Making service work
Luxury was the brand characteristic in the 1980s, and then it was quality in the 90s, which then turned to excellence at the turn of the century. Fast forward to the 2020s… and you enter the decade of technology and the rapid changes associated when adapting to it.
In contemporary times, the hospitality industry has emerged as one of the largest business domains in the world and while the industry is now more inclined towards technology; service regardless of the scale of automation, would still hold the key to success.
“Investing in quality and making service work is not a revolution idea. Rather, it is established fact: People like to buy things that work. For those of us in the hospitality industry that means good service that fulfills our guests’ expectations. We are a hotel; we are in the hospitality business.” These words were uttered over three decades ago by Horst H. Schulze, who was the then President and Chief Operating Officer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
A simplistic explanation of service goes on to describe it as “the level of assistance provided by members of staff to facilitate the purchase by the client.” In the words of Schulze, guest expectations are met when the service is good. If that be the case, it goes without saying that bad customer service can be defined as when a business fails to meet the customer expectations in terms of service quality, response time, or overall customer experience.
Overall customer experience (CX) goes hand in hand with customer service. How the latter is performed can determine whether the CX turns out to be positive, indifferent or negative. For example, Investing in expensive china is of no value if the hotel employee handing it to the guest doesn’t smile, let alone engage.
A key step in hospitality service is to judge and satisfy the customer’s needs, and when that need is met without their asking, the perceived level of service shoots up. Take the simple case of wait-staff having to be repeatedly asked to re-fill one’s water glass – not really pitcher perfect service, is it?
Next to attitude, extrovert, friendly personalities are an absolute must for staff in roles with high visibility. For instance, take doormen, who are the first people guests interact with when they arrive and the last people they interact with as they depart. It can be a function carried out without a “soul” (I’m not refereeing here to automated doors – which also fit the description).
Most doormen assume their worth as measured by the number of times they promptly open the door. Very few are made to understand that they wear more than that single hat – they are also the guardians of the gate, the first-in-line for making first impressions and the informal and informative concierge.
A doorman’s uniform and his behavior can send out a signal that tells us upfront; expect some magic as you enter the hotel. Likewise, stellar service, driven by devoted hotel staff, is what makes a great property come alive.
If location, infrastructure, sales and marketing, technology and strategy are important components that make up the greater body of hospitality; then customer service would unquestionably be the soul of hospitality.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier
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