News for the Hospitality Executive |
Service Excellence 101: How to Serve a VIP
June 7, 2011 When I was a line employee in the hotel
business, I would
usually be the person assigned to serve the VIP guests. Whether I was a
server
or a concierge, my managers trusted me to provide exceptional customer
service
to the CEO’s, celebrities, and royalty that would visit. In my
manager’s minds,
those guests needed “extra special service”. While I was flattered that
my
managers thought so highly of my customer service skills, I was always
bothered
by their assertion that some guests should get “better” treatment than
others
should. In my mind, all of my guests
were VIP’s. I truly never made a distinction
between how I served the supposed VIP’s and every other guest I had. In
my
heart, I felt (and still feel) that EVERYONE deserves excellent
service,
regardless of their socioeconomic status, job title, or any other
label. For
me, serving the Queen of England is just as honorable as serving Joe
Smith, who
is on vacation with his family of four. First Class vs. Coach As many of you know, I am a frequent
traveler and one of the
perks of travelling often is being upgraded to the first-class cabin.
While I
enjoy the larger seats and additional amenities, there is one thing
that
bothers me: I am often treated much nicer by the flight attendants in
first-class, than when I am in coach. It’s like a completely different
service
experience, although I’m on the same plane. A company that is truly striving to build a
“world-class”
service culture will make every effort to develop service standards
that
emphasize exceptional service for EVERY customer, all the time. Now,
this does
not mean that every customer should get the same service. True service
excellence requires personalization and making each customer feel as
though there
is no one else, at that moment, more important than him or her. Using
customer’s names and learning their preferences are two ways to
accomplish
personalized service. Service is NOT about
what you want to give I have witnessed many occasions when someone
tried to be
engaging, but ended up annoying and disengaging the customer. For
example,
wrestling a suitcase from a guest who would rather carry it herself is
annoying. Insisting on escorting a customer, when he has already
declined your
offer is annoying. Trying to establish an engaging dialogue, when it’s
clear
that the customer would rather be left alone is annoying. As I have
written
previously, service
is not about what you want to give, it is about what the other
person wants
to receive. Give “insider” tips One of the best ways to make your customers
feel like a VIP
is by giving them insider information. In other words, making your
customers
feel like they are privy to valuable information that is not widely
known (or
at least they may perceive that the information is not widely known).
For
example, Enterprise Rent-a-Car has a service called, We’ll pick you up. This
basically means that the Enterprise location, where you are renting the
car,
can send a shuttle to pick you up from wherever you are (home, office,
etc.)
and bring you back to their branch to rent the car. I recently saw an
employee
tell a customer about that service and
the customer was incredibly impressed. The customer commented that he
thought
that such service was only reserved for their big-shot clients. At a recent trip to the CVS Pharmacy in our
neighborhood, an
employee saw a shopper looking at canned salmon (yes, CVS sells grocery
items
too). The employee proactively approached the shopper and told him that
the
salmon was half price, even though the displayed price did not reflect
the
reduced price. The employee explained that every week, the CVS sales
paper
contains deals that only those who subscribe to receive the sales
paper, will
know about. How do you think that shopper felt? You guessed it, like a
VIP.
Testimonials "Dr. Williams
energy, passion and "real-world" examples of Five Star Service
resonated with our General Managers during our recent General
Managers Conference. He is an EXCELLENT investment towards
our future
growth strategies" --Matthew
A. Woodruff, Vice President, Guest and Brand Excellence
Hospitality
Ventures
Management Group –Pravin
Bancharam, Learning & Development Manager Taj Cape Town View more
testimonials by clicking
here! B.Williams
Enterprise Updates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khLDJAwEVdo * Be sure to read our two new "Work Like You Own It!" blog entries. These new entries feature the world-class Taj Cape Town Resort in South Africa and Freshens Smoothies/Yogurt in Atlanta's Airport, http://bwenterprise.net/WorkLikeYouOwnIt.aspx About the Author Dr. Bryan K. Williams is the Chief Service Officer of B.Williams Enterprise, and the author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar. Bryan’s passion is world-class customer service, and has facilitated workshops and delivered keynotes all over the world for various companies. He speaks on a variety of topics related to service excellence, employee engagement, and organizational improvement. As a consultant, Bryan works closely with companies to design, develop, and implement sustainable service strategies. His company’s online store includes a growing collection of customer service products that are well-suited for your training library. |
Order at the B.Williams Enterprise Online Store Find more resources relating to service excellence at www.bwenterprise.net. Also on the website, you can subscribe to the official B.Williams Enterprise emailing list. You will receive announcements, newsletters and other excellent resources. -We exist to serve others so they may better serve the world ®.- |
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