The other day I was conducting a training session on Service
excellence for the hotel staff. A short session of about 2 hours. I saw
that they were carrying their diaries and all ready to take down everything
that would be discussed and covered in the session. I was thinking to
myself, service excellence is no rocket science and it doesn’t require you to
do anything extra apart from what you are ought to do as a service personnel
and use your heart. As it is rightly said that; one must use his heart when
dealing with people and his mind while dealing with things. Very simple logic
isn’t it? It works for all human beings and customers are humans too, just like you and me!
Customer service is not a department,....it's an
attitude!
Service is what every customer expects from a business. Such as
paying attention to them, being courteous, in an atmosphere of
hospitality. Employees knowing their products well and providing assistance to
the customers by anticipating their needs. Customers love it when they don’t
need to ask for help but it comes to them through observant service providers.
Employees taking interest in their customer’s opinions. Using
customer feedback constructively to enhance their own products and services.
Also complaints handled well and according to their customer’s satisfaction.
Service excellence has to do a lot with Moment of truth. Moment of
truth can be summarized in the words of Jan Carlzon,
“A Moment of Truth is an episode in which a customer comes
into contact with any aspect of the Company, however remote and thereby
has an opportunity to form an impression.”
So, who makes all the difference? It’s the employee who provides
that service to the customer. The employee who has the winning smile, is a
professional, equipped with good knowledge, positive attitude, willingness to
help and takes pride in his job. Wears patience as a tiara! Customers can be
demanding but they only need the basics to be handled well. They like to be
understood and being informed well about the products or services.
A simple guide of 5 steps for creating service excellence
- Welcome
every customer with a warm smile.
- Use
customer’s name if possible and at every opportunity. Every
person likes to be recognized and valued, being address by one’s own name
is one way of doing that.
- Take
care / anticipate customer needs. Remember the golden rule that the
customer is the king!
- Thank
the customers for giving an opportunity to serve and invite back them.
What does it take to create ‘memories’?
Anticipation and observation are the key to creating memories for
customers.
Listening for clues for e.g.: their likes and dislikes, interests
or needs
Being aware of customer's profile, preferences, history, important
dates
Empathy, hearing the unspoken (body language, tone of voice)
Being attentive / Being alert to ‘Opportunities’ e.g. offering
assistance and walking that extra step.
You’ll never have a product or price advantage
again. They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service
culture can’t be copied.
~Jerry
Fritz
By delivering extraordinary service, We become a
part of the success story!
P.S Pictures are taken from Google for representational purposes
