Customer Service Standardization Can Help Your Staff Form the Habit of Kindness
July 29, 2009
This morning, I read a great article written by Rick Reilly (LRA Worldwide – Rick Reilly, not Sports Illustrated / ESPN – Rick Reilly) about using standardized behavior to help hotel staff members achieve excellence in customer service. The common perception, he says, is that establishing consistent expectations for guest interactions across staff members – answering the phone within three rings, using guest names, offering to help with the luggage – may lead to stiff, impersonal relations and therefore do more harm than good. Reilly’s case, in a nutshell, is that imposing consistency actually encourages a more proactive and creative staff over time, because the underlying habit that’s formed is to treat the guests with respect and consideration throughout their entire stay.
I buy this completely and think Reilly lays out his case very well. And his advice would be wisely heeded throughout the service industry – including by restaurant owners and managers – as a solid way to increase staff/customer relationships in their businesses.
One paragraph in particular (although I really enjoyed the Michael Jordan analogy as well) really caught my eye because I think it summed up the idea of selling experiences – versus physical products – extremely well:
“The service industry is already ridiculously hard; it’s the only industry where the end-product (an experience) is co-produced by both the employee and the customer in real-time. Both stakeholders have a hand in its success and both can change its course on a dime, so anything can happen.”
I have always found the concept of an industry that provides people with the means to thoroughly enjoy an experience – a very real slice of their lives, however big or small – both interesting and daunting in its responsibility. Because, as we all know, time is the most valuable thing any of us will ever have. And basically, at its simplest level, people are paying you their money to help them make sure they’re enjoying their time to the fullest. How nice the world would be if every human interaction, including your customer service strategy, was singularly based upon the realization of the limited time we all share.
Reilly’s ideas are a damn good place to start. Well done, sir.
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