Father's day - discover less, pay more
Mothers have it hardest, although being a Father can also be stressful. Just as ‘Mother's Day’ celebrates maternal bonds across generations with gestures of gratitude, acknowledging sacrifices and unconditional love, amidst commercialism, Fathers’ too get a day dedicated just for them.
On such special days, many credit card companies offer discounts for stays in hotels or for dining at restaurants including other purchases at eligible merchants. For Father’s day which fell on 15th June this year, my credit card issuer – American Express promoted a “Companion dines free” offer at two Colombo hotels, namely, the Cinnamon Grand and the Radisson. While the Radisson stated ‘For dinner only’, there was no such condition by the Cinnamon Grand. To me, that implied the promo is valid for both lunch and dinner.
Since my wife and I wished to avail ourselves of this hard-to-miss Father’s day offer, I called the Cinnamon Grand (as I know they do a good buffet spread), to book a table for two, for dinner. The call was answered by, let’s say John, who told me that the offer was invalid for the Dinner buffet (priced Rs.7.5K p.p.) and was valid only for the Brunch (priced Rs.8.9K p.p.) and he seemed very certain of what he was saying, although I wasn’t totally convinced. Nevertheless, we changed plans, a tad reluctantly though and reserved two seats for the Brunch.
I then called the American Express card centre staff who confirmed that the promo was for both Lunch (Brunch in this case) and for Dinner. Lodging a complaint I requested them to look in to this and let me know the outcome. In next to no time, the card centre supervisor called back to tell me that when she contacted the hotel, John who had answered, told her the same what he had told me. Pressed with a “are you sure about that?” query, he had replied “let me check”, and soon retracted what he had said, by admitting his mistake.
Now, by no means am I accusing John of deceiving or misleading me by making false representations knowingly or recklessly; although some reputable brands have been known to use tactics to lure customers into spending more than what they actually can. Neither do I think that John’s father treated him so badly for him to use Fathers’ day celebrations as ‘pay-back’ time. However, I do find fault with this hotel for failing to find the right voice or person for the job – which in this case was to answer the phone and provide proper information.
What pissed me off was where a simple interaction to book a table turned into long drawn moment of uncertainty. We live in the age of instant gratification. Customers want answers now, and they want to feel like their needs are a priority. If the person answering isn’t trained for customer calls, the whole interaction can feel unprofessional or confusing. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in your business. Answering the phone correctly is like welcoming a guest at the entrance with a warm smile. Done improperly, it can devalue the brand and bring disrepute to the hotel.
Choosing the right person to answer your business calls is more important than you think. It sends a powerful message about your company – that you’re professional, organized, and customer-focused.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry
|
|
|
|
