Janu
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8We exist to serve others so they may better serve the world.®
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The LOVE Business
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News for the Hospitality Executive |
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8
The LOVE Business
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June 13, 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don’t need to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t even need to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Ladies and gentlemen, if you
are serving others, then you
are in the love business. To love means ‘to care deeply for’, and every
customer, on some level, wants to be cared for. Whether it’s in an
airport,
hospital, hotel, nursing home, spa, train or restaurant, customers want
to know
that whoever happens to be serving them cares about their well-being.
Yes,
hotel guests appreciate luxurious room accommodations, but what they
are really
paying for is assurance that the staff will care enough to be attentive
and
look for ways to create exceptional memories for them. Yes, hospital
and
long-term care patients expect the medical team to help them feel
better but,
deep down, they also want to know that you will not treat them as just
another
patient in their already-busy day. People want…no…people yearn and
crave to be
loved. They need it.
The kind word you say to the customers, may be the only kind word they have heard all day…or all week…or all month. You don’t know what their personal circumstances are. The man you are serving could have only a few weeks to live and he now finds himself being served by you. A woman could be having the worst year of her life for various reasons, and she now finds herself in your spa, your restaurant, your airline, or your bus. Your genuine smile may be the catalyst to turn her day completely around. In the end, money can buy material possessions, but memories and how we feel are all we have. First Class Those who truly understand what
it means to infuse love into
service do not classify their customers according to status. In other
words,
they don’t serve VIP’s “better” than everyone else. On the contrary,
they serve
everyone like they are VIP’s. Flight attendants who understand this
concept
shun the idea that those flying in first class should be treated nicer.
No, these professionals treat every passenger as if they are in
first-class.
First-class is not a section on an airplane; it is a mentality towards
how you
serve people.
I was recently on a Delta flight, and experienced my first ever, flight within a flight experience. That is the only way I can describe the service that I received. Scott, the flight attendant, made every passenger in his assigned section of the plane feel incredibly valued and appreciated. Here’s what Scott did:
Once I got situated in my seat,
Scott noticed that I had
pulled out a Delta drink coupon to redeem for a complimentary alcoholic
beverage. He asked if this was my last flight of the day. When I told
him that
I actually had one more flight to catch, he told me, “Keep the coupon
to use on
your next flight today. Your drink on this flight is on me. I would
like to
make your entire flight experience with us today a memorable one.” Nice.
And it gets better… When he was preparing to serve
beverages, he approached each
passenger in his section and said, “We have some complimentary napkins
for
you.” When I ordered the red wine, he said, “Excellent choice! We have
our
finest red wine for you from our cellar that has been aged just right.”
It was
obvious to me that Scott took pride in ensuring that every passenger in
his
section had a memorable experience. He is the embodiment of working
like you
own it. Scott knows that he is in the love business.
Jessica the server I recently visited the Grand
Hotel Stockholm and the entire
staff was very hospitable. They exuded professionalism and, more
importantly, a
genuine interest in my well-being while in their city. One evening, I
went to
one of the hotel’s restaurants for dinner and was privileged to meet
one of the
finest servers in the world. Not only was she flawless with each of the
various
touchpoints, but she obviously loved her job. Jessica took great pride
in
honing her craft. She was proud of being a server. Actually, she
loved being a server. Jessica didn’t just greet me…she welcomed me into
her
“home”. She didn’t just take my food and drink order…she shared her
favorite
menu items. When the food was delivered to the table, she did not just
say,
“enjoy your meal”, she took a moment to explain everything on the
plate.
Jessica even gave a brief story about the ingredients, and where they
came from
(for each dish). The vegetables came from this place… the fish came
from that
place. As a diner, I felt an intimate connection with the food I was
enjoying
because she painted such a wonderful picture! Jessica knows that she is
in the
love business.
Let love manifest itself in how you speak, act and serve others. Your customers can, and will, feel it. They may not always tell you, but trust me, they appreciate it. In fact, the very act of genuinely serving IS love. One of the best parts about
being in the love business is
its universal appeal. Everyone understands it on some level, and there
is
powerful karma associated with giving love. It always seems to find its
way
back to you. An ancient Chinese proverb notes, “a little bit of
fragrance
always clings to the hand that gives you roses”. In this article’s
context,
think of the roses as the service that you provide to others. And think
of the
fragrance as the inner peace and outer fulfillment that you have as a
result of
serving others. Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the love business.
“Bryan Williams has provided training for our Executive, Management and Front line teams - all of which have been equally inspired and energized by his enthusiastic and genuine presentation style. He gives relevant industry examples, gaining the respect of the teams by not only pulling on his experience as a customer and guest, but also as a team member at various levels of the business.” --Douglas Glen, Hotel Manager, The Landmark London “Bryan is an amazing, charismatic and knowledgeable speaker. He was able to keep our employees, from all levels of the organization, completely engaged. His passion for service is evident.” --Nourbese Joseph, HR Director, Trump Int’l Miami “I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how much I enjoyed your training. I found it to be very inspiring as well as providing some great tools to take back and incorporate into our training and development programs that we use in our organization today.” --Julie Robinson, VP-Operations, Red Door Spas About Bryan K. Williams 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 and Work Like You Own It! 20 Ways to Go From Meeting to Exceeding Your Customers’ Expectations. 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.
Both of Bryan’s books can be purchased at http://shop.bwenterprise.net/ |
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B. Williams Enterprise, LLC Website: www.bwenterprise.net Email: [email protected] Facebook: BWEnterprise Twitter: @bwenterprise Phone: 240-401-6958 |
