X-cellent Guest Service Coming Soon

My book, X-cellent Guest Service, is getting closer to reality.

The cover design is being worked on and it should be available in a couple of month.

Keep checking back for details as I post them.

She Couldn't be Bothered

Well it happened again, just as it does every six months or so. The screen in my electric razor got a hole in it. So, it is time to go to the nearest major superstore to buy new screens and blades for my razor.

The store I went to has a name that starts with a W and ends with a T. I went to the department with the razors and found the package I needed. It was in a locked case. I guess they need to keep the small packages that sell for nearly $30 locked up to prevent shoplifting. Anyway, I needed it so I could shave the next morning so I started to look for somebody in uniform to help me.

Luck seemed to be on my side that day because there was an employee in the very next aisle and she was just around the corner from the locked case. Wonderful, I must have a horseshoe in my pocket.

I politely excused myself for interrupting her shelf stocking and explained that I needed a package out of the razor case. Her reply was “This is pharmacy, that is health & beauty. You’ll need to find somebody else, somebody from health & beauty. Try by the back wall.” And she went back to her shelf stocking.

Well, I sort of lost my politeness after the way she treated me, the customer, with an attitude of indifference. She couldn’t care one way or the other if I got what I needed or not. Apparently it wasn’t her job to help customers find what they are shopping for. Her job was to stock the shelf and not be concerned about customers.

As I walked away, toward the back wall as I was instructed, I repeated the directions she provided to the friend who went to the store with me. I repeated the directions a bit louder than I needed to. I was actually upset and felt that my business with that store was not important. It was a 45 minute drive to get to the store, I really needed the razor parts, so I was not willing to just leave and shop elsewhere.

I did find a very nice lady who even asked about my health as she walked with me to unlock the case. After spending a minute with her I felt much better. The first woman, as part of her service to a customer, should have said she was sorry and she does not have the key for that case. It would have been better had she offered to find the person who does have the key. It would have taken her one and a half minutes at the most to find the nice lady and go back to stocking the shelf. And think how much better I would have felt about shopping at that store.

Customer service is doing small things that make a big difference to the customer. It doesn’t have to be extravagant displays of going out of your way to provide outstanding feats of service. All it takes to provide excellent customer service is kindness and showing you care about the customer. Just do a small thing that will make life just a tiny bit better for the customer. That’s it. Do that and you will be a service champion.

Screen Captures of the Toolbox

I added some screen captures of three items from the Hotel Manager's Toolbox.
- Daily Sales with F&B
- Daily Tracking
- Declining Balance

Now you can see what some of the spreadsheets look like.

Check out the screen caps.


Also, on my Free Goodies page, there is one item from the Toolbox you can download and use right now.
- Forward To GM

This is intended to be used at the front desk, or any location with direct guest contact, when a guest has a comment or an issue. Sometimes the guest wants to feel that their comment, or complaint, is going to be heard. This form has "Forward To General Manager" placed boldly across the top. The guest knows his comment will reach the GM.

Go to my Free Goodies page to get this free form.

Hotel Manager's Toolbox

The CD "Hotel Manager's Toolbox" is still available.

Save valuable time.
Get out of your office more.
Do what you do best... manage your hotel.

Over 50 professionally prepared tools designed to help make your day go by with ease.

The Hotel Manager's Toolbox - CD

This CD contains many forms and worksheets designed by an experienced hotel manager.
Many major brand hotels use these tools today.

To view a list of contents and to order your copy of the Hotel Manager's Toolbox, while they last... See The Order Page

WOW Service

I had to say “wow” when this happened. I was traveling through Canada when I needed some money wired to me. My sister was kind enough to send the money I needed and she sent it by Western Union. While she was doing that it was my job to fin the nearest location to receive the money. I found one in a small drug store in a small town about 40 minute drive north of Calgary, I was heading that direction anyway.

