In my years of being in
the hospitality industry, I have developed a keen eye for extraordinary customer
service experiences. However, such “extraordinary” experiences are few and far
in between. The last time I was truly impressed was two weeks ago in a place over
6000 miles away – Berlin.
Founded in 1811, Lutter
& Wegner’s four-concept establishment was where intuitive customer service came to life, in a form of a young customer
service star, Magnus Tobler.
Intuitive Customer Service
There are many ways where intuitive customer service is applied in
today’s context. The use of technology to notify one’s credit card transaction
in real time, meal options to facilitate diverse diets when performing online
check-ins when travelling, these are great examples of intuitive customer service.
In the hospitality
industry, intuitive customer service
is one of the many assessment tools used in evaluating the standard of service
rendered in any establishment.
The assessment encompasses:
- The anticipation of customers’ needs even before they know they need it.
- The interaction with customers to identify service opportunities.
- The appropriate recommendations that complement customers’ preferences.
- The initiative of sharing information to enhance customer experiences.
- The art of pacing without appearing being rushed or neglected.
While we are faced regularly
with the generalised system which evaluates service quality in commonly known broad
terms of, “greeting”, “friendliness”, “responsiveness”, “product knowledge” and
“speed”. The method of assessing intuitive
customer service focuses on how each action (greeting, friendliness,
responsiveness, product knowledge and speed) impacts the customers.
Anticipation of Customers’ Needs
Imagine, the hostess of
the restaurant at which you have made a reservation, addresses you by name upon
your arrival. Wouldn’t this tiny gesture of anticipation bring a
smile to your face without you having to ask for every single item you need to
fulfill a dining experience? Be it a napkin when dining, a high chair for the
baby, an umbrella when it is raining, or more water to be topped up. These
basic gestures that seemed to have long been forgotten requires a desperate (and
immediate) revival. And because this is something that customers rarely
experience these days, the prediction of a need before the customer realizes he
or she needs it, is what impresses (and surprises) today’s jaded customers.
Interaction with Customers
Good customer rapport is
the start of great customer experiences. The majority of our service providers
seem to be more afraid of customers rather than proactively getting to know
their customers. For the record, being friendly does not necessarily equate to
good service. Service opportunities arise when service providers interact and
communicate with their customers to unearth their thoughts, feelings and
preferences. By doing so, they would be able to expedite a service and render
an assistance to effectively meet the customers’ expectations. On the other
hand, “overly-friendly” service providers can also ruin a customer experience.
The trick is to take verbal and non-verbal cues from your customers.
Appropriate Recommendations
With interaction (with
customers) come great opportunities to provide appropriate recommendations or
alternatives that match customers’ preferences. Customers often expect a speedy
response but fail to realise that a favourable response may on certain
occasions require more time and effort. Hence, speed should not be used to
determine the quality of service rendered, but rather how appropriate and
timely an alternative or recommendation was offered.
Initiative of Sharing Information
Valuable information
should always be shared. Service providers need to adopt the practice of
sharing what they know to enhance the customer experience at their
establishments. Should there be an item that is not available on the menu, customers
should be informed before they place their orders or while being presented with
menus. Should there be a requirement for customers to wait a little longer for
their meals, keep them informed as such gestures reassures that they have not
been forgotten. Should there be an opportunity to tell customers more about the
establishment, products or services, seize it! I recall many times that I have learnt
new methods or gain insights from servers or retailers who share interesting
facts on their products or services offered. It’s fascinating to learn from one
another.
Art of Pacing
This happens predominantly
in dining experiences everywhere. Pacing in service delivery is an art. No
customer likes to be rushed when it comes to enjoying a meal (unless of course,
you are rushing for a concert performance or your flight is about to land). Any
faster, the service will appear rash and haphazard. Any slower, customers will
feel that they are neglected. Pacing without causing disruptions is always a
tricky business that requires a high level of observation on the service floor and
efficient coordination with the serving team.
I would like to believe
that exceptionally good service goes beyond providing a greeting, being
friendly and fast. Service providers should always be a step (or two) ahead of
their customers, to “see” a need before it is being requested for. Intuitive customer service enables the
service provider’s initiative and spontaneity to be recognised and analysed in
a manner that the common system of service evaluation does not. The mastery of
service intuition heightens customer experiences (the way it did for me in
Berlin).
In that hour and a half,
Magnus demonstrated an exquisite artistry and flawless delivery of an intuitive customer service experience, second
to none in recent memory. Magnus is responsible for crafting one of the best
dining experiences my partner and I have encountered in a long time without the
hefty price tag of a fine-dining experience, something truly lacking back home
in Singapore.
*For more details on the service experience, kindly send your request to me through email - beinspired@absolutesenses.com
