T.I.P.S.

Enlightened

2006-01-14T16:33:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year!

I realize I have been remiss with my posting. I was kindly reminded of the fact by my friend Francisco. He mentioned he was wondering what I was up to so he dropped by TIPS and found...nada nuevo.
It's not that I have nothing to say, ponder, be opinionated about, I just think that at this moment what I have to share doesn't really apply to Customer Service.

But, to appease Francisco I will share an experience and some thoughts on that experience (and it is associated to tourism so I can post it here):

During the first week of the year a classmate of my younger sister came down from Georgetown University for a visit. Céline Giuliani is a native of France, and wanting to learn about a new culture she spent a week here in Puerto Rico.
My sister took her sightseeing, dancing, and dining, and Céline also shared with our family el Día de los Reyes celebration (a latin Christmas tradition) .

The few opportunities I had to share with her, I saw how fascinated,pleased, and how much she was enjoying her vacation. She loved the sights, the weather, the food, the people, our music and our Spanglish, and I began to see my island through her eyes.

I realize that after you have lived in a certain place most of your life you begin to take it for granted. I especially felt this the day before my sister and Céline were to return to Washington. We went to the beach and Céline got herself a very nice tan (not the spa kind), and had us get her some CD's of Raggaeton music to take home with her.

I remember telling her that not many people could boast about going to the beach and getting a tan in January (not in Washington anyway). And that's when it hit me!

How lucky am I to live on an island where I can go to the beach year round?
An island that has various bioluminescent bays, a rain forest, fresh seafood, many talented actors, athletes & musicians, and is rich and diverse in culture and history.

Extremely Lucky! (considering there are many people who have never seen an ocean).

So, in the week since Céline's departure, I can attest my outlook has changed quite a bit (in various areas, not just tourism). I am more appreciative of everything that surrounds me, and I'm enjoying those "little things" that people seem to miss when everyday stresses get in the way. So I am taking a step back and just enjoying the view, the weather, the food and the people.

Merci Céline! I know how sad it made you to leave, remember...mi casa es tu casa. There's always next Christmas!
And since you'll be practicing your Spanish, I'll be sure to polish up on my French (which is extremely limited).

I'm including two pictures which Céline was gracious enough to send me.

One was taken in La Parguera, Lajas when we went to see the Bioluminescent Bay, the other was taken in Guanica on the day before she left.

;oDD

My Christmas Card to You

2005-12-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Holidays!

May this New Year be better than the last.

Wishing you much health, peace, love and prosperity.

May you obtain most of what you desire, strive and hope for.

And remember:

- If God brings you to it. He will bring you through it.

- Do for others with no desire of returned favors. We should all plant some trees that we'll never sit under.

... and my personal favorite. Carpe Diem! Seize the day, make your life extraordinary!

Best Wishes,
Diana ;oDD

Scattered Thoughts

2005-11-23T19:26:00.000-04:00

I started working at a law firm a few weeks ago. I've been getting everything "organized" in my life. Change is good!

Now I think I can join a circus. I've become quite the juggler...work,kids,life,kids,chores,kids,sleep,kids... did I mention kids?

I am enjoying my job a lot. I especially like the fact that I put into practice (on a regular basis) everything I comment on. I find myself making mental references to different things that appear here (I'm starting to hear Gil's voice in my head,quoting himself).

So I've come to the conclusion that service is like tying your shoe, getting dressed or even breathing. I admit, it's not the first time I've thought this, just the first time I've mentioned it. Once you make it a part of your everyday life you just do it, you don't think about how to be kind, friendly, helpful etc... Service becomes a part of you, it's a disease ( a good one if such a thing exists). Go out and spread the virus! The more people that are infected the better.

Speaking of viruses, I have a cold and I'm beginning to feel the effects of the cold medication. So I bid you Adieu and wish you, who are reading, a very Happy and Peaceful Thanksgiving Day!

--Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold. (Maurice Settle)

;oDD

Service First

2005-10-26T14:33:00.000-04:00

By Diana Figueroa

Why service first?

The movie You’ve Got Mail keeps coming to mind.

You have a local bookstore (A) which might be put out of business by a much larger operation (B). Store (A) could simply tuck its tail between its legs and call it a day without fighting for a piece of the pie. (A) could think, “(B) is so much bigger than I, what can I offer clients that (B) can’t?”

Customer Service.

There is something to be said about walking into a store and being welcomed and treated as if you were family, with warmth and respect. Being notified when new merchandise that you like is received, or having it reserved especially for you. Knowing that you are a valued customer. (Company A)

Opposed to walking in and feeling like cattle, just one more out of a bunch. Fending for yourself in trying to find what you’re looking for. Being a nameless face, a dollar sign. The value is in the money not the person spending it. ( Company B)

In which store would you rather spend your hard earned money?

Company (A), values you as a person and customer, does everything they can to cater to specific needs by providing quality service personally and product wise. Or…
Company (B), who values your money, provides for the masses and whose employees are to busy alternating between complaining to each other about work and looking at the time clock.

Service sells.

The type of service you provide can make or break a company. It is NOT enough to have a marketable product, an excellent promotional campaign, an attractive spokesperson, merchandise from floor to ceiling, lots of employees. If your service is mediocre your days in business are numbered.

Service is especially useful in smaller companies which don’t have the sales volume of larger ones. Since the competition is so fierce, smaller companies depend on excellent service and added values to keep current customers and generate positive word of mouth to obtain new ones.

The most important tool companies have for gaining and keeping customers is Service . Bigger isn’t always better. Quality over quantity.

Always Make Service First!

;oDD

Following Through on "Follow Through"

2005-10-19T07:19:00.000-04:00

Hello! Once again Carol contacted me with a comment about a previous post. I have included that email in today's post. Thanks Carol!!! Keep 'em coming!

You had a post 17-Aug about "follow through" that I
> intended to reply to, but haven't. (NOW I am
> finally "following through" on it!). Sometimes being
> able to follow through requires understanding the
> context of answers that you receive.
>
> I used to work in Mexico a lot. My company had
> subsidiaries there, as well as a joint venture with
> a large US company to produce pigs. I spent a lot
> of weeks at the hog farms working with a man from
> North Carolina who had never been outside of the US
> before he went to Mexico.
>
> The first two trips, Bill and I didn't go at the
> same time. After that, however, it became obvious
> that he and I needed to travel together. Bill had
> no concept of Mexican culture, therefore had no idea
> of how to "filter" the answers he was receiving.
>
> Bill asked for several things, and in each case the
> answer was, "Si, si, si, Señor." Yet when Bill
> returned the next time, nothing was done. Not one
> single project was started - much less completed.
> Bill was EXTREMELY frustrated.
>
> What Bill didn't understand, however, was what those
> "Si" answers really meant. Bill didn't recognize the
> nonverbal clues- eyes glazing over, heads nodding in
> rhythm instead of in comprehension...
>
> Bill received what I call the "Mañana Yes."
> "Mañana" does not mean tomorrow. It means "NOT
> TODAY." Could be tomorrow. Could be next week.
> Could be next year, but it's NOT TODAY .
>
> When the local guys were answering ,"Si, si," they
> were really saying, "Yes, I don't understand you."
> "Yes, I don't have a clue what you really want."
> "Yes, I cannot do it." They couldn't follow through
> because they didn't know what to do. They were
> willing to do the work, but not able to do it
> because they didn't understand what Bill requested.
> But culturally it would have been impolite to tell
> Bill "No," so they replied with a "yes" that
> deferred the problem until another day.
>
> In business it is important to understand the
> context of replies. The spoken words alone may not
> convey the true meaning. You have to be able to
> hear beyond the words and understand what the other
> party is really communicating. That requires active
> listening - understanding context, and looking for
> nonverbal clues as well as hearing the words.>
> You will be a more effective business person if you
> can see the broader picture and understand the
> context of words. What people SAY may not be what
> they MEAN, and understanding their meaning allows
> you to address their real concerns and more
> effectively follow through.
>
> Take care,
> Carol

** Comments are welcome diana.tips@gmail.com **

;oDD

SunCom Revisited

2005-10-12T13:48:00.000-04:00

By Gil C. Schmidt

You’d think that after slamming a company for poor planning and awful service, I’d avoid it like avian flu. But it’s been said that one should never burn bridges for one never knows what paths Life takes, so I avoided burning bridges (I may have scorched a pylon or twelve) and I returned to SunCom.

I had run into an odd problem: because I haven’t bought anything on credit since the Bush Sr. Administration, I was being asked to fork over a $500 deposit to get my own account with Centennial thus and keep the number I’d used for almost two years under a corporate account. Five. Hundred. Dollars. To stay with the SAME company.

Salt in the wound: if I had shown a bad credit rating, my deposit would have been $150 max. Good fiscal management gets punished at Centennial.

I cruised other cell phone companies and, after sighing deeply, I also checked out SunCom. (I hate shopping, but when I do it, I do it carefully.) My wife still has her phone with SunCom, so that could be a benefit…

My first surprise was meeting María, the Customer Service Manager. A bright and cheerful mother of two little girls (ages 2 and 5), she was very focused and quickly got past the “no credit history” advantage (credit has a way of stealing your wealth) and went directly for a strong offer. Both my wife and I would get 1,100 minutes for both phones, free incoming calls, free phone-to-phone calls between my wife and I, free calls from Thursday 5 PM to Monday 5 AM (FREE calls all day Friday!) and free access to long distance, all for just $70 a month. Because of excellent credit (my wife’s and my clean record), we got the second unit at no charge and the activation fee was waived.

