Hinges

By Jerry Hall

When we grasp the importance of Customer Service in our business, we will open the doors to success. This manual is a tool for business owners, management, and employees so that they can offer a truly Wonderful Customer Service Experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerry Hall
• Release date: Aug 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370111510

Jerry Hall

Jerry Hall is an Oklahoma native, now residing in Tulsa. His dream in life was to be on the stage; either as an actor, singer, or comedian. Missing out many opportunities, Jerry decided to devote his efforts towards his degree studies in Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism Management. The only thing that allows him to maintain his sanity, is Disney vacations and laughter.

Book preview

Hinges

Opening the Doors in Customer Service

By Jerry Hall

Copyright ©2017 Jerry W. Hall

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

ISBN: 9781370111510

Contents

Forward

Hinges

Empowerment

Who Are Our Customers

Is Empathy Really Understanding?

Building a Relationship with the Customer

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Limiting Empowerment

When to Say NO

Avoiding Confrontation

Listening

When Enough is Enough

Multi-tasking

Exceeding Expectations

Oiling the Hinges

Forward

Sanjay is working at the front desk of a prestigious hotel. Mr. Matthews, an out of town guest has just issued a complaint. He states that his room had bedbugs and he was bitten; he even shows Sanjay the welts on his arm. Sanjay apologizes for the incident and offers Mr. Matthews a 10% discount on his next stay. The customer was not satisfied with the compensation offered and left the hotel feeling bitten.

The solution offered by Sanjay seems like a solution to the problem Mr. Matthews experienced; however, it is not an effective solution. Why is that? There are two reasons; number one, the solution is not going to make the customer feel any better, and number two, the solution is not going to persuade the customer to visit the hotel in the future.

Let me explain.

Unfortunately, bed bugs are becoming a nuisance throughout the lodging industry. These pests are not just visitors of run down highway motels, but are popping up in the beds of some of the poshest resorts in the country. Most bed bugs are not regular tenants at hotels, but are brought in by the visiting guest; either in their clothing, their belongings, or their luggage. Most hotel owners or management are educated on this information and take precautionary measures to avoid a problem with bugs, or at least keep the problem under control. So, as far as the issue with bed bugs, we will forgive Sanjay for that, as it is more than likely out of his jurisdiction as a front desk clerk. However, we cannot forgive Sanjay for one vital thing; providing a wonderful customer service experience.

Customer service is provided by companies to manage the customer. This is done by; dealing with their issues, handling complaints, and solving problems. Providing great customer service is the key for any business to be successful. The reason is, because we have dealt with the customers issues, complaints, and problems effectively. When we have succeeded in doing this, we have a satisfied customer, and that customer will return and continue to do business with us in the future.

Great customer service is quite easy, but it does require a thought process. The solutions we offer a customer for their issues, complaints, and problems are often the same, but are sometimes unique depending on the customer. I will give you an example. Ms. Evans stayed in the same prestigious hotel and could not sleep all night due to the loud noise coming from the room next door to hers. She failed to call Sanjay at the front desk and complain about the noise, therefore, the noise continued throughout the night. Sanjay, being the wonderful employee that he is, offers her a 10% discount on her next stay, explaining to the customer that we could have dealt with the noise issue if only she had contacted the front desk regarding the noise. The customer realizes she is partially at fault and the compensation offered is reasonable. I’m sure the customer will return to the hotel for future stays.

Let’s go visit Mr. Matthews again. Once returning home, he begins searching the Internet to find information on bed bugs. He discovers that not only are they infesting hotels throughout the U.S., but can pose real health issues and can also leave permanent scarring on the skin. Additionally, in his Google searches, he finds that there are thousands of attorney offices that are available should you not be compensated for bites or injuries inflicted while visiting a lodging facility. As Mr. Matthews sits at his computer and scratches his bites, he begins thinking that 10% off his next hotel visit is not enough. In fact, he doesn’t plan to ever stay at that hotel again due to the fact they have bed bugs. What should Mr. Matthews solution be? Should he call the hotel and demand more than a discount? Should he