I’m about to tell you a story that may sound like I’m criticizing or complaining about a hotel I stayed at. Actually, I really like the hotel and will go back. The incident was kind of funny, even though a bit of a hassle. I title this one, “I Thought Cash Was King.”
Recently I was at a beautiful resort hotel in Texas. The resort was located about 20 miles from the airport and had a shuttle service that provided transportation. The cost of using the shuttle was only $25.00, which was much less than a cab. This was a great service that the hotel offered that was abused by people not staying at the hotel. For example, a person who lived in the area would park their car at the resort and use the shuttle service to get to and from the airport, saving cab fare or parking. The intent of the hotel was to provide this service for guests staying on property. How did they do this? They charged the transportation fee to the guest room. In other words, “no room, no ride.”
That is the background. Now for the lesson, which is about a subject near and dear to my heart: Operations-focused people versus customer-focused people.
I approached a woman working at the front desk to pay for the shuttle. The problem started when I tried to pay. It turns out that I had checked out of the hotel, and therefore it wasn’t possible to charge the fee to the room. I asked if I could pay cash. She said they couldn’t accept cash. It could only be a room charge.
Now, this woman wasn’t trying to be obstinate. Actually, I could see her pain. She didn’t know what to do. She was fairly new and was told this is the way she had to do it. She was told it had to be charged to my room, but I had all ready checked out. She was getting flustered and stressed. I wasn’t upset with her, but I could tell this wasn’t going anywhere, so I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor. I assured her it wasn’t to complain, but to just get this taken care of so I didn’t miss the shuttle.
The manager and I tried to lighten the issue. He explained to both of us the problem of non- guests taking the shuttle. The concept was good, and they thought the remedy would be to charge the fees to the room. Therefore, if the person didn’t have a room account, they couldn’t get a ride. In all of this time, they never had a guest want to pay cash. (Hard to believe, but maybe it is true!)
The manager then explained to her how to make a miscellaneous credit and take the cash. No problem. She said she knew how to do that. It was just they hadn’t told her it was okay to take cash for the shuttle, even if the guest was staying at the hotel. It was a matter of training, but more important, it was a matter of getting the front desk clerk to start focusing on the guest, not the operation. I had the room. I had the money. That is what the hotel really wanted, and it shouldn’t have been a problem.
Operations-focused people do the job, without deviating from the norm. Customer-focused people understand what the job is and also realize the customer, or in this case the guest, is the reason they are in business. They are solutions oriented, flexible and understand that rules are really guidelines to stay within. Train your people on the importance of “customer focused” thinking, and realize that you are teaching and training people to have the freedom to do the right thing for both the company and the customer. Which brings us to the following quote, which while appropriate for the above article, has a much deeper meaning as well.
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” -- Mahatma Gandhi
Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692- 2200. Email: shep@hyken.com Web: www.hyken.com