Going on vacation is one of my favorite ways to spend money. And believe me, I like to spend money.

Anybody'due south idea of a perfect vacation is different, but for me, it's most luxury. If I'm spending my money on a pause, I want to feel high-quality client service. Everything should run as smoothly and effortlessly as possible, and so I can spend my time relaxing, instead of sorting out problems.

Information technology'due south for this reason that I am rather scrupulous when information technology comes to choosing a hotel. The hotel's customer service has become the main factor that influences my stay. Even the highest-rated hotels tin can miss their mark if they don't deliver excellent customer service.

In this mail service, permit's ascertain what dandy customer service is using ii, five-star hotels as our example. Nosotros'll compare ane with above-and-beyond customer service against another hotel that fails to meet the same standard. And then, we'll explain how yous tin can acquire from these examples and utilise them to your own business.

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Examples of Expert vs. Bad Customer Service

Before diving into my experiences at each hotel, let'southward place each one every bit Hotel A and Hotel B. Hotel A had bang-up service, while Hotel B did not.

Instance of Expert Customer Service

At Hotel A, breakfast would be served in five courses. Despite being delicious food, i morning I didn't want anything on the bill of fare. Dimitri -- we knew the staff by proper noun -- responded immediately with, "No trouble! What would you like instead? The kitchen can prepare anything."

There wasn't any hesitation in offering me a solution to my problem. Within a few minutes, my avocado toast with a poached egg was delivered. Suffice to say, I was a very happy invitee.

Every day, we would find our loungers past the pool and as soon as nosotros laid downwardly, one of the waiters would deliver us our favorite drinks. There was no need for united states to explicitly order them as the staff got to know our routine and we were glad to accept the drinks. We would spend time having conversations with the staff, getting to know one some other and genuinely enjoying their company.

Hotel A was beautiful, but what truly sets it apart was the standard of service information technology delivers. It was but faultless. Now allow's compare that to Hotel B.

Example of Bad Customer Service

Hotel B was wonderful, the food was splendid, the rooms were supremely comfortable and the hotel itself is beautifully designed. We enjoyed our stay and the facilities were not bad. So, what was different?

For starters, nosotros ordered coffees at our sun loungers. It was windier than usual and as the wind picked up, information technology took with it my hubby's total-to-the-skirt coffee. It went all over his towel and lounger.

We signaled for assistance and a waitress hurried over. When we explained the state of affairs, her immediate response was, "Are you willing to pay for this coffee?"

You could run across the panic on the waitress's face every bit it was articulate that she was completely unsure of how to handle the state of affairs. When we -- rather awkwardly -- replied by saying that nosotros hoped to get a replacement coffee, ideally gratuitous of charge, it took three staff members to appraise the situation before the manager was called over. Immediately, he ordered u.s.a. a replacement coffee.

My husband and I chatted about our experiences at each hotel. We both agreed that the situation at Hotel B was handled poorly, despite its ultimately good upshot. How could such a wonderful hotel take such arduous processes in identify for rectifying minor mistakes? It wasn't long into our chat when we both realized the cardinal difference was between the 2 companies.

The Divergence Betwixt Skillful vs. Bad Client Service

The staff at Hotel A, regardless of seniority, were encouraged to call up on their feet and apply common sense to resolve situations. It wasn't that nothing always went wrong at Hotel A, merely rather staff members were able to solve problems past themselves. In curt, they were given the autonomy to do their jobs to the highest standard. This seems to be a theme with almost businesses that are known for their good customer service.

Conversely, at Hotel B, it became clear that management were the merely people applying common sense to situations and making decisions. Because of this, if anything went wrong none of the junior staff members were able to do annihilation. This created unnecessary drama and angst.

Why Bad Customer Service Occurs

In hindsight, it'southward easy to criticize Hotel B for their customer service protocol. In fact, y'all may exist wondering why an arrangement would resort to such an inefficient approach. However, there are a few factors that could have led to this system and they could easily bear upon your business besides.

  • Junior members don't have equally much responsibility or expertise every bit management or aren't paid enough to make decisions.
  • In the past, junior members were allowed to make decisions and made poor choices.
  • Not everyone has common sense, so it's easier to standardize the processes and elect management to make decisions.

The first ii reasons can be corrected with proper hiring and training. Staffing your teams with trustworthy employees is critical to customer service. If you can't trust reps to brand their own decisions, they'll end up encountering bottlenecks and data silos when trying to resolve basic customer service bug.

The terminal reason on this list is a problem that growing organizations often face. As they hire more employees, they need to ensure a consistent feel for their customers. However, as you standardize your company'southward processes, you may lose personalization elements that made your brand successful.

In the next section, let'southward talk about how you tin maintain that high-quality level of customer service as you grow your customer base.

How to Maintain Good Customer Service

While customer expectations remain the same for growing businesses, the focus of customer service shifts every bit companies increase in size.

1. Remainder personalization with efficiency.

With smaller companies, customers expect personalized customer service. In that location are fewer people to call back, from both the perspective of the employee and the customer, so forming stiff relationships is easier.

With growing companies, customers sympathize that service may exist less personalized, merely is more than efficient because the visitor has more resource. This means that client service bug should be resolved quickly and at piffling expense to the customer. For instance, this is why we expect refunds to be candy faster by larger companies.

ii. Value every client's experience.

In the case of #CoffeeGate, the event was positive; we got our replacement java complimentary of accuse, which we were happy most. However, the overall experience didn't lucifer upwardly to our expectations. It was about the way the service was delivered that left us with a sour taste.

We felt that the company's motivation boiled down to coin. How much would it cost to replace the coffee? Were we willing to pay for the original one? How were they going to sort out the bill?

It felt common cold because we were no longer valued customers. Instead, we were merely some arbitrary guests costing the business organisation money. It's situations like these where customer service teams need to assess the situation and provide an appropriate response. While large organizations have protocol for a reason, these rules shouldn't contribute to a negative client experience, especially when it'south over a trivial affair.

iii. Hire motivated staff.

At Hotel A, you got the feeling that the staff enjoyed their work. Information technology felt like they were always happy to aid when needed. In return, customers enjoyed spending fourth dimension with them because the environment felt relaxed and happy. Because the staff liked their jobs, they contributed to a positive customer experience. And, the outcome?

Nosotros spent more money and nosotros would go back and do it over and over again.

4. Employ customer service to complement sales.

Slap-up businesses recognize that customer service isn't toll-centered. Instead, going the extra mile to provide great customer service creates its own sales opportunities. For example, customers who experience excellent service are more than probable to purchase over again and spend 17% more with your visitor. Not only do customers remember positive experiences, but service reps besides have the opportunity to upsell and cantankerous-sell.

Splendid customer service isn't almost process and protocol, it's about how yous make your customers feel. Become that right, and they'll be loyal to your brand for a long time. And if in doubt, hither's a good rule of thumb: if the wind blows your client'south coffee over, become them a new one.

If yous're looking to avoid a service catastrophe similar this one, read how you lot tin meliorate customer experience.

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Originally published Sep 9, 2019 8:00:00 AM, updated Jan 29 2020