With everything we do in life, whether as providers of a service, or as consumers, there is always the tricky balance between expectation and delivery. As a professional hotel and restaurant inspector, I am trained to be objective, not allowing my own personal preferences to get in the way of making a judgment, especially when it comes to making recommendations for awards. In the current climate, where social media and sites such as TripAdvisor can play such a key part in influencing our buying decisions, I find that the ability to take an unbiased view is a valuable asset; at the same time acknowledging that individual experiences are subjective.
Whilst it is always a bonus to be on the receiving end of excellent service and great food, my eye is always on what I have received in relation to what I was promised. In times of tough competition in the hospitality industry there is always the temptation to lure customers in by promising the earth. When advising my clients, I always urge them to ‘under promise and over deliver’. Over the last 25 years, having visited thousands of hotels, restaurant, pubs and B&Bs, both in a private and professional capacity, the ones that stick in my mind are those where unexpected moments have brightened the experience. As with most things in life, it is the build-up of small incidents that can make or break a visit.
All too often, especially when times are hard, we tend to make many of our buying decisions based on price. The adage ‘You get what you pay for’, whilst not always true, does hold a high degree of truth. Any time we are enticed into taking advantage of the 2 for 1 meal deal, or the 2 steaks and a bottle of plonk for £20, we must take into account the quality of what will appear on the plate, the initial cost of the ingredients and the skill and time taken to prepare it. I can eyeball any plate of food and tell how much it cost to produce. There really is no such thing as a free meal.
I find it tiresome when tight budgets or a lack of staff are cited as the reasons for not providing that ‘something extra’. It is not always about the money; it is about attitude, and an acknowledgement that although the customer may not always be right, you forget at your peril that it is the customer that pays the bills.
Add into the mix the fact that we are all individuals, with different preferences, and it is easy to see that the potential for disaster looms around every corner. Our own behaviour may have an impact on the mood of our customers, but in general this is beyond our control, especially if they arrive tired and irritable after a long journey in the pouring rain, and getting lost in the process.
Particularly tricky are those couples who have clearly had a row and are determined not to enjoy themselves despite your best efforts, or the ‘show-off’, out to impress their mates by complaining about everything.
Stuff happens. It is not the accumulated daily disasters that befall an establishment that bring about success or failure, it is the attitude and swiftness of those responding that can salvage the situation. All too often staff shortages mean that those on duty are juggling more than one role, doing neither job well due to lack of training or supervision. Or, worst case scenario, given the responsibility, but not the authority to make decisions, and deal with whatever crops up.
At a time when individuality is on the wane, and as the money-grabbing international conglomerates aim to dumb everything down to the lowest common denominator, purely in order to boost profits, it will in future be those who are willing to listen and engage with their customers, in a meaningful way, that will survive and prosper.
Happy customers do our job for us. There is no better marketing tactic than word of mouth. When someone is dissatisfied, in almost all cases it boils down to poor management practices, untrained staff and above all else, a poor attitude. It costs nothing to go the extra mile. That is why, when to comes to hospitality, service really does matter.
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