Sometimes, we become our worst enemies and can’t seem to get out of our own way.  Sometimes, we make things more difficult for our guests than necessary.  We often make rules as a knee-jerk reaction to the exception rather than the rule. 

Sometimes, things go perfectly right thousands of times, but when they go wrong just once, we create a new rule that can hurt the rest of our guests and how they feel about visiting our location. 

Hospitality

Lately, I’ve been traveling extensively and have had the opportunity to experience various aspects of the hospitality industry.  Some people excel at this, while others seem to get in their own way.  Within a few weeks, I visited the same hotel brand in 2 different locations.  One hotel stood out for its excellent customer service; they made me feel welcome every time I walked through the door. 

They offered me a bottle of water at check-in, and each day, when I returned to my room, I found a handwritten note from housekeeping wishing me a great day. The room wasn’t anything special, and the hotel itself was a bit dated, but all I remember leaving there was how great they made me feel. Every interaction with every employee was not just average but great.  They did little things that didn’t cost them anything (or very little) but made me feel like I was welcome. 

A Unique Experience

At the second hotel of the same brand, I had a totally different experience.  The person at the front desk was average and didn’t stand out to me.  He told me he would put me in a bigger room, as many were the size of closets, and that I wouldn’t be happy.  I appreciated the “upgrade,” but from a business owner’s perspective, I think he could have “spun” it a bit better to make me feel like I was getting a VIP upgrade rather than telling me how small most of their rooms are.  The first thing I noticed during my stay was a handwritten sign in the breakfast area. It said you could not take food to your room. 

On top of that, when I went in to get my morning cup of coffee, they all had powdered creamer (YUCK!).  I didn’t plan to take food into my room. However, this sign made me feel unwelcome and gave me a bad feeling about my stay.  Once again, it didn’t cost them anything to make my stay bad. They didn’t consider how these small things would impact their guests. 

Signage in Family Entertainment Center Locations

This made me reflect on how often I see rules at our FEC locations negatively affecting our guests. How often have you seen a sign telling people they can’t take food or drink in the arcade or elsewhere?  Do you have this sign in your center?  If you do…TAKE IT DOWN!  Don’t create a barrier for your guests. How many other “rules” do we put on our guests that get in the way of spending money at our location or make them feel less than welcome?  What do your signs say about your business?  A Better Homes and Gardens Study found that consumers between 18 and 24 were more likely to make quality assumptions based on signage. 

Signage is often overlooked as part of customer service.  It’s like having an employee stand there and say whatever is on your sign to your guests. Take a hard look at your location and ask yourself, are you sending a welcoming message to your guests with your signs? Remember, the same sign can be read in different tones of voice and will be interpreted by people in various moods. So, take your grumpiest staff member, who is already in a bad mood because their significant other just broke up with them, and have them stand by your sign and read it to each guest who walks in. Does it sound welcoming?

Focusing on the Right Things

Often, we get in our way because we forget to focus on the important stuff.  We often get so caught up in checklists and procedures that we forget what really matters: the guest.  To care for our guests, we must also focus on the well-being of our staff. They interact with guests more often than we do. 

In my example above, the first hotel was just an average place. However, the feeling I got from the staff made up for it.  I would prefer to stay in a clean hotel that makes me feel good. I would choose it over a hotel with a flat-screen TV and nice furniture that only makes me feel average.  This doesn’t mean you should avoid updating your center or reinvesting in your location. It simply means that some investments offer a significantly better return. 

As a parent who often visits FECs as a guest, the top two things that bring me back are:

1. Did they make me and my kids feel special? and 2. Was it clean? 

Think about this for a minute.  When people were asked what they remembered most about Disneyland, they mostly mentioned two things: cleanliness and how the staff treated guests. They rarely mention the rides.  If you’re not investing time and money in building a team, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity. Your team should make every guest feel welcome and valued when they visit. 

Make Your Guests Feel Special

What personal touches do you and your team make to make guests feel special?  I’ve heard of locations that hand-deliver flowers to guests who have a negative experience or give a poor review.  I think this adds a nice personal touch. However, be careful. Offering discounts and giving away items can teach your guests to expect something for free if they complain. You may attract some individuals who will take advantage of this opportunity. 

Try to offer the VIP guest experience to the guests so you don’t have to deal with disappointed customers in the first place.  One of the best mottos I’ve heard in customer service is, “The answer is ‘yes’; what is the question?”.  This exemplifies what we should all be teaching our teams about guest service. 

Dealing With Issues

But we aren’t always perfect, and some things are beyond our control. When dealing with this type of situation, remember the 3 R—responsibility, Respect, and Resolution.  First, take responsibility.  Don’t blame others or make excuses. Don’t get defensive. Treat the customer with respect. Don’t EVER blame them for the situation. Lastly, offer a fast and fair resolution.  This doesn’t mean you must give away the house, but try putting yourself in their shoes. What resolution would make YOU happy if things didn’t go right for you and you brought it to a company’s attention?   

I have the best insurance company in the world.  The other day, I had to call them because of an error with my account.  When I told them about the mistake, they sincerely apologized for the trouble. They quickly discussed how to resolve the issue.  While fixing the problem, she engaged in some friendly small talk with me, making our conversation more personalized.  Every time I call them for anything, they answer their phone immediately. They are nice and personal with me, find solutions to my problems, and always thank me for my business in a genuinely kind manner.    

It doesn’t have to cost much to get out of the way of your guests and yourself, but it will take investment and focus.  Pay attention to the message you and your staff are giving off, sometimes subliminally.  Invest in your team. Teach them the 3 R’s to solve problems. Most importantly, show them how to give personalized VIP service to your guests. This will help reduce the number of issues that need fixing.  Teach them that they can be the main attraction that keeps your guests coming, not necessarily the latest and greatest attraction. 

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