Not just another mediocre night
Checking in?
The universal first words of hotels across America. When I get that greeting I reply, "No, I'm here to pick up my bank loan for $250,000; they said it would be here and was being held by (and I say the clerk's name if they're wearing a badge) is it here?" Fifty percent of them get nervous, the others smile something I wish they had done for me.
Last week I stayed at the Broadview Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. I had high expectations. Since they were the first hotel in 500 stays to call me a week before I arrived to see if I needed anything, I figured the stay would be equally wonderful.
The parent company, Grand Heritage Hotels, buys historical buildings and restores them to their original elegance and grandeur. When you walk in, the hotel makes its own statement before anyone says a word.
O.K., I'm ready hit me in the service-plexus. The front desk greeting was standard. Rats. "Last name?" she queried. I wanted to say "Welcome," but I didn't dare. She handed me a pile of messages and stuff. Mail, I love mail. I went to my room. Big, clean, fluffy towels. Really big ones. Then a series of way-cool things began to happen:
Kim Waggy (concierge) had accepted my challenge (see last week's column) to find used books of selling and personal development. Not only did she have a list of bookstores, she also had a list of books.
The newspaper under my door the next morning was a Wichita Business Journal opened to my article, and a note from the general manager, Larry Weber, saying how much he liked it (nothing beats a general manager with good judgment).
I also had a wake-up call from a real, live human being telling me "good morning" and that it was 20 degrees celsius outside.
I had a torn vest, they fixed it within two hours and didn't charge me.
They did things that made me feel good. No, they made me feel special. I talked to the employees there. Listen to these attitudes:
"I'm constantly trying to create happiness, constantly thinking of ways to be memorable. It's challenging, it's fun." Waggy said. "I'll look up a reservation and see where someone is from and see if I can find the guest his hometown paper."
Leo Villafana, the front desk manager, defines his customer service role as: "Taking an additional step. The extra step. A lot of times they're surprised. But for us, it's standard procedure." Leo's customer service objectives are to:
make them feel important
make them feel cared for
make them feel at home
Here are Leo's 10 hotel service hallmarks:
Saying "welcome" with a smile.
Making nice; being overtly friendly (making small talk with them).
Learning about guests at the front desk.
Saying "hello" when a staffer passes them in the hall.
Using humor.
Calling the room after check-in to see how the room is (leave a voice mail if they're out)
Taking guests where they want to go. They have a van, and they use it. They shuttle guests anywhere and pick them up.
Sending handwritten cards after the stay.
Making a meal reservation and calling the restaurant again when the guest is absent and asking the restaurant for special treatment.
Then there's the general manager, Larry Weber, who said, "I want the people who work here to be relaxed and have fun." (What a concept.) As we walked down the hall, I saw the real measure of Weber. As we were talking, Weber saw a room-service plate left outside a room. Without hesitation, he picked the plate up from the floor. Real leaders are willing to do any job they supervise. On that hallway walk, Weber was general manager and general clean-up.
I asked him for a philosophy on management as it relates to customer service. "Easy," Weber said. "I empower people to make decisions the way I would. When they face any situation with a guest, I tell them to imagine what I would do in the same situation, and do that."
"The power of that transference gives the employee a chance to think of a positive solution without worrying 'what the boss will think.' It helps clarify and reassure their decision," Weber said.
"Most people don't want to be in a hotel," he said. "But we can make them want to come back here when they visit our city again. And if we are exceptional, we can get guests to tell others who might visit us."
What are you doing to get your customers to tell others about you?
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. Inquiries should be faxed to the WBJ at (48-22) 646-0576 or e-mailed directly to Gitomer at salesman@gitomer.com
