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Newsletter - Is good customer service a leadership issue?

It is often said that when it comes to good customer service in the UK, you have to take your chances. In hotels, bars and restaurants many staff seem to take the tunnel vision approach. 'I can't see you' and 'I'm not paid enough to care'.

I believe there is a fundamental problem in the service industry which arises from a lack of clear direction, training and leadership.

I have lost count of the number of hotel reception areas where I have given up ordering a coffee. Similarly I have watched customers walking out of pubs after waiting an age to be served or even acknowledged by the staff.

Only last week, a friend and I entered a local restaurant as two very hungry ladies in the middle of the afternoon when the establishment was not too busy. The lady behind 'reception' chose not to acknowledge our existence, preferring to carry on finalising the seating plan for the evening and answering the phone. There was no facial expression - no eye contact or even a smile.

Eventually, as we clung to our tummies with pained looks on our faces, we were shown to our table. The service remained poor. We had to request our bill more than once and eventually went back to the 'reception' desk to pay - I wonder how quickly we would have seen a reaction if we had simply walked out?

But is this issue purely a UK one? I travel to the USA regularly on business. 'Have a nice day' said through gritted teeth and only after the correct tip has been left, certainly starts to grate. I have been told that English women tend to get poor service because they are known to be poor tippers.

On a recent trip to China I stayed at a 5 star hotel. It became more and more apparent that service issues are not reserved solely to the UK. It appears to be a global issue.

A tale of three evenings...

Evening One
A bar in a hotel reception area ¡V it is very busy, full of guests and business people keen to exercise their corporate credit cards. A manager is highly visible, directing staff to new arrivals and ensuring that those already there are offered refreshments on a regular basis. I was quickly offered a drinks menu and made my choice. The wine was offered for me to try despite the fact that I was only ordering a glass. Accompanying nibbles were provided immediately.

When I finished my glass another was offered and upon decline the bill arrived, paid and change provided.

Easy and enjoyable.

Evening Two
No manager in sight. After waiting 10 minutes to be served, the wine arrived after another 5 minutes. No offer to taste prior to pouring. No nibbles.

Upon finishing my wine, it took 10 minutes of desperately trying to catch someone¡¦s eye for the bill. I gave up waiting for change.

Evening Three
The manager is back and normal service is resumed.

The common denominator...

No visible managers managing, directing and guiding to ensure a positive customer experience and every opportunity to up/cross sell.

So I beg all managers out there - whether in hotels, restaurants or offices to come down from your ivory towers of report generating, report analysing and staff rotas to address the issue of customer service. Your world would change if you were to ensure that your customers are being served as you would like.

You do not need to be there 24/7 but what you do need to do is make sure that your staff represent you as if you were there by addressing the following:-

-  Give your staff clear direction
-  Set clear standards of service
-  Employ those with a positive service attitude
- Train staff to understand what good service looks and sounds like
-  Inspire staff to be motivated and enjoy their work!

If you are confident your service is second to none when you are around and when you are not then thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you feel you would benefit from help in the area of leadership and service training and development please contact me.

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