There’s nothing like a vacation to put you at the mercy of customer service. It’s the best and worst of times to experience the zenith and nadir of what working people and the corporations behind them have to offer.
I’m sorry to pile on, but the nadir would have to be the airlines. Even the security staff staring at shoeless masses shuffling through the metal detectors are more cheerful than those poor souls working the check-in counter and, worse, gates of the airlines.
Yes, the weather is unpredictable, and I seem to recall a pilot’s strike (who can blame them?) occurred in July as well. But I can’t forgive any business that routinely reneges on its agreement to provide a seat to someone who has purchased one. If a person is holding a ticket and standing at the gate before the plane has boarded, how can you say “I’m sorry, we’re overbooked, so you may not make it on this flight?” It defies reason.
Worse, it turns ordinary people into snarling desperadoes. Queued up and waiting for seat assignments, hopeful passengers would lash out en masse at anyone who appeared to be “cutting in line,” including those merely passing by.
My “nadir still life” would be the gate agent who ignored a question I called to her from a few feet away. She kept her head down, looking at her screen and typing as I spoke to her. I found her so staggeringly rude that I had to laugh.
Enough of the worst, now to the best.
For five nights in Manhattan, we stayed at the Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square. It was funny to stay in such a touristy location, since my fiance is a New York native, and we have both lived in and around NYC many years over the course of our lives.
The Renaissance was a wonderful place to stay, mostly because, when exhausted from sweaty shopping, museums and theatre, we could fall into the most exquisite bed I can remember lying in. I’m tempted to say the bed was the best part of the hotel, but that would be a disservice to the zenith of customer service experiences: the Renaissance staff.
From the doorman to the front desk staff to the concierge, I couldn’t get over the sincerely helpful attitude everyone had. The hotel is undergoing some remodeling, so they must have to deal with miffed guests occasionally. I never saw them annoyed or frazzled. They always took things over and made it their problem, instead of the guest’s.
My example #1: I used rewards points to stay in the hotel, but upon arrival they couldn’t find my certificate. I expected to stand around and wait while calls were made, mail boxes were searched, etc. Nope! “You just go on up to the room and get settled, and we’ll take care of it.” Gold star.
I didn’t mention that we arrived quite early in the morning, exhausted, but expecting to have to wait till 3 pm to check in. That wasn’t our problem either. A room was available and up we went.
Great example #2: Minibar charges. Of course, against the rules, we piled our take-out boxes into the minibar, replacing the bottles when we took the boxes out. We didn’t know that the minibar is automated with sensors to charge for any bottle that is moved. Flash forward to day of check-out and enormous minibar bill slipped under my door. Prepared for a huge drama, I went downstairs. I had barely explained the situation when the front desk rep said, “no problem” and removed the charges. Again, he made it not-my-problem.
Cute example #3: I had no singles but a pile of quarters that were making my purse heavy. Apologizing, I gave them to the doorman who hailed our cab as we were leaving. Once again, he made it “no problem,” by thanking me and saying he would use them in parking meters. A nice way to be grateful, even when slightly inconvenienced.
I could go on and on about the fun doormen who joked with us, each other and generally seemed to love their jobs. The concierge who called the room, proactively offering his services. Their attitudes made our stay memorable.
What accounts for the difference in attitudes between the airline employees and the Renaissance staff? Can the hotel be paying that much more money? Aren’t there more perks in the airline business? Whatever is the difference, I want to remember that there ARE great customer service examples out there. When I start to feel like it’s an impossible, intangible thing to attain, I’ll think of what the Renaissance does:
- Takes on the problem and solves it immediately, usually without the presence of the guest
- Assumes the best outcome in every situation, projecting a positive, helpful and hopeful attitude
- Prioritizes guest comfort, correctly assuming that a comfortable guest is happier and easier to keep happy
- Maintains a light and easy interaction among staff, which is professional and includes the guests at every opportunity
Which of these is true of your organization?
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Great post, Samantha. I really enjoy your writing. By the way, I run a big Article Directory and if you have some articles for distribution, you are very welcome to post them in the appropriate category.
Regards,
Alex