July 11, 2013 – ISSN# 1545-2646
Making the right choice
On a recent trip I arrived at my destination after a lengthy drive ready to kick my feet up and relax. Upon checking in at the hotel, I was told that my reservation was upgraded to a better room due to availability. I was pleased. I then entered my upgraded room only to smell odors which were quite over bearing. I called down to the front desk and they indicated they would come up immediately to address the situation. While I awaited their arrival, I looked over the rest of the accommodations. The room had not been fully cleaned. Coffee remained in the pot. The floor was dirty etc..
The manager arrived and we started to discuss the situation. As both of us were interested in a positive outcome, we finally determined that this room was not suitable for use. Unfortunately the hotel was sold out – no rooms at the inn.
The manager went out of her way to arrange for a room at the neighboring hotel for one night at their expense and then to move back to an even more upgraded accommodation the next day.
The reason I bring up this situation is that from time to time we all must deal with situations in our businesses that go bad. A late delivery, a missed schedule, a broken part etc. The ideal situation is for these never to happen and that should be your goal. On the other hand, when challenges arise, the choices you make will either confirm a relationship with your customer or convince them to start doing business with your competition.
In my situation, the initial hotel was willing to put me up at a competitors location and bring me back to demonstrate they were willing to step up and take responsibility for a bad situation.
This week take a look back over the past few months. Has your business had to deal with a customer issue? What choices were made and was there subsequent follow up to confirm the choices met with the customers expectations?
Sometimes it is not only how you treat your customers on a day in and day out basis but how you step up and take care of them when problems take place.
Wondering if your team is making the right choices with your customers? Give JKL Associates a call at (313) 527-7945 for some insights.
Questions or comments – email us at partners@jklassociates.com or call our Office at (313) 527-7945
Copyright – JKL Associates 2013
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