Oh boy! The whole transaction took less than 25 minutes. But it gave me time to talk to several other people in the SunCom office and they all had the same story: María was a jewel. In fact, despite a lengthy waiting time to see her, customers clearly preferred María’s attention than anyone else’s. It became clear that if the people in that office were a sample, SunCom owed a good deal of its success to María.

So here’s to María, a beacon of good service in what could have been another chapter in a sad story. And to all the “Marías” that keep customers happy…and loyal.

Tidbits

2005-10-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had lunch at Casa Vieja, a restaurant located in the second oldest town in P.R., San Germán. I was most impressed, everything was as it should be. The restaurant is very nice, simple and elegant. There are different types of art (paintings,statues...) on display throughout the restaurant, and if you like a particular piece you can purchase it .
The service is great! The waiters are attentive, and friendly. They know the menu very well.
The food was exquisite, presentation as well as flavor. The main dishes range in price from $14- $20. The portions are pretty large and there is some waiting time for the food to be served (time varies depending on amount of people in restaurant), but the food and the ambience are so good that it is worth the wait. I highly recommend Casa Vieja!

Congrats to Glenn Ross! He has "relocated" his blog to http://www.allbusiness.com/blog/CustomerServiceExperience/10783/

I enjoy his articles, they are witty! The entire page is fantastic and full of useful information. Drop by and see for yourself.

Also take a look at Gil's site, http://gilthejenius.blogspot.com
His Sept.28 post talks about what Blog readers and Blog writers want out of their Blogging experience. Here's a short excerpt:

Blog writers want to see more:

• constructive criticism, reaction, feedback
• 'thank you' comments, and why readers liked their post
• requests for future posts on specific subjects
• foundation articles: posts that writers can build on, on their own blogs

For the complete post visit the page, the address is a few lines up...

Enjoy!! ;oDD

Carol Comments

2005-09-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

Carol (Carol Award) wrote me with a comment about my last post. I've included it in this post. I love feedback, comments, anecdotes and such. Feel free to agree or disagree with me. You can write to me at diana.tips@gmail.com

Thanks again Carol!

In stark contrast to the "Not My Department" syndrome are the employees of Whole Foods, an Austin, Texas-based grocery store chain specializing in organic produce and products.

These employees may be "nontraditional" in appearance (numerous tattoos and body piercings are the norm), but they are unfailingly polite and helpful. The guy loading the dairy case wearing a heavy coat, stocking cap and gloves will cheerfully locate another employee to help you find a certain vitamin, or will help you himself.

Any employee views any customer request as "His/Her Job." And I think their attitude directly impacts profitability. Customers won't buy what customers can't find, and at Whole Foods someone makes sure you can find whatever you are looking for!

Carol

;oDD

This Isn't My Department...

2005-09-15T08:15:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile I know. Once again I was without internet service and again I called and called my cable company's Customer Service Department and other than listening to 80's music and the ever annoying recording, NOTHING,zilch,nada,zip. So we'll hand out a SNBS to Choice Cable ( or Very Little Choice Cable).

On another note. My friend Francisco called to my attention another syndrome usually associated with "I'm on my Break Syndrome". This one is the "This isn't my Department Syndrome". A very high incidence of people suffering from this malady has been reported in Walmart Stores all across Puerto Rico. An example:

Customer: " Excuse me, do you work here?"
Employee: " Yes."
Customer: " Oh good, then you can help me. I'm looking for the lightbulbs."
Employee: " This isn't my department."
Customer: " Can you point towards the person in charge of this area then?"
Employee: " He's on his break..."

There you go...better luck next time.

Note: No actual Walmart employees were harmed during this reenactment.

;oDD

I'm On My Break Syndrome

2005-08-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

The I'm on My Break Syndrome. It seems to be all the rave.
Employees who are on their lunch breaks but insist in staying at their work premises fully identified by name tags, uniforms, promotional merchandise etc., and have the audacity to glare and rudely tell a client asking for help that: "I'm on my break."

(Sarcasm Alert!)

Suggestion, if you or someone you know suffers from IMB Syndrome and don't wish to be bothered while you're "On Your Break", leave the store, office, work space. Take a break!

If however you choose to stay in your general work area babbling away with coworkers who ARE NOT on their breaks. Please don't light yourself up like a Christmas tree and then complain when you are interrupted by the people who purchase the merchandise you sell thus creating a need for you to be employed. In this fashion you could obtain a full break schedule otherwise known as unemployment, for not doing what you are paid to do, provide SERVICE.

P.S. One time offenders are excused. Just don't make it a habit. Other than being rude and annoying, it's bad for business.

;oDD

Service Success Tip #8

2005-08-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

Follow Up, Follow Through- Sometimes in our dealings with others we tell them; " I'll call you", and we don't.
There are many reasons why one might not call. You forgot, were very busy, something came up etc. In some instances people say they'll call back when in reality they have no intention of doing so. It is a way of being polite, and not giving an explanation as to why you won't be making that call.

Follow through, keep your word. If you can't call back because something comes up be sure to contact the other person as soon as you can and let them know what's going on. Write them an email, leave them a message, have a coworker contact them. Find a way to stay in touch. This shows interest on your part and consideration for the other person.

If you have no interest or intention of following through, be upfront and kindly let them know you won't be calling and why. This way they don't waste your time by calling back to see why you haven't called them. And you don't waste theirs by giving them false expectations, and they can move on to other things.

T.I.P.S. 101** Scoreboard

2005-08-10T13:20:00.000-04:00

Scoreboard
By Gil C. Schmidt

I love sports. And like many sports fans, I love sports statistics. Although numbers can never convey the myriad thrills and action of the actual sport, they serve as benchmarks, shorthand descriptions that frame a player or team in context.

For example, a baseball player with a batting average of .325 is considered quite good. A football team that averages 400 yards of offense per game is very good, as well as a basketball team that scores 105 points a game.

But by themselves, statistics give you only part of the picture. In the examples above, a .325 average in a league that averages .330 is sub-par; a football team that gains 400 yards may be a loser if it allows the opponent an average of 500 yards and a basketball team scoring 105 points a night might just break even if it allows the other team to score 105, too. Statistics without context are not enough.

We often make the same contextual mistake with employees, especially those in service positions. Because service is often considered “the absence of negatives”—no complaints, no errors, no returns, etc.—the numbers created are taken out of context. I know of businesses that never received complaints and had employees with “zero mistakes,” but had to close anyway.

And by focusing numbers on service personnel, such as salespeople, without an overall set of numbers to measure the entire company puts a huge burden on those thus measured. So when times get tough, people look at the sales numbers and criticize that department, when in fact, the entire company is involved in the downturn, but we choose to focus only on a few numbers.

So how do we get a “statistical overview” for a business? The method I suggest has to be generic, but with a little imagination and a good grasp of your business procedures, you can come up with your own simple to understand and use “Scoreboard”:

1) Start with the basics: income, expenses, cash flow and profits. You have to know what’s happening, at least in general terms, with the money that moves through your business. This exercise alone could give you a snapshot of your business that is very different from what you think your business is.
2) Link processes to each area listed in #1. A process is a series of tasks that lead to a specific result. Identify processes that take different paths to achieve a result. For example, in a flower shop, selling flowers for weddings is a separate process from selling flower arrangements and fruit baskets. What you are doing here is determining what you do that leads to income and profits and how different each process is within the business.
3) Identify key elements within each process. For the flower shop, key elements for wedding flowers could be seasonality, quantity and delivery logistics. Note that key elements are often groups of tasks and almost always “hidden” from the customer in the sense that s/he never sees the work involved, only the result. One should focus on results (like wins in sports), but also keep on eye on the steps needed to achieve those results (like hits, yards gained and points.)
4) Now link key elements to income, expenses, cash flow and profits. Don’t worry about overlap: focus instead on the impact each key element has on these aspects of your business. In the flower shop example, seasonality is very important (June and December are big wedding months), while delivery logistics, though important, have less of an overall impact. In your case, determine the impact of key elements according to your vision of the business.
5) Final step: Share the analysis with your employees and let them determine how to measure success within their jobs. (Surprised you, didn’t I?) Here’s the reason: Employees need to know not only how they are being measured, but why (as related to the company’s vision.) The more they know of the why, the easier it is for them to do their job well. And you’ll be surprised at how much your employees will contribute to this process.

Take the time to create this “Scoreboard” for your company. Success is built on consistency and knowing how well one is doing every day is a great step to take. Don’t delay: begin today.

The People Business

2005-08-01T18:16:00.000-04:00

I went to my cousin's wedding yesterday at the Wyndham Condado Plaza. The wedding was simple and elegant. The food was delicious! The accomodations were acceptable, the service was average, except for one employee who I found delightful.

