The "Did you plug it in?" question that can infuriate hotel guests
During a recent stay in a resort hotel I found that my room TV was not working. Here I was, lying comfortably in bed and getting increasingly frustrated as I couldn’t turn the TV on, despite repeatedly pressing the button on the remote.
As a frequent traveler, I know that hotel TV systems are a constant pain point. For instance, the printed TV guide one found in the room of days gone by, is no longer there. In its place is a supposedly interactive onscreen channel guide, which every time the TV is turned on, resets immediately to a channel that features hotel information (with the volume jacked up).
Whilst struggling with my TV remote, several thoughts kept flashing through my mind. Has the hotel disabled the remote to cripple it in some way so as to render it useless - thus preventing people walking off with the remote? Believe me, there are guest who really do that. Could the batteries in the remote be dead or are there any batteries in it? Perhaps someone removed them? Oh yes, this can happen too - when housekeeping staff take out the old batteries to replace with new ones…and forget to do just that.
Then, there are some hotels that instruct staff to switch off the TV no sooner a hotel guest checks out, probably to save electricity costs as the TV is off and not on standby mode. While staff may be also told to switch the TV set on just before the next guest checks-in – that hardly happens nor is it practical.
Getting back to my story. I rang the reception desk to complain about the TV breakdown. Now, I am quite certain many of you, at some time or another, have encountered this question when you complained to the hotel front desk staff about something that did not work in your hotel room. It could be that the coffee maker or the hair dryer in the bathroom was not working.
The very first question posed to me was “Did you plug it in?” This to me is the classical ‘DYPII’ (Did you plug it in) question and pairs infuriatingly well with that other famous ‘DYPII’ question “Are you sure you typed in your password correctly?”
Now, the only time I forgave a receptionist, after been asked “Did you plug it in?” was when I found my room TV set was actually unplugged in that particular hotel. I later discovered that several guests in that same hotel kept calling the Reception to complain about their TV service. Digging deeper, I got to know that housekeeping staff when vacuuming the room used the same plug point that the TV was plugged into. Invariable, some staff forgets to re-plug the TV set and the receptionist fully aware of the root cause of the recurring guest complaints had no choice but ask the “DYPII” question.
Admittedly, when a guest complains and is looking for a solution, hotel staff are often put into an exploratory position that requires them to ask ‘DYPII’ questions. But when doing so, they must be mindful that there is a particular moment in service recovery where such language is used, (and the timing of when to use that language) comes most crucially into play. Immediately asking the “did you plug it in?’” question can anger the guest further - and that is exactly what triggered my anger.
Before diving in to ask “DYPII” questions, immediately apologise to the customer for the service breakdown. Once the customer has accepted the apology, staff now has the opportunity to ask the same questions without sounding offensive or challenging the customer’s capabilities – provided staff uses the correct language! For instance, the “did you plug it in?” question that was thrown at me could have been reframed “Perhaps the socket connection is loose. Would you mind checking that out or may I send someone from the housekeeping department to look into it?”
Every industry has its own set of “DYPII” questions. Identify each of them and find new phrases to use. It can make a crucial difference.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer and Ex-Hotelier.
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