Do You Matter?

Credit: Bill Gillespie

I’ve just returned from a week away. It was a big birthday for Her Ladyship. I promised a trip to one of her favorite places and a week off the grid. I managed to keep both promises.

I was blown away by the resort. I didn’t meet a staff member that wasn’t gushing to be helpful. They didn’t just meet my needs. They anticipated them. Someone had taken the time to think about anything and virtually everything we might need.

All of this translated into a magical experience. Not a moment was wasted managing problems. That gave us more time to enjoy ourselves and to…spend money. We did plenty of both.

Not everything was perfect. Anytime people are involved there is the possibility of error. Instructions can be misunderstood or missed all together. People can = Problems.

We had a fumble. I reserved a pair of canopy shaded beach chairs. When I arrived, the staff couldn’t find my reservation. The spot I had requested was already occupied. I expressed my disappointment (agitation actually) and a manager appeared. They upgraded us to a private cabana, drinks and lunch. Then they comped the whole thing.

The manager stopped by to check on us and I thanked him for the upgrade. He explained that his employer values the “Power of One.” They meet regularly and emphasize the importance of managing every defining moment. He went on to say, “you leave every situation you encounter worse than you found it, the same as you found it or better than you found it. Only one of these has a chance to build raving fans.”

This manager demonstrated exactly that but so did every employee. When a towel steward saw bar glasses out of place, he picked them up. When a waitress saw a full trash can she emptied it on the way back to the kitchen. When resort guests left the beach or pool their space was restored to pristine within minutes.

Result? We spent more as guests than we did on lodging. That is to say, meals, drinks, amenities etc., totaled more than our week’s stay. It was worth every penny too.

Think about this mindset in our own industry. Do we do all we can to manage moments of truth? Do we even know what they are? Do we think about our customer journey like we might?

Years ago, I took on a turnaround assignment. A mature printing company had lost its way. Sales were low and resources were even lower. We had no money to fix our company. We couldn’t add equipment or upgrade technology.

We sold service. As hokey as it sounds, we listed every way we touched the customer. We asked how we could improve each one. We called our initiative “No Broken Promises.” We wrote it on our quotations and included it in our email signature. Most importantly, we managed each touch with the attention deserved.

Guess what! Customers noticed. We came through on every little detail. Proofs, samples, deliveries, file return, prices and call backs were as promised. If we said it, we did it. This simple and arguably obvious solution sold more stuff.

We cured our financial problems almost instantly. We doubled our size in eighteen months. Reps we wanted started to call. We added staff, sales and eventually equipment. The little things led to the big things. The initial remedy cost nothing to install.

Back to the resort. The manager spoke to the Power Of One. He went on to say that staff members were empowered to do what they felt was best for clients. They are trusted to make on the spot decisions.

The staff members like this and feel valued. Guests like it too. That goes for demanding guests like Her Ladyship and I. We’ll be returning to this resort.

People will pay for quality. Keep that in mind as you design services and coach employees. You matter. Good or bad, you matter.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.