Her last name is Quintana, she has been working at the hotel since she was 17 years old. She is currently in her 60's. She was assigned to the Powder Room, making sure there were enough clean towels to dry one's hands, that the basket carrying mouthwash,emergency sewing kits, hand cream and matches was always full of supplies, and to lend a helping hand to any ladies who might be a bit tipsy.

Throughout the evening I found myself going to the Ladies Room just so I could talk a bit with Quintana, listen to some of her anecdotes and life stories. Observe her interact with her charges, like a mother hen with her chicks. Give out advice along with the bath towels, and keep everything on the up and up.

To some Quintana is just an employee, the hired help, someone assigned to that position so she could get a paycheck at the end of the week.

From where I was standing she was so much more. Caretaker, lending hand, a friend and confidant to some, a ray of sunshine for others. There was a degree of comfort in her presence. She is the kind of person I describe as a Human Band Aid (need I say more?).

Before I left I asked Quintana if she had ever aspired to be in management.

The answer was a simple No!

She's in the people business. Service is her specialty.

Two quotes come to mind when I think about last evening:

- It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success. (George Washington Carver)

- Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. (Leonardo Davinci)

;oDD

Blogs of Note

2005-07-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

While surfing the net I happened upon a site which I most enjoy: 9to5andotherwise.com

I also found a kindred blogger, Glenn Ross(http://customerservice.typepad.com), seems to have had some problems with a Customer Service call center. He proposes the following law be put into effect;

... you only have to wade through 3 voice mail sub menus before you speak to a human being.

Another blog worth noting is The Occupational Adventurer (http:curtrosengren.typepad.com)

;oDD

A Carol for a Jonathan

2005-07-18T18:58:00.000-04:00

A Carol Award!
By Gil C. Schmidt

Although I could complain about the shoddy construction of my printer, I, in my impressive maturity, (at least I’m impressed by it!) will focus on the positive side of having my Z65 fall apart like a house of cards: I found a Carol Award winner.

His name is Jonathan Iñesta and he works as a Desktop Publishing Consultant at CopyMax, right here (there, over there…well, anyway, someplace away from my home office) in Mayagüez. Over the past week, I swooped down on Jonathan with a series of somewhat urgent printing requests and he handled them all with ease and even style.

Because I’m a professional writer, I make sure (I try hard) to edit and format my copy as cleanly and as completely as possible, so that when I hit “Print,” I have no worries. Unlike other customers Jonathan deals with (almost always the one in front of me,) I don’t ask for 17 format changes “just to see what it looks like.” I go in, hand over my USB drive, crack a joke or two (I’m a really funny guy) and—voilá! I’m handed freshly-printed sheets and after the customary 11-minute wait to pay (Service alert! Service alert!), I am on my almost-merry way.

But one project defined the difference between Jonathan and non-Carol Award winners. I needed promo cards for an event and I was under a very tight deadline. I’d created the cards, 8 to a page, and needed not only printing, but cutting as well. For once I was unable to get to CopyMax with plenty of time to spare; I had but 50 minutes and Jonathan was very busy.

Because he knew I was an easy customer to deal with (I AM a funny guy), Jonathan asked me what I needed, and when I explained, he told me he would handle it immediately. Within a couple of minutes, he had the printer going and was searching for someone to make the required cuts.

Only no one was available. It was lunch hour and in the OfficeMax world, you either take your lunch hour at the scheduled time or you lose it. Doesn’t matter who needs service or how many are waiting: OfficeMax would rather leave them hanging than deal with an employee’s personal choice to do his or her job to the best of their ability.

Jonathan did exactly that. He stayed on, losing his lunch hour, to take care of my cards and several other customers as well. In under 45 minutes I had a box of 1,200 promo cards and the secret glee that comes with knowing I could hand out another Carol Award.

So, to Jonathan Iñesta, a Carol Award for Excellent Service. (And one to me for being a funny guy.) I’m pretty sure that wherever Jonathan ends up, he will be a success, combining as he does technical skill with people skills in a very powerful way.

And he thinks I’m funny. My fan club grows every day.

A Carol Award to Sam's Club

2005-07-15T10:01:00.000-04:00

As a single mother of four small children (ranging in ages from 3-10), it is very difficult for me to go out, for mere pleasure or just to run my errands. I have come to accept that this society isn't prepared for single parents with many kids, much less parents of twins. So, I was very pleased yesterday when I went grocery shopping at Sam's Food Club in Western Plaza Mayaguez.

Normally when I visit the supermarket I try to go solo, if I have to take the whole team I need two grocery carts to sit my twin toddlers in, my oldest daughter pushes one I push the other. This tends to be quiet exasperating because arguing always ensues since both kids want Mommy to push their cart.

Back to yesterday...

I go to Sam's and to my utter delight they provide grocery carts with double seating(yipee!), so I only need one cart and there's no arguing (thank you for small favors!). As an added benefit, the prices are really good if you need to buy things in large quantities.

Thank you Sam's Club for providing what very few other's do...peace of mind to parents with multiples and multitudes of kids.

;oDD

Service Success TIP #7

2005-07-13T21:53:00.000-04:00

Become your customer. Be your own secret shopper. Call your company and see how the phone is answered and evaluate the service provided. Have friends or family members visit your establishment and use that feedback to your benefit. Walk into the store, hotel, restaurant etc. and look at everything from the customers viewpoint. This is a great cost effective way to evaluate your service and make any adjustments neccesary to ensure continued success.

Service Success TIP #6

2005-07-11T13:11:00.000-04:00

The post for July 8, 2005 at Gil's blog, http://gilthejenius.blogspot.com , suggests that you:

---Write down 10 ideas every day that can improve your business, career or any other area of interest in your life.---

Oprah Winfrey suggests you give thanks for five things every day. No matter how insignificant it may seem, think of five things from that day that made it worthwhile.

These are both excellent suggestions.
The first calls for action in reaching our goals and making our dreams reality.
The second promotes gratitude and teaches us to not take things for granted.

Good Advice!! Put it to good use...

- If you only care enough for a result, you will almost certainly attain it. (William James)
- A will finds a way. (Orison Swett Marden)
- Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers)

;oDD

More Food for Thought

2005-07-11T13:10:00.000-04:00

- Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be cast, in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. (Ovid)

- Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

- They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. (Carl W. Buechner)

- I don't have a solution, but I admire your problem.

- Teamwork...means never having to take all the blame yourself.

- Accept that somedays you're the pigeon and somedays you're the statue.

;oDD

2005-07-06T12:22:00.000-04:00

The First Screwie Award
By Gil C. Schmidt

Imagine a company that:
a) Makes a fundamental change in its ownership,
b) Switches a large customer base from one service segment to another,
c) Forces the customers to upgrade their service,
d) Forces the customers to wait for hours—or days—to receive the service,
e) Forces customers to lose their service for days—without recourse,
f) Promises fast service but imposes deadlines it cannot keep,
g) AND continues to charge you full fees for your service—which is nonexistent.

Welcome to to the wacky, zany, crazy, FUN! world of SunCom. The sale of AT&T created a merger issue that was handled by switching carrier service in Puerto Rico. To continue cell phone service, SunCom customers had to have their phones upgraded with a new chip, or buy new phones. ALL customers were given a 30-day period to make the change, but even early in the process, when crowds were thin, problems arose.

Each upgrade takes at least an hour and in some cases, several hours. Many customers—rightly so—had signed up for a specific plan and refused to buy a more expensive phone. Most customers could not afford to leave their unit at SunCom for “a few days” to have the upgrade handled. As the deadline grew near, the lines grew longer and tempers began to flare.

Customers began reporting that service was limited to 35-40 customers a day per office, with a customer base estimated to be over 105,000. Often they were told to take a number and come back the next day, usually after waiting for hours. People began arriving at 5 AM, three hours before opening. SunCom offices were closing at 10 PM instead of at six. Security guards were assigned to each office as irate customers began demanding their rights, in some cases with violent behavior.

The average wait for service was estimated at 6 hours. The average time for the cell phone to work again is estimated at 10 days. (After Day 11, my wife’s phone receives calls, but can’t make them. The SunCom “solution”: dial 611 for service. Uh, SunCom: IT CAN’T CALL ANYBODY!!) But the bill arrived on time, in full, with no hint that anything untoward has been happening in wacky, zany, crazy, FUN!Com.

Despite the best efforts of managers and employees at the customer service level (free breakfast, coffee, special arrangements for senior citizens and pregnant women) the entire company is to blame. SunCom has treated its customers like cattle in a slaughterhouse: pile them all in line, shove them through a ridiculous process and ignore the protests. Therefore, I give SunCom of Puerto Rico the First “Screwie” Award for Nauseatingly Bad Service.

And, hey, SunCom, if you don’t want it, call 611. On my wife’s phone.

Editor's Note: Thank You Gil for creating The "Screwie Nauseatingly Bad Service" Award, or the SNBS. I have a feeling that we'll be handing more of these out than our "Carol Awards", which are for excellent service. Unfortunate! I have several SNBS winners to acknowledge in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, since I'm so keen on options and solutions. Unsatisfied customers, hit the company where it hurts the most, in their pocket. Those who can, change companies. Those who can't right now, word of mouth is a double edged sword...

;oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** How to Deal With Squishyware

2005-07-04T12:21:00.000-04:00

How to Deal With Squishyware
By Gil C. Schmidt

In a conversation with Diana, creator of T.I.P.S., I mentioned how many of my Internet-related clients seemed to complain about having to deal with “people issues,” or “squishyware” as some techno-geeks call the rest of us. (The put-downs are flying now!) As an advisor aiming at improving the commercial relationships between the two groups, I hereby speak as squishyware to the techno-geeks. Heed my squishiness!

1) We are the customers: if we don’t buy, you don’t get to do more chillin’ things. Yes, you create the fabtech hotness that we crave, but if it doesn’t connect with us in a fundamental way (more on that later), we won’t buy. We don’t buy, you don’t have a job. Think of it as code and you won’t forget it.

2) “User-friendly” is not a typing exercise. When customers say “user-friendly,” they mean it. What you find snazzy and sweet, we find annoying. Think “granny and a toddler”: If you can tell granny how to use the thing in under 3 minutes or teach a toddler how to use it in under 3 minutes, you have a winner. (Neither granny nor the toddler can be Nobel Prize winners in Physics.)

3) Explaining your work is not punishment nor a chance to show-off. Most technical people act as if having to explain the inner workings of their products is an unjustified burden, while some act as if they’ve been spotlighted for “Look At Clever Me!” Awards. If someone takes the time to ask, it’s because they are genuinely interested. Keep it simple, focus on what they need to know (and not how much you know) and you’ll find yourself in an actual conversation instead of a mini-Cold War.

4) “Technical” and “Customer” service are the same thing. The moment you try to separate the people from the hardware or software, you lose sight of the most important bond: without people, hardware and software do nothing. As technicians, you are experts in technology while the rest of us aren’t. Your job is to either simplify the technology for our use (yay!) or spend lots of time teaching us how to use it (boo!) That’s your choice and we react to it. And pay accordingly.

Combining tech-savvy with people-savvy is a powerful formula. When you find your techie self getting wrapped up in the intricacies of programming or functionality, step back, remember you were once squishyware and think of how the rest of us can benefit even more from your next cool thing if you bridge the technology gap.

An Ode to Customer Service

2005-07-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

Given my recent experience with a Customer Service Call Center...I found this on the net... it's a bit long but quickly readable (does that make any sense?)...enjoy :oDD

An Ode to Customer Service

I have a little problem.
So, I call you on the phone
I'm given numbered options
To punch them each by tone.

After hitting number 7,
Then 2, 8, 6 and pound,
A short recording tells me
That no operators can be found.

They're busy helping others
And would I hold, this once?
Because my call is SO important.
What am I? A dunce?

My call's not so important
That I'll spend an hour on hold,
While my shoulder aches,
my patience bakes,
And my coffee grows green mold.

Nothing your recording says
Can cause me to believe
That my call will be taken
In the order it was received.

So, down I put the telephone
And up I pick the modem
To find solutions, on your site,
And, once found, download 'em

I calmly wait while DNS
Looks up your URL,
Until your server answers
Your home page front door bell.

I wait for frames to paint themselves,
My solution to begin.
And then, I wait for plug-ins
So I can see your logo spin.

I wait to get an audio file,
Greetings from your CEO.
He doesn't get the Internet.
But, he loves the radio.

I wait for a picture of
Your building is on my screen
And I realize there are things
That should not be heard nor seen.

Finally, there's a menu
And I poise my mouse to click.
But first, a Java applet! "Starting Java.
"I know that won't be quick.

The menu choices indicate
You know yourselves full well.
You know all about your company
And that's what you want to tell.

But, where's the button, I can push,
That takes me to the page
That solves my problem? Feels my pain?
And soothes my mounting rage?

There, in the lower corner,
Down by the copyright,
There's a little tiny icon
That looks as if it might ...

Be a link to customer service.
My troubles soon will quit!
I click upon it and I see ...
A 404 (file not found)... Oh, gee

And when I finally reach the page
That promises relief,
I'm staring at a document
That's far beyond belief.

For, where there should be answers
To frequently asked questions
And online help and knowledge-bases,
Is naught but indigestion.

For, there in type italics,
Underlined and bold,
Is the number for
The help desk phone.
I should have stayed on hold!

[ by Jim Sterne -- from 'Aiken Drum' (Aiken@AikensLaughs.com) -- Ed:Anon. ]

More Tales from The Other Side

2005-06-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

I've been gone for a few days. I apologize, my internet service has been down, still is (thank you Mom for lending me your computer), so if you don't see any new posts in the following days you have an explanation.

Now I have a question, an observation, a few opinions and a recommendation:

Does the term Customer Service apply when pertaining to a call center with a recorded message? Is this Customer Service? (Okay, that's two questions...)
But please let me know what you think.

My internet connection is cable modem, it's pretty fast and up til now has been very reliable. Since last week I've been trying to reach the cable company (unsuccesfully), to notify that I have no internet service, in the hopes that they can give me some answers and/or fix my problem.

If I add up the amount of time I've been on hold with the Customer Service Call Center Department it's more than an hour of listening to 80's music and a voice recording that keeps telling me that all the technicians are busy helping other clients, that my phone call is important and they will tend to me briefly.

In my opinion, if my call was so important I wouldn't be listening to a voice recording or waiting indefinite amounts of time to hopefully speak to someone who can help me. Briefly is a relative quantity. What is briefly for me may not be for you.

With this in mind, I make the following recommendation to companies who may use voice recordings in their Customer Service Departments. Inform the person calling of the approximate waiting time before their call will be attented to by an actual human being. In this way the person can decide if they want to wait or try again later. Provide options please!

Steering away from my topic before I go and try my luck for the upteenth time with the cable company, I want to mention a blog that's also about Customer Service, http://customerservice.typepad.com take a minute and drop in on Glenn Ross in Texas, tell him Diana the TIPS lady sent you.

Til next time...Have a nice day!

;oDD

P.S. Look for more on Customer Service Call Centers in the near future.

Service Success TIP #5

2005-06-20T12:39:00.000-04:00

Don't judge a book by it's cover: Just because a person wears expensive everything does not mean they have lots of mula,dinero,bucks,money. It may very well be image, and image can be stingy. With that in mind, treat every guest as if they were royalty, no matter their outer package. Cultivate loyal clients who will keep coming back and bring others with them. This will lead to long term success and profits.

Footprints in the Sand

2005-06-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

Photo by Angel Ortiz

Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was only one.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you."

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! :oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** Service is a Verb

2005-06-15T22:19:00.000-04:00

Service Is A Verb
By Gil C. Schmidt

We love verbs. They act. They do. They have all the fun! But “fun” is a noun. Is that a problem? Not at all, for you can’t “have fun” without the “having”! Yay for verbs!

Climbing down from my cheerleading ladder, I pause to point out that “service” is like “fun”: You need to do something for it to happen. If you think I’m still dizzy from cheering, imagine what level of service you would receive if the person “serving” you did nothing?

Exactly.

Now most people won’t be able to get away with doing nothing and calling it “service” for very long (unless they work for the government.) However, many people try to get away with doing as little as possible for as long as possible in order to draw a paycheck. These are the same people who complain bitterly about other people’s “luck” (hard work), “breaks” (being prepared for the opportunity) and “connections” (hard workers get noticed.)

I went to a restaurant recently and was treated to a “nothing plus 1%” effort that made me want to strangle a palm tree. (Reduces aggression and maybe the tree likes it.) Our drink order was served wrong, incomplete and the three additional requests were botched. The salads were brought out after minutes of languishing in a warm, humid terrace, so we ate “wilted” greens. Our food order was served incorrectly and I settled for overcooked fish rather than chance another dish. Two of our four-person group was never offered dessert and as soon as dessert was served, our waitress disappeared for 45 minutes. Forget coffee.

As I stepped out to ask for the check and was mentally calculating reducing the bill 15%, I overheard the woman complaining that her friend—a former waitress at the same restaurant—was now Assistant Manager at another restaurant. When the other person pointed out that she was “a great waitress,” our bastion of just-enough-action protested that she too was a great waitress.

Oh, what a moment. “No, you’re not,” I said and I’m glad she was too far away to kick me. I’m used to anger, but this was fury. I then listed everything she had missed, and fury became rage, then melted away. She knew I was right. And telling her what she already knew was depressing to me as well.

We left no tip. It wasn’t punishment, for tips are earned, not obligated. But I can’t help but feel that I’ll hold onto the lesson of acting as the basis of service far longer than this waitress will. Learning is a verb, too.

T.I.P.S. 101** Why Excellent Service?

2005-06-13T11:54:00.000-04:00

Why Excellent Service?
By Gil C. Schmidt

Okay, this might seem waaaay too obvious, but I’ll ask it anyway: Why provide excellent service?

I’m not trying to be cute here. I’m trying to get down to the basic issue of service as a means of success. On that basis, such a simple question proves a challenge to answer. Go ahead: try. You’ll see what I mean.

