Four Customer Service Experiences to Learn From

The motel staff at the Best Western, W. Ohio St. in Chicago, was great during my recent stay for Graph Expo. But over the past month, I came to the conclusion that the United States needs to continue to raise the bar in customer service. We are all responsible for serving our fellow citizens and visitors.

Over the past month, I made a point to observe and analyze when receiving customer service.

Story #1: Not all Best Western’s are created equal, but the one in Chicago is great.

They did so many things well, but one conversation stands out as worth noting. It came after a long day of show going. I enquired about a good restaurant nearby and Mario at the front desk asked me about my budget and what I was looking for. He then almost demanded I go to Barnelli’s, in a nice sort of way. He said “You gotta go Barnelli’s.”

I asked him about the price and he said the food was great and that you could get a tuna fillet sandwich for $7. I was skeptical, since we were in Chicago and I didn’t want fast food, and especially since I am from the Northeast and we don’t trust anyone. I went. WOW, was he right. Great food, great price, great service.

How many of your print buyers demand that friends go to you for printing? “You gotta go here for your printing needs.” Think about it. Mario is this restaurant’s best marketing and lead generator.

What percentage of your customers are “Very Likely” to recommend you to others? Ask them. On average 82 percent of print buyers will be “very likely” to recommend a printer they work with. The best-run printers rate over 90 percent consistently—every month, every year. And these printers are typically more profitable and less stressed.