I noticed a tongue-in-cheek sign in the elevator of our hotel in Phoenix: “Warning: Focus here to avoid an awkward conversation”. Made me think of all my years working in the hospitality business.
· Making
· Eye contact
· And smiling is
· Always required.
I spent 25 years working for a casino company that stressed excellent customer service. Being in the moment there meant making eye contact, smiling, and engaging with every guest, every time, every day. We went out of our way to make sure they had a great time – we visited every table in every restaurant and talked to every dining guest. We stood in buffet and valet lines just to engage with every guest standing and waiting every day. And we even rode the guest elevators and made eye contact with every guest we saw. In each of those situations we introduced ourselves as working there and inquired about their stay with us. So, reading that elevator sign in Phoenix – which was meant to make riders smile, made me uncomfortable. I looked at the other guests in there with me and we all smiled at each other as if we got the joke. But customer service is no joke. Great service – anywhere, is not a means; it is a non-negotiable end. It’s the right thing to do. Make eye contact and smile at everyone your meet today.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834): English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian and a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets.
No comments:
Post a Comment