I’ve come up with three basic reasons why one should seek to provide excellent service:

• Satisfaction: When one helps another person and does it well, even if its simply “part of my job,” the end result is inevitably satisfaction. In fact, both parties in the transaction are satisfied, even though sometimes neither party really notices. I once spoke to an umpire and I asked him how he knew he’d done a good job in a game. “When nobody notices me,” he replied quickly and with confidence. That night be your standard, too: quiet excellence.
• Pride: Closely allied to satisfaction, but deeper, is the feeling of pride that suffuses you when you know you have done excellent work. Often triggered by compliments and thus in danger of becoming vanity (the true Deadly Sin, as Pride is as natural as Love), pride comes from one’s own evaluation, not that of others. That sense of pride also has a way of becoming a glow, as you can confirm by remembering the last person who gave you extraordinary service: they almost certainly would be someone you would describe as “taking pride in their work.”
• Karma: No, I’m not going all fuzzy on you. Whether you believe in the concept of karma or not, it is very hard to argue against ancient wisdom, as enclosed in “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”; “As you sow, so shall you reap” and “What goes around comes around.” Almost from the birth of recorded history, mankind has made it clear that service is an exchange, a compact of give-and-take. Therefore, give excellence, for it is the only way you will ever be assured of receiving it.

Maybe you have other basic reasons that expand on my own. I’d love to hear them. After all, it’s just another form of give-and-take, right?

Upcoming Events in Porta del Sol

2005-06-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

17mo Festival Jueyero in Guánica
June 17-19 2005
Area de Malecón, Bahia/ Tel. 939-969-2496

Simposio de Calidad Turística
June 22, 2005
Costa Dorada in Isabela
5pm- 9:45pm
More information or reservations call 787-890-3315

Fiesta Nacional del Mangó in Mayaguez
June 24-26 2005
Palacio de Recreación y Deportes

25to Festival de la Hamaca in San Sebastián
July 1-3 2005
Plaza Ramón Baldorioty de Castro/Tel. 787-648-2715

T.I.P.S. 101** Fire Certain Customers

2005-06-08T19:50:00.000-04:00

Fire Certain Customers
By Gil C. Schmidt

Customers are the lifeblood of every business. Following that analogy, blood needs to flow to be at its most useful, so that if we continue the analogy, when blood flow is blocked, something bad happens.

Serving customers is a constant activity and anything that detracts from that flow cannot be tolerated for long. Keeping my analogy, there are two types of blockages you need to avoid, or remove: tumors and clots.

• Tumors are those customers that increasingly absorb your time and energy and give you little or nothing in return. Freelancers are especially vulnerable to this kind of malady, the client from Purgatory who demands more, more, more as your profits and energy become less, less, less. Like a tumor, once you have identified this type of customer, the sooner you get rid of him or her, the better.
• Clots are customers, or groups of customers, that impede your best service flow. Although it may seem harsh to think of them this way, some customers or market niches simply do not offer the best profit potential, so trying to keep them “in your system” simply cuts off or reduces flow to the rest. Think of it this way: would you rather do a great job or a poor job? By keeping “clots” in your system, the odds of “poor” become higher than the odds of “great.”

To excise these blockages you need to learn how to fire customers. That’s right: get rid of them. You might have the kind of business where this is almost impossible. But don’t be fooled: “almost”impossible means there is a way, somehow. Find it.

Firing customers is simply a matter of letting them know that you can no longer serve them adequately. Make sure to be diplomatic and keep the focus on their welfare, not your bottom line. You don’t have to be a hypocrite, either: not being able to provide top-notch service is a legitimate concern for both parties.

It is better—best—to serve a smaller group of customers very well than to let a tiny portion of those customers drop your service level to less-than-acceptable standards. Look hard at your customers, figure out which—if any—are blockages and get rid of them. In the long run, both of you will be happy you did.

More Carol Awards

2005-06-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of giving, and recognizing excellent service, I will also give out some Carol Awards.

I second the vote for Gil's Carol Award to First Bank. It is an excellent bank. They are very people oriented and their employees are very friendly. Whenever I've been told they will get back to me with some information I've requested they always follow through, promptly. So kudos for you!

Another Carol Award to Katherine and Yolanda, both work for Verizon Wireless in the Mayaguez Mall. When I changed cell phone companies a few months back, these two ladies took care of all the details for me. They contacted my previous phone company to transfer my number, they programmed my phone, helped me choose the best plan for my needs and gave me the necessary information to solve any problems I may have encountered as a new client. Now, whenever I have questions or "inconveniences" with my phone service, (which thankfully haven't been many). I always go to them first, knowing that if they aren't equipped to solve my problem they'll point me in the right direction.

One other recognition, to Mary at the Parador El Sol in Mayaguez. Even when she's under the weather the woman has a smile on her face. You can tell she loves what she does. Always very helpful and informative, she goes out of her way to help not only her guests but also her colleagues.

Two things all of these service providers have in common are, a genuine desire to help and a smile. They make a world of difference.

Keep up the good work!!... Diana

;oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** A Carol Award

2005-06-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

A Carol Award!
By Gil C. Schmidt

Let’s hand out a Carol Award to First Bank of Puerto Rico!

On two occasions, Christmas and late May, my wife had to solve issues with her MasterCard. Repeated calls to the card issuer in Maryland were filled with lengthy silences or the kind of music that has been shown to drive laboratory rats to the depths of insanity, also known as “politics.”

With time totally of the essence, my wife went to Banco Popular, the bank that has all of our accounts and was summarily told—both times—that because Banco Popular was not the card issuer, it could not help her with her needs, but would you like to request another credit card?

Bah.

Finally, with a time crunch that could open walnuts, my wife went to First Bank to ask what her options were. Without any questions—not even if she had an account with First Bank—bank officials stepped in and handled every aspect she needed taken care of. This included phone calls to MasterCard and other referred sources as well as (in one case) issuing a cash withdrawal despite lacking a PIN (it had never been used so neither of us remembered it.)

To top it off, neither bank official asked my wife to open an account or even try to give her brochure for accounts or credit cards. Now some salespeople may frown at this, but think of what that means: by not bringing the matter up, they emphasized service, not “sales.” And by doing that, not once but twice, they have gained two enthusiastic recommenders.

Our bank accounts are now in First Bank. And if I had a donkey, I could tell Banco Popular to kiss my ass.

Food for Thought

2005-06-01T12:20:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, even the happiest, most optimistic, fun loving people have a blah day. Those days when you think the world is coming to an end, and you question everything you know. You start to feel like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh (Oh bother!). You might even wonder why you insist in swimming against the current, think outside the box, or simply desire more out of life. Here's a little food for thought to help put things back into perspective. In the words of Annie: " The sun will come out tomorrow...".

- Do for others with no desire of returned favors. We should all plant some trees we’ll never sit under.

- If at the end of the day you feel dog- tired, maybe it’s because you growled all day.

- Be the change you want to see in the world. (Ghandi)

- Keep in mind that the true meaning of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good. ( Ann Landers)

- Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them on your way down. (Wilson Mizner)

- All big things in this world are done by people who are naive and have an idea that is obviously impossible. (Frank Richards)

- He who laughs, lasts. ( Mary Pettibone poole)

- Consistency is key! (Gil C. Schmidt)

- It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing... (Swingers The Movie)

- Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. (Will Rogers)

- Conform and be dull. (J.Frank Doble)

- The ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by experts. Don't wait for experts. ( Murray Cohen)

- Ever tried.Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. (Samuel Beckett)

;oDD

Pop Quiz

2005-05-30T18:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some questions every service provider should be able to answer about their community and nearby areas. The more information you can provide your visitors, the better the quality of service. How many can you answer?

- How did your town get its name?
- What famous people were born here?
- Where is the nearest:
Hospital, College, Post Office, Church, Gas Station,
ATM machine, Bank, Library, Museum, Bakery/Supermarket

- Where may I go fishing? Play golf? Scuba Dive? Camp..?
- What are some attractions I can see?
- What cultural events are taking place?
- Where can I go to eat native cuisine, seafood,italian...?

These are all simple questions, yet sometimes we have to think of a reply or ask a fellow employee because we don't have the answer. So study up on what's happening in your community and nearby areas, and always be prepared.

;oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** Rewarding the Right Behavior

2005-05-27T18:28:00.000-04:00

Rewarding the Right Behavior
By Gil C. Schmidt

Lest you think I’d forgotten my good friend, Carol, here’s another bit of wisdom from her extensive stockpile:

“I was "Executive Platinum" in the American Airlines frequent flier program—their highest tier. On many flights I watched as those around me received complimentary upgrades and I got... nothing. Not even a "Thanks for flying with us a WHOLE, WHOLE bunch."

One day returning from London, I decided to be the "Ugly American" and see what happened. I went through multiple American Airlines checkpoints as I made my way from one international flight to another. At each, I simply mentioned that I was an Executive Platinum flier and hoped that I could be upgraded that day. The response was always noncommittal.

When I got to the LAST point in the boarding lounge, I got a little more vocal. I watched as they upgraded other passengers, then DEMANDED to know why these people were being upgraded and I wasn't. I had flown over 100,000 miles on their airline that year, yet I had NEVER received EVEN ONE complimentary upgrade, and I wanted to know why. Right then. And I was going to sit there until I got an answer. What a wonder: about 5 minutes later they found room for me in Business Class.

