FP…on Service

I think the last time I talked about ‘service’ it was in association with staying at the Four Seasons in Hawaii last year.  That was the most amazing service experience I think I have ever had.  Over the last couple days I have been staying at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale.  The service in Scottsdale is almost as good but it made me think about service again.

I appreciate good service.  I always have.  My parents will tell you when I was little I always wanted to go to restaurants with a table cloth and “real napkins”.  Their aggravation was once we were there, all I wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

I don’t consider myself a demanding person.  I don’t “demand” good service.  I think if you have to demand it, you’re not going to get it, even after making them do it, moment lost.  I appreciate good service because having been associated with a service based business, Raindance, I know how hard a service business is to construct.  These businesses don’t happen by accident, they happen because someone knows how to run one and put the processes and procedures in place to keep standards high.  You can’t take any person and make them a good service employee. They have to care and value that behavior in the first place.  If you have an employee like that then it’s a matter of training.  At Raindance, Bryce Ambraziunas and Tom Hart were the kings of hiring employee’s that really cared, and then taking it to the next level through training.  They knew how to make customers happy, proactively.

Ok, I’m a detail notice’r.  Lura and I argue about this but I notice little things.  Just such an event is something that made me think of all this. I was at the pool today at the Scottsdale Four Seasons.  I was listening to music and drinking a beer and noticed an employee walk by, stop, lift up the little cocktail table that goes between lounge chairs and turn it 90 degrees so the wood slats were parallel to the chairs.  I noticed this same exact behavior in Hawaii and year ago.  Ok, I have been in business long enough to know people just don’t do that.

In fact, I have noticed other interesting, repeatable, behavior at Four Seasons resorts.  For instance, if you finish eating, any employee walking by your table will immediately take your plate away.  Bus boy, waiter, other waiter not assigned to your table, manager, grounds keeper, etc. that’s not normal..  If you ask where the gift shop is an employee will not only tell you where it is, they will walk you there.  The list goes on and on.

What amazes me are people that take advantage of the situation.  This comes back to demanding service rather then receiving service.  I was taught to say “thank you” when someone brings me something.  I’m sure I forget sometimes but generally speaking if I’m met with exceptional service, I respond ny being polite.  That is what makes the experience fun, relaxing, and exceptional.

Everyone knows good service when they see it, unfortunately we have all been conditioned not to expect it.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

But why is it that you can only get this type of service when you pay a LOT of money (regardless of the type of service you're purchasing - e.g. staying at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale, buying clothes at Nordstrom's, etc.)? There's nothing keeping the hotel staff at the Comfort Inn in Huntington, Indiana from being as thoughtful and polite as the Four Season's staff in Scottsdale. Nor is there anything keeping the Sales staff at Foley's from being as attentive and helpful as their counterparts at Nordstrom's. Now, I realize that some levels of service simply cost more to provide and therefore, generate more expense to the consumer. But do I not deserve common courtesy unless I pay for it...?

[Todd Vernon]

I think I know why. For most people at Comfort Inn and other chains that are more budget based, their job is more tactical. They didn't chose the hospitality industry, it chose them because they needed a job. At higher end places a large percentage of the staff is specifically going into the industry. They work at four seasons because they want to learn. It's a stepping stone in their career, so they care. My best guess.

[rando]

On a related note, I am coming to really hate fake service--where employees are required to do things that resemble good service, but it is only going through the motions.

For example my local Safeway is clearly forcing employees to greet customers and ask how they are doing. This isn't real because if you need REAL service--like can't find something or are baffled at the large number of items with no price marked, employees often don't know and look fearful that any distraction might keep them from making their orange-stocking quota.

Management seems to be telling employees: act like good service providers, but we won't support any time required for real service.

What's worse is that I have shopped there for years, and the employees at that store have always been friendly, but real--some have bad days, etc. Shopping there was pleasant. But now that greetings and "friendliness" are mandatory, the fakeness annoys me and I can sense resentment in the employees, so interactions at the store are much less pleasant.

Point is, I think service is about good people in a service-conducive and supportive management environment--it's more attitude than specific actions.

It seems to be a common mistake for a company to emulate the actions of successful service-oriented companies rather than the attitude, or to think that good service and a positive experience can be boiled down to a list of actions.

At the end of the day, good service comes from hiring good people, keeping them happy and trained, in a good environment--all can be expensive.