BACK TO BASICS
With all that is new in the customer service world, there is still much that is tried and true. According to Cannon, "caring, warmth and empathy" remain as pillars of the hospitality industry, as does the mantra that "quality is free." It doesn't cost anything for a company's employees to smile or be concerned about the customer.
Another axiom is that companies must be committed to customer service right from the top. There must be the right system in place (no matter how good an employee is, if it takes too long to cook the food, there is only so much explaining that can be done). Service recovery must be exceptional. No company, nor any employee, is perfect, and when they do have that bad day, they must recover. According to Pavesic, in the restaurant business, if you recover well, 70% of customers will return after the first mistake. The second time it happens, only 30% return.
What will make customer service different in the future? According to Cannon, "Competi-tion will increase, technology will help in recoding and tracking, and training (especially in the area of leadership) will have a more pervasive effect."
How is the Robinson College preparing the next generation of hospitality managers? "We weave the service component into every course," says Debby Cannon. "We also teach entrepreneurial and quantitative skills and try to role-model customer service with our students. We set expectations by treating students as customers."
In many ways customer service is changing - new technology, new techniques, a new breed of customers to serve.
But in many respects, it is still something as simple as a smile, a friendly greeting or, yes, just "giving 'em the pickle."
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