I seethed the whole way home. Why had the airline chosen to ignore my numerous polite requests and only caved when I became more vocal? Was it worth it to become the "Ugly American" in order to get a better seat? For me, it wasn't, and I spent a lot of time on subsequent flights in cramped seats in Economy Class. But I slept better at night.”

Carol continues her example: “British Airways knows how to do it right. I also spent time in the top tier of BA's frequent flier program. On every flight, the purser came by my seat before take-off and noted that I was in their top tier of fliers. He or she always thanked me for flying their airline, and asked that I find them personally if I needed anything during the flight. BA also upgraded me about 25% of the time. I never asked for it. I never begged. I never pitched a fit. They simply handed me a boarding pass for a better seat. I flew them every chance I could.

Customers appreciate acknowledgement. They appreciate being known by name. (I was on a first-name basis with some of BA's flight attendants.) They appreciate being treated as more than just a source of revenue. It's worth it to go the extra mile to develop customer loyalty.”

Back to me now. Notice how American Airlines not only “punished” Carol despite her obvious high value as their customer and “rewarded” her uncharacteristic but understandable anger. It may be true that “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” but customers are not “squeaky wheels,” and if you wait for them to behave as such, you are going to need plenty of “grease.”

British Airways knows the “secret”: Reward your customers so that you always get their best. And if a company doesn’t give you their best and you don’t feel comfortable “misbehaving” to get it, that’s okay. Companies come and go and you can choose to change to a competitor, but as Carol said, you will sleep better at night knowing you are being true to yourself. Some things are simply too important to compromise.

T.I.P.S. 101** Ferengi Rules

2005-05-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

Ferengi Rules
By Gil C. Schmidt

I love “Star Trek,” in all its incarnations. One of the best aspects was the development of alien races that had a depth and personality all their own, such as the Vulcans, Klingons and the Ferengi.

Large-eared, almost rodent-like in features, the Ferengi are, well… acquisitive. Okay, they’re greedy. For the Ferengi, acquiring Latinum (their “gold”) is the end-all and be-all of their existence. (Uh, for the males only. But let’s not go there.) As a guide to their ambition in life, the Ferengi have “Rules of Acquisition,” many of which are geared to—fleecing—the “opposition” in the pursuit of profits.

Now what could a fictional race of greedy cheating thieves (Ferengi that display these traits are known as “wealthy leaders”) teach us real folk about Customer Service? Plenty. Of the mythical “285 Rules,” four of them stand out as wisdom for any race:

Rule 26: As the customers go, so goes the wise profiteer. Too many businesses fail because they forget that serving the customer—serving the right customers—is absolutely essential to success. You have to find the customers first and follow their lead. When they change, you must change with them.

Rule 51: Reward anyone who adds to your profits so they will continue to do so. It sounds so simple and yet, how often it is forgotten! The Ferengi state much the same in Rule 50: Gratitude can bring on generosity. It’s a point so important even greedy little profit-mongers state it twice!

Rule 57: Good customers are as rare as Latinum. Treasure them. Do you really need an alien to remind you of this?

Rule 119: Never judge a customer by the size of his wallet. (Sometimes, good things come in small packages.) It is a common mistake to look at the “small” customer as insignificant. Please don’t make it, and if you have, please don’t repeat it. Customers are never isolated “wallets”: they are connected to a network of other “wallets”—other customers—that can make or break your business. Treat them all well and your business will benefit all the time.

Take these Rules as “messages from beyond the galaxy” and make them your Earth-bound guides. But pay no attention whatsoever to Rule 65: Win or lose, there's always Huyperian beetle snuff.

Note: Thanks to my good friend Roberto Filomeno for the “Rules”!

Open Source Minds

2005-05-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

This past Friday I was lucky enough to meet with some very creative people. All of which, like myself, think "outside of the box". Why go with the flow if you can pave an all new road?
So Open Source Minds is born, or as I like to think of us Open Minds. To learn more about OSM visit: gilthejenius.blogspot.com
Check out these other sites as well:
plazaborinquen.com
refiereme.com

;oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** Make it Their Problem

2005-05-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

Make It Their Problem
By Gil C. Schmidt

The customer starts to complain. Suddenly, the person who’s receiving the complaint—cashier, clerk, waiter, technician—has their face turn to stone, a distant look glazes their eyes and you can almost feel their patience as they wait for the customer to stop talking in order to… pass the buck.

Uh-huh. Happens every day. Let’s look at the stress points in this tableau:

1) The customer: Something’s wrong, they’re upset and they want a solution.
2) The employee or rep: Something’s wrong, the customer’s upset and I can’t do anything about it.
3) The “buck receiver”” The customer’s upset, that person dealing with the customer isn’t handling it and I have to make something good happen… or else.

Some of you are way ahead of me. The problem is arising at stress point 2: I can’t do anything about it. In far too many companies, customer service personnel are not allowed to do very much to really help customers when things go awry. They quickly fall into a pattern of “It’s not my problem,” and instead of trying to help, they bail on the situation.

But if you think they are relieved by this, think again. No one wants to appear incompetent or weak in public. No one likes having their judgment summarily dismissed a priori, as if they could never make the right decision if left to their own devices. And certainly no one likes the feeling of being cast in a subservient role to everyone around them.

The answer is obvious: Make the customer’s problem their problem. Let the clerk, cashier, rep, technician or whoever be responsible for dealing with the matter to a successful conclusion. In the words of the Ritz Carlton’s Employee Mission Card, point #9: “Any employee who receives a guest complaint owns the complaint.” You don’t—you can’t—pass the buck when you have full responsibility.

Can you rely on people to do the right thing? One company is famous for an Employee Manual that consists of a mere two lines: "Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules." That company, Nordstrom, has been a consistent and outstanding leader in customer service for over 20 years.

It has been proven throughout history that if you expect the best from people, you often receive it and more. When you feel in control, or in the buzz word of the 90s, empowered, you know you can do so much more…and you do. All of a sudden, a customer complaint is no longer a moment of irritation to an employee eager to pass it away, but something serious: a chance to show just how much s/he can do to make it better. The change is profound and valuable, to the employee, the customer and ultimately, the company itself.

T.I.P.S. 101**Service Begins at Work

2005-05-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

Service Begins at Work
By Gil C. Schmidt

If you are a manager, supervisor or business owner, you might be in charge of people who are required to provide customer service. You expect your people to be courteous, attentive, respectful, friendly and supportive. You might even go so far as to demand these attributes from your people and to do so on a daily basis.

Now, they might be too shy, polite or afraid to tell you what I’m going to tell you: Walk the talk. If you say it, live it. Don’t ask others to do what you aren’t willing—or can’t—do. In other words, Service Begins At Work, not with the Customer.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a “manager” or business owner treat an employee harshly and then turn around and treat a customer like a king or queen, often in front of the berated or harassed employee. If you’re one of these “Do as I say, not as I do” people—and there’s a word for that, you know—you need to make a positive change. And the sooner the better.

If you can stand another saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto others.” Okay, I switched it up on you to make the point that your employees’ level of customer service will be directly related to your level of managerial service to those employees. It is simply human nature: people who feel good about themselves and their situation are much more capable of generosity, attention and hospitality, all basic elements of excellent service.

Some of you might feel that a heavy hand will keep employees in line and focused on the bottom line. Here’s a question: how much training are you doing? You’ll know it’s a problem if you feel stressed about the amount of time you (as manager or owner) spend training employees. If they are often new employees and your department or company isn’t growing, you have a major turnover problem. If they are experienced employees and you still find yourself training them, you are overdoing it or they are passively resisting you, a polite way of “saying” you aren’t making a difference for them.

Relax. Train your employees on the basics and then treat them like colleagues, for that is what they are. Notice how the more respect and support you give them, the better the service they provide. And on a possibly cynical note: Please don’t fake respect or support. If it isn’t sincere, it’ll do more harm than being hard-nosed would do.

You might want to print this up and pass it around. Let’s call it Schmidt’s Service Corollary to The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto others.”

I like that. And so will you.

T.I.P.S. 101** Give Service a Break

2005-05-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

Give Service a Break
By Gil C. Schmidt

It was simply a matter of time. I walked into a store where there was only one checkout line in operation. The cashier, a young lady named Judith that I had known for some time, was dealing with paying customers, walk-ins asking for information and returns, a situation so absurd I thought it was a joke.

The discount store was normally a quiet place, but the buzz of angry customers was getting quite loud…most of it directed at Judith. Her quick, accurate motions were soon replaced by nervous, jerky gestures. She dropped change, rang up items with the wrong price and didn’t notice when a would-be wise guy tried to parlay his “question” into skipping to the head of the line. That was cut off by several people and the spam hit the fan (as they say in polite company.)

The line became a crowd and Judith was its target. She did the best she could, trying to regain a semblance of order, but it wasn’t until I stepped in and two other ladies spoke up for order that the situation was defused. It still led a handful of customers to abandon shopping carts or simply drop their items in any convenient spot and walk out of the store. Possibly never to return.

And where was the manager in all this? Sitting in his office. Until I knocked on the door and showed him what was happening. His response? “That’s her job.”

No, meathead, it isn’t. Her job, and that of anyone in service, is to help a reasonable number of people with a reasonable number of requests over a reasonable period of time. The problem stems when the word “reasonable” is left out of the equation or is stretched to ludicrous lengths. What happened to Judith was an extreme example, but more common ones occur every day.