The lady at the counter had a problem with the computer and printed the check incorrectly. She apologized and called another lady who works there for some help. This second lady was at home on her day off. She drove to the store to help figure out what to do. After about 20 minutes the owner came out to offer some help. They had to call Western Union to void the check and reprint a new one. The owner came over to apologize for the mistake. I told him I understood and then asked where I could cash the check. He looked at his watch and said the bank was closed by that time. He said he would cash it for me even though it was against store policy.

Do you see why I said “wow?” This kind of caring service is very rare these days. I suppose in a small community it is important to care about your customers because everybody needs to get along. Maybe it was because the people working in the store were, how shall I say, mature. They understand the old school standards of customer service. Something most of the younger crowd don’t understand without detailed training. Sadly, that training is not prevalent these days.

I made it a point to return to that store my next time through. They have a lifetime customer in me, too bad I don’t go through that area too often. If I lived there I would only shop at that store because they truly cared about their customer.

Not Ruthy

I looked on the net for a picture of a cat that looks similar to Ruthy. None of the pictures I have of her are digital.

I did find this one:
Ruthy had more white on her face, but the hair looks about right and the breed seems to be the same. The majority of pictures I find of the Maine Coon are mostly striped, Ruthy did not have stripes.













It came from this site:
http://www.osmond-riba.org/lis/journal/2004_02_01_j_archive.htm
Riba, Thank you for posting this picture. It reminds me so much of my Ruthy.

More About Ruthy

A while back I posted about the best cat - ever. Ruthy is no longer with us, but I still miss her. I felt like sharing a little more about her.

Ruthy, the best cat - ever, was my friend for many years. She lived with me in Phoenix, moved with me to Gresham, Oregon, and moved back to Phoenix, Arizona again. She moved just fine because everywhere we went, her favorite place to sleep was always there, my lap.

Ever since I took her home from the humane society shelter, she would curl up in my lap and go to sleep. There were times I had no idea she was in the room. I would look down and there she was, in my lap, sound asleep. She was able to climb into my lap without me noticing.

At night she would sleep between my legs. Other cats I have known would jump off the bed when I started to move my legs. Knowing this I used to pull my legs up, reposition them, then slide them back down around Ruthy and go back to sleep. One night I thought this was ridiculous, going to that much trouble for a cat. I decided if she jumps off the bed she can just as easily jump back on the bed. She surprised me.

When most cats would jump off, while I moved my legs, Ruthy just stayed there and rode the waves. As I moved my legs under the covers while tuning over in my sleep, Ruthy kept her spot in the bedspread until I settled down. Then she would roll over and curl back up to go back to sleep too. Another reason she was the best cat I ever had. It was like she was a perfect match for me, as a pet.

Attitude Makes a Huge Difference

When dealing with the public, as all hotels do, it can be difficult to maintain a good attitude. Yet we have all met somebody who just seems to be positive no matter what, or who, comes along. I think a key element to being positive no matter what, is to fill your mind with positive things. Don’t let negativity take hold of your mind. If your mind is trained to think positive on a regular basis, then when difficulties come around your brain will automatically look for the positive in any situation.

One of my favorite quotes about attitude:

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

Maybe that is one way to stay happy and positive when facing a difficult guest in your hotel. ☺

Getting Old?

I was thinking about a small event that happened to me when I was managing a hotel in Albuquerque.

Two times on the same day I was stopped in my tracks by a realization that I was not as young as I once was. In my office I was looking over an employee file and noticed she was born the year I graduated from high school. I had to stop, lean back in my chair and give in to the thought that it was nearly twenty years since I graduated. After a big sigh I went back to my work and finished the day.

The second time I stopped in my tracks was in my car on the way home after work. It struck me that the reason I was looking at that employee file earlier in the day was because she was taking maternity leave. This time I had to pull over and stop the car for a couple of minutes as I realized that not only was it almost twenty years since I graduated, but I was also old enough to be a grandfather, chronologically speaking.

That was about five years ago.

Amazing, eh?