, free taxi rides
home, life insurance, personal care employee benefits,
tuition reimbursement , flexible spending accounts,
vouchers to help pay for child
care, profit sharing, financial
planning assistance,
personal/emergency floating
holidays, paid time off, mental
wellness days, discounted well-
ness/fitness programs, 401 K,
discounted and/or free meals,
discounted hotel stays, take
home vehicles for management,
paid volunteer work days for
charitable organizations of
employee’s choice, vision and
dental plans, relocation assis-
tance and employee benefits
related to pets just to name a
few. Additional raises or bonus-
es based on performance
and/or tenure should be consid-
ered too. Once again you have the advantage of IPC
negotiated cost in many of these areas as a Subway fran-
chisee (www. ipcoop.com) Employers that consider and
offer a variety of benefits often experience higher employ-
ee morale and employers with a greater sense of job satis-
faction as well as higher retention rates. Of course it is to
your advantage to educate your employees on what you
are paying for their benefits so that the value is maxi-
mized giving you that competitor’s edge! After reading
this article, my hope is that you will take the time to
reconsider what benefits your organization currently
offers since the choices are so immense, build your pack-
age thinking outside the box so that your offerings will
set your company’s reputation apart making you the
Subway employer of “first” choice in your regions!
Mid-Atlantic News • March 2011 • Page Three
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
By Charisse Brewer

T
he article is about a “team” that
consistently goes above and
beyond the expectations of model
customer service at their Subway. Mahendra
Thapa Magar and Gyan Rimal have been
working for Nick DiFatta in the Baltimore,
MD market for five years. They formed a
partnership with Nick back in 2006 and now
stand as an elite remodel for all Subways in
the Baltimore Market. Since the initial trans-
fer of the Painters Mill location, the staff has
since been awarded with 2008 Customer Service Award for
the local Baltimore market. Furthermore, the store has only
improved in its operations and excellent customer service.
At the Owners Rally in 2010 Nick, Mahendra, Gyan and the
rest of their staff was awarded with 2009 Franchisee of the
Year Award. During my training as a Subway sandwich
artist, I took apprenticeship under Mahendra, Gyan and
their staff. I cannot fully express the knowledge I received
from the store members in dealing with customer service
techniques. The staff members showed me how valuable a
first impression is to the customer in order to make them come
back for future business. Each and every customer who walks
through the door is greeted with a very loud and clear “Welcome
to Subway! What can I get for you today?” Mahendra taught me
how this leaves a last impression on the customer to smile through
the entire transaction to better create “The
Subway Experience”. One area that set our
Subway business apart from our other compe-
tition in QSR restaurants is the customer inter-
action throughout the order. This is an area
where we can build relationships with cus-
tomers, therefore making a lasting impression
which will lead to future business. Gyan has
told me of his many regular
guests who he sees on a week-
ly basis. He shared with me
that he believes running his
store is not just a job, but
something that is very person-
al to him. He has made a last-
ing impression on many of his
customers who have stopped
me on several occasions and
stated this is the best Subway
they have ever visited, with
the best customer service
they’ve ever seen. I can say that the secret to this locations success
would be overall restaurant cleanliness, fresh ingredients pre-
pared on a daily basis, and outstanding customer service which
will lead to return customers. I believe this formula is the secret to
success in any business, and has been implemented efficiently at
Nick’s location. I would like to end this in saying Congratulations
to Nick, Mahendra, Gyan and the rest of their team at Store 23403
Painter Mill in Owings Mill, MD, and to keep up the great work
for a successful year in 2011!
SUBWAY DEVELOPMENT • 7601 Lewinsville Road • Suite 310 • McLean, Virginia 22101
CCoonnggrraattuull
ttiioonnssaa to the following franchisees who have purchased an existing store, opened a new store or purchased a franchise in
January 2011!
OPENED A NEW STORE:
Amer El-Ghalayini 49397 Washington, DC
Shrutep Amin 28587 New Castle, DE
Adewale Soniregun 49109 Bowie, MD
Nabil Adad 50348 Arlington, VA
PURCHASED AN EXISTING STORE:
Smurti Nebhnani &
Dipika Chawla 27757 Glen Burnie, MD
PURCHASED A FRANCHISE:
Jaeman Shim Germantown, MD
Farhat K Elmohtaseb Washington, DC
“TEAM” CONSISTENTLY GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE EXPECTATIONS
By Brandon Johnson