The combination of reasonable number of people and a reasonable number of requests is usually handled well by businesses. We might complain that the bank is short one or two tellers, or that the supermarket is missing a cashier or two, but a business needs to operate on the basis of the most likely scenario and cost control, so having one or two people less than your optimum is not a bad thing (from the business’ point of view.)

The common problem is having these people try to provide service over an extended period of time. Studies have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that service quality decreases after a person has been working for over two hours and is at its worst when working more than four hours straight.

The solution is to rotate service providers into other tasks about every two hours. Many successful businesses already do this, but it takes managerial skill and consistency to make it work. Yes, it takes more planning and training time, but the payoff is almost always a better service team and more satisfied customers.

Give your service people a break from the pressure of delivering customer service and watch as their satisfaction level—and that of your customers—rises to new heights.

Tales From the Other Side

2005-05-13T14:39:00.000-04:00

Customer Experience #1
By Diana Figueroa

Recently I had a little mishap with my cell phone. It seems I somehow blocked it, so I couldn't make any phone calls. After various visits to different company stores and employees, I finally arrived to the place where (I hoped) my problem would be solved.

While I was waiting for my phone to be fixed, I happened to overhear a technician speaking to a client and telling them that no matter how many customers remained, at 6 PM they were closing and whatever clients were still there would simply have to come back tomorrow. Why? Because they didn't get paid overtime. Did I mention it was full of customers and it was just 4:30?

As I left the building a bit later, I kept thinking about the statement the employee had made… Ironic, because it was from an employee whose company's slogan is "We NEVER stop working for you."

There are many wrong things with this scenario. The most obvious is the fact that the customers aren’t a part of a company’s inner workings, therefore, employees shouldn’t make that type of comment where customers can hear them. Instead of broadcasting a bad image, if the employee was aware that not all of the customers would be taken care of, he could’ve:

A: Checked to see what each individual situation was and fixed the minor problems he knew there was time for. And for the one’s that took longer, give them the option of returning the next morning and give them first priority at that time.
B: If the office was short-handed for more difficult or lengthy service, see if a co-worker can lend a hand with the easier situations, and tend to those clients quickly, maybe freeing up enough technical staff in time to lend proper customer service to tougher problems.

At the moment this situation occurred, what happened to the idea of customer service satisfaction? It was forgotten and the end result was a corporate black eye.

At T.I.P.S. we strive to promote the positive. I want to acknowledge and thank the technician who fixed my problem. I don't know his name, I don't recall a name tag. But I thank him, for not sending me to another office, employee or area, for not making me wait in line, for being courteous and attentive and for fixing my problem quickly. He made my ordeal a bit more bearable.

THANK YOU!! Can you hear me now?

The Carol Award

2005-05-11T09:05:00.000-04:00

The Carol Award
By Gil C. Schmidt

If you haven’t met Carol yet, please do so now. Scroll down to previous TIPS Columns and read all about a remarkable young lady who runs an Internet-based business with her husband, has a marvelous grasp of what customer service really needs and is pretty much the perfect customer as well.

Since that combination is so rare—customer service expertise united with being a thoughtful customer—T.I.P.S. Newsletter would like to institute The Carol Award, to be presented not only to examples of great customer service, but also to the customers who make our lives as business people a true joy.

To qualify someone for a Carol Award, simply tell us your experience of great service or that moment when a customer turned your whole day/week/month around.

Here are my two Carol Awards (one is for me!):

I was hired to do a Christmas Web Marketing campaign for VERNet, an educational software firm based in Puerto Rico. The company’s president, Manuel Figueroa, worked closely with me on the elements of the campaign and the coordination with the Internet Service Provider that would manage the Web portion of the campaign. Two days before the launch, the ISP told us that they had not done any of the work and that the campaign could not be done. Rather than skip paying me, Manuel stated that I had done my part and he would honor our agreement and pay the second half of my fee. That was almost 10 years ago and I still seek out ways to help Manuel and his company, for no money, but simply to honor his professionalism and integrity. A Carol Award to Manuel Figueroa!

Again, Christmas, this time a late afternoon Christmas Eve shopping trip with a couple of friends in Woolworth’s. (Yes, this was some time ago.) The cashier, a young lady in her mid-20s, was haggard, her whole body a slumping curve of exhaustion. The line behind me had 10-12 people in it when she started adding up my purchases. After a few seconds I said to her “It must be hard to work Christmas Eve.” She barely nodded. “Is your family waiting for you?” She nodded again, but this time she was looking at me. “Do you have a big family?” Her eyes brightened a little as she nodded. “It’ll be fun to see them all tonight, won’t it?” She said “Yes” and smiled. “And that’s only 2 hours away, right?” She laughed. “It seemed like 20 a minute ago!” Now I smiled. “Start celebrating now, with them,” I said, pointing at the people in line, “And then share all that Christmas spirit with your family.” The young lady smiled, straightened up and looked 10 years younger. As I left the store, one of my friends turned me around to see the young lady, now laughing and vibrant. For recognizing that someone just needed a little personal attention to get back in the groove of customer service, a Carol Award to me!

I’d like to thank Carol for her wonderful examples and Diana for putting together a resource that goes to the heart of business success. And unlike other awards that limit themselves for greater impact, the more Carol Awards we hand out, the better!

T.I.P.S. 101** Thanking Service II

2005-05-09T14:56:00.000-04:00

Thanking Service, Part II
By Gil C. Schmidt

Actually, By Carol. I’ll just step aside and let her tell you her story:

“For me, American Airlines and British Airways epitomized two very different customer service approaches, one good and one bad. Two real-life examples illustrate.

American Airlines: I was going to Colombia via Miami. The plane had mechanical problems while in Dallas and things started heading south (not us, unfortunately). They mixed up the gates and sent us to three places (not even in the same terminal), told us conflicting stories, etc. By the time we finally got to Miami, people were IRATE and were taking it out on the Miami gate agents. When it was my turn, I told the gate agent that I was sorry things had gone badly in Dallas, and I was sorry that they were bearing the brunt of it. The guy behind me (with my same routing Dallas-Bogotá) pitched an ever-loving FIT. He cursed, he screamed. He reminded me of a toddler who wanted candy in the throes of a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. After we boarded the plane, he made it a point to walk back and find me in the Economy section to let me know that AA had upgraded him to Business Class.

British Airways: I was flying to Switzerland via London, but the plane had major mechanical problems while in Dallas. They tried borrowing parts from American Airlines, but only had one plane to work with. (One plane flies London-Dallas and then returns later in the day.) I knew they were in trouble, because the crew had been on duty too long already and wouldn't have enough "legal" hours left for the flight to London. They had to wait for the gate staff to return to the airport, however, because we were the last flight of the day for BA and everyone had gone home. By the time we deboarded, still in Dallas, we had been on the plane for six hours.

People were very upset. When I got to the front of the line, I told the agent it was no problem, that all I needed was a taxi voucher to get home and I'd come back the next day. That night I baked cookies and took them to the gate agents. I told them I appreciated their hard work, and knew their job wasn't easy that day. BA planned to fly two planes back to London that day (the one from the day before, plus the regularly scheduled flight). I said I'd take the second flight. Unfortunately they had mechanical problems AGAIN with that plane, and they ended up crowding as many of us on the first flight as they could. When I got my revised boarding pass, I wasn't in Economy. I wasn't in Business. I had a seat in First Class. Pretty good for a $700 ticket!

Through their responses, the two airlines demonstrated to me which behavior they wanted to reinforce. And I then flew British Airways over American every chance I got.”

Okay, now you know some of the reasons why I admire Carol. She’s an excellent customer service provider and an excellent customer. I’m sure you appreciate and want to meet more people like her, or even to follow her example. Please do so. Things would be so much better, right?

T.I.P.S. 101** Thanking Service

2005-05-06T07:24:00.000-04:00

Thanking Service, Part I
By Gil C. Schmidt

One of the great things about being a writer is that sometimes you get great ideas from the strangest sources in unbelievable ways. Then again, most of the time, you get your best ideas from the most obvious sources: great minds.

Allow me to reintroduce Carol, whose husband-and-wife Internet driving course business serves hundreds of concerned people a month. (You’d be concerned too if your license depended on passing the course.) Here’s another sample of Carol’s service abilities and wisdom:

“I got another e-mail last night that made me think about customer service.

I'd helped a woman earlier this week because she wasn't sure if she had updated her address, if she had ordered Express Delivery and other worries. Basically she just needed a little extra assurance and "hand-holding."

She e-mailed Customer Support last night around midnight and said: ‘Just a note to say THANK YOU for responding so quickly to my problem and taking care of me when I needed it and getting my certification out to me so quickly. Tell your boss he needs to give you a raise....thanks again...’

As consumers, we need to take opportunities to thank companies and individuals for a job well done. Too often we are quick to complain and criticize when something goes wrong, but very slow to acknowledge exceptional service. (Emphasis mine.)

We need to positively reinforce the behavior that we as a society WANT, not just criticize the behavior we don't want. If employees receive positive reinforcement for doing their job well, they are more likely to continue to do it well. Carrots are more tasty than sticks.”

