It shouldn’t take a trip to a customer service training program for companies to identify and alter policies that work against them. When rules are constantly bent, it’s time to do some exploring as to why.
An example of a hotel that could have used a lesson from a customer service training program comes from my travels. I stayed in an Orlando hotel suite for ten days. Breakfast was available in the concierge lounge each morning: oatmeal, bread with butter and jelly and an assortment of sliced melon.
Each morning I looked for a banana to top off my oatmeal. Sliced melon, yes. But banana, no.
On the third day I spoke to the staff in the lounge.
“You want a banana?” she asked. “No problem. I’ll have one for you tomorrow.”
The next morning, and every morning thereafter, she brought me a banana, usually keeping it hidden until I appeared. Occasionally another guest would see my special banana and look for another. But there were no more bananas. Only sliced melon.
Days later, I asked the Food & Beverage Manager, “Why don’t you provide bananas at breakfast? Other guests seem jealous of my bananas – and I notice the sliced melon is often sent back to the kitchen untouched.”
He replied, “If we provide bananas, everyone would take one, or even two! That is more fruit than we want to give out in the morning. With the sliced melon, we know how much fruit we are allocating to the breakfast. Even if it is not eaten, we have control over our food costs.”
Our room rate on the Concierge Floor was more than $300 per night. Bananas cost about sixteen cents each. It shouldn’t take a customer service training session to explain why the math doesn’t add up.
Key Learning Point For A Customer Service Training Program
If your staff have to bend the rules to keep your customers happy, it may be your rules that need revising. Customer service training should help you identify golden moments where changing the rules can benefit everyone.
Action Steps For A Customer Service Training Program
Find a rule that gets bent regularly by your staff. Take a tip from a customer service training professional and change the rule.
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Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission. Ron Kaufman is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling “Uplifting Service” books and founder of Uplifting Service. To enjoy more customer service training and service culture articles, visit www.RonKaufman.com.
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