The most critical insights for Chili's revival came not from consumers, but from its 70,000 employees. Their feedback on operational friction and guest interactions directly fueled simplification, menu changes, and investments that improved the customer experience.
Related Insights
Frontline employees have the most information about customer needs, while leaders have all the authority. To deliver exceptional service, empower the people interacting with customers to make decisions in the moment. This closes the gap and allows the organization to be truly responsive.
Customers are guarded with salespeople for fear of being sold. However, they are candid with customer service, freely sharing complaints and unmet needs. This makes the CS department an invaluable, and often untapped, source of sales intelligence and expansion opportunities.
To stay connected to frontline operations and customer sentiment, former EasyJet CEO Caroline McCall made it a ritual to help cabin crew collect trash on every flight. This simple, repeated act provided invaluable, unfiltered feedback from both employees and passengers that she couldn't get in the office.
A GSB receptionist's casual chats with alumni revealed the program's long-term "fine wine" value—a strategic insight that formal surveys often miss. This shows how empowering frontline employees to listen can uncover profound user truths.
Brainstorming cannot reveal the true friction in your customer experience. Following JetBlue's example, leaders must regularly become their own customers. This practice uncovers how high-level decisions inadvertently create flaws in the customer journey that are invisible from the boardroom.
For 10 years, Red Wing has maintained "The Crew," a consistent group of 20 loyalist customers. They connect monthly via calls with product and marketing teams, providing ruthless and authentic feedback that directly shapes strategy, far beyond what traditional focus groups can offer.
The first step in reviving a heritage brand like Chili's is to deeply research its history, founders, and original essence. This historical foundation provides the authentic DNA needed to build a relevant modern brand positioning, rather than inventing something new.
Chipotle's 'Behind the Foil' campaign was born from an internal memo asking employees to film videos about what they wished customers knew. The submissions became casting tapes, turning real staff into brand heroes. This approach provided unparalleled authenticity and celebrated the company's core operational strengths.
By observing social media complaints about high fast food prices, Chili's reframed its market to compete directly with brands like McDonald's. This agile repositioning, which highlighted its superior value for a similar price, allowed them to tap into a new customer base and drive significant growth.
Instead of being siloed in a corporate office, Lifetime's creative and marketing leadership is encouraged to work directly from their clubs. This provides invaluable, first-hand insight into member patterns, team member needs, and the real-world customer journey, which directly informs a more authentic marketing strategy.