Good service deserves at least a polite “Thank you,” but when you get great service, you as the customer should make the biggest noise about it that you can. Tell the person who did it, their supervisor, the manager and the world at large. If we continue to emphasize the bad, we’re only teaching each other how to do what we already know how to do: reject unsatisfactory service.

Stay tuned for more wisdom from Carol. And since she provides a great service to me: Thank you, Carol!

The Smile Reaction

2005-05-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

Smile reaction, is what happens when you see somebody smile. No matter what mood you're in, you can't help it. Someone smiles, you smile back. Smiles are the perfect accesory for service providers, they're very cost effective(FREE!)... and when used correctly can be extremely profitable. That's good business!
Smiles are the gifts that keep on giving. So give away as many smiles as possible, it'll make a world of difference to both the giver and the recipient.
Have an excellent day!!

Diana

T.I.P.S. 101** Plan C

2005-05-02T09:20:00.000-04:00

“Plan C”
By Gil C. Schmidt

We’ve all heard about “Plan B,” which is what we do when “Plan A” fails. Some cynics say we live our lives in “Plan B” and it’s hard to argue against that thought. It seems impossible to make all or even most of our “Plan A”s come together the way we want them to.

Many businesses lack a “Plan B.” Oh, they say they have a back-up plan for when things go wrong, but when the time comes to execute it, it’s more “improvisation” than “improvement.” When Plan A fails—and it does—you see blank looks, pursed lips, shoulder-shrugging, buck-passing and stuttering actions that let you know “we didn’t think this would happen so we didn’t prepare.”

Some businesses, the smarter ones, have a polished “Plan B” in place. When the inevitable error creeps up, the Plan springs into action a well-coordinated ballet begins. Your problem is tended to with the efficiency of a Swiss clock…and with about as much feeling. Although you are grateful for having the problem fixed, you are left with the feeling that it was too neat, too efficient, too easy to have been great service. Instead of feeling cared for, you feel used.

That’s where “Plan C” comes in. “Plan C” is all about Caring, of making sure that as your procedures and methods are improved, you never lose sight of the fact that Caring for your Customer is the heart of great service. Only the best businesses have a permanent “Plan C.”

In my teens, my eyesight was extremely weak. I was legally blind without glasses, and even with them, my vision was never better than 20/40. After years of sports, the worst finally happened: my glasses were broken. I ordered a new pair and the day I was supposed to pick them up, I was told the order had been mis-handled and I still had a ten day wait. (This was long before modern, “one-hour” optometry.)

I was given a discount, a voucher for a free eye exam and a case for my “ten days away” glasses. But what made me their customer for years was the care the attendant took to clean my broken glasses and make a better repair so they would last a little longer and not look so goofy. And when the glasses arrived, they were delivered to my home by the same attendant.

“Plan C” comes from the heart and aims at the heart. It takes into account that customers appreciate being taken care of as persons, not cogs in a service machine. “Plan C” is almost certainly “improvisation,” but one aimed at the true “improvement” that’s possible when things have gone wrong.

T.I.P.S 101** Say "No" For Better Service

2005-04-29T21:07:00.000-04:00

Say “No” For Better Service
By Gil C. Schmidt

I know some businesspeople, mainly entrepreneurs, who confuse “many services” with “great service.” These are people—unfortunately, a large percentage—who believe that by offering, say, 125 services, they will be considered “good service providers.”

The list of things you can do is always going to be much longer than the list of things you actually do, the things you should do and even the list of things you want to do. In order to be successful as a service provider, you have to say “no” to many items on the “I can offer this” list and thus reduce the total offerings to focus on what you can do best.

Another way of saying this is “Quality over quantity.” If you select certain services and give your all to make them the best they can be, you will definitely have an advantage over the people who want to do “everything” and end up doing almost nothing well.

On a business trip, I visited a restaurant with a fancy French name and a place called “The Chili Shack.” Both visits were the same day, as both places were near my hotel. The French restaurant had a menu loaded with seafood, poultry, beef, pork, lamb, pasta(!) and a wine list that looked like a phone book. The waiters were plentiful, the décor was sumptuous and during my 90-minute vist I had to ask for service several times (I went from polite to testy to snapping my napkin at the waiter’s arm.) Why? Because the restaurant tried to do too much: too many options slowed down orders, stretched meal times, created impatience and stressed everybody out.

On the other hand, The Chili Shack, a converted metal hangar, had a simple menu: chili. Small bowl or big bowl. Mild or hot. Served in seconds. You could order a cola, beer or water. Crackers were “all you can eat.” The place was clean and had one attendant, the owner. He had time to chat with everybody and for the half-hour I was there, some 25 people were served. At 11:30 at night. (The Chili Shack was open from 10 PM to 3 AM only. Talk about niches!) And yes, I’m sure the Shack had higher profits than le maison.

Do less to achieve more. Say “no” to being “everything to everyone” and focus on being “the best for many.” You’ll see your business improve dramatically.

Service Success TIP #4

2005-04-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

We are here to serve. The customer is our priority. Their opinion matters, right?

Then if that’s accurate, why do so many companies pay little or no attention to those “rate our service” suggestions and opinions cards? That’s assuming that you’re a company that even has them. Feedback is important in maintaining quality service. The feedback you receive directly from your consumer is even more valuable. These are the people who invest in your company; most of them come back time and again. Make time to view these suggestions and write a thank you email or letter for the customer. In this way you are letting the customer know that their opinion counts. And maybe you can include a discount to speed up their next visit!

:oDD

2005-04-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

Porta del Sol

Photo: Angel Ortiz
quehibo@netscape.net

T.I.P.S. 101** You Are Not the Target

2005-04-22T10:58:00.000-04:00

You Are Not The Target
By Gil C. Schmidt

We’ve all been there: Something goes wrong while tending a customer and the person goes off like a firecracker… or worse. Our reactions tend to be surprise, shock and often anger, but if we just take a second to create some space between ourselves and the situation, we may come to see the basic truth: we are not the target.

It isn’t easy to create that space and remember this basic truth. I have a friend, Carol, who runs an Internet-based driving course business with her husband. Carol often has to provide customer support at odd hours in the morning, when most of us are sleeping. Here in her own words is an anecdote worth noting:

I've found this especially true of "phone support"--you are often the "faceless target" for something else going on in the person's life. Their frustration may not truly be with you at all. Case in point--I had a lady who was MOST upset that we showed her "Course Completion Date" as April 10th (she was to have completed the course a week earlier, and the court wouldn't accept her certificate). We date the certificates the LATEST of course completion or when we receive the student's affidavit of completion. Otherwise, we are perpetually in trouble with the Texas Education Agency. We must issue certificates within 15 days of "Course Completion." Since we don't control when students send in their affidavits, we were running into "noncompliance" issues when we used the "passed the exam" date. (I've had affidavits come in two months after the student passed the exam.) That's why we changed the policy.

Long explanation to say the woman was VERY upset with me because of the “wrong” date--but it turns out that her younger brother had died of AIDS two weeks before, she was the primary caregiver and another relative had been in a car accident that week--lots going on in her personal life, and I just became the target. You have to NOT take it personally when people get upset. They are often not upset with you, but with life in general. You just happen to be a convenient anonymous target.

Isn’t it great to have wise friends?

It is hard to keep calm when someone goes off in front of you, but understanding that the person’s behavior is not an attack goes a long way to helping you face the situation and providing the level of service you are capable of displaying.

A Thought...

2005-04-20T16:23:00.000-04:00

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through the world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our life felt. (Leo Buscaglia)

T.I.P.S. 101* Write Your Letter

2005-04-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

Write Your Letter
By Gil C. Schmidt

The best way to build your business is through referrals. Advertising can be expensive and despite improvements in demographics and media management, targeting your best customers is still an iffy proposition.

Marketing, which includes advertising, selling and Public Relations, can be both more and less targeted than advertising, for you know who your customer is when you sell to him or her, but in Public Relations you diffuse your effort to the community as a whole.

Spoken referrals, also known as “word of mouth,” are the basis for business success. But another form of referrals, one that can have lasting and far-reaching impact, is that of written referrals. Testimonial letters are a powerful advertising instrument and are great ego-boosters as well.

But how do you get people to actually write letters about you or your company? Easy: You write the letter. And not as fiction, either, but as a simple description of the great service you are providing.

As you deal with a client, decide before you begin that they will be so impressed by your service that he or she will want to write a letter about the experience. If needed, take notes about what you do and as soon as you have completed the service and can see the client is satisfied, ask if they will provide you with a testimonial letter to help your business grow. (And ask them for referrals at the same time!)

If they say “yes,” don’t wait for them to write it. Offer to write “a draft” that they can modify and sign once they are satisfied with it. (If you wait for them to write it, you could wait forever.) Ask their permission to use it in your business ads, pointing out that they also get exposure at the same time. (But if you ask, make sure you do place ads. Service is also a matter of keeping your word.)

If they say “no,” don’t be discouraged. The Law of Numbers is on your side, you will have delivered great service, they might say “yes” later, you may have notes about solving a situation that could help someone else in the future and you have flattered the person by making it known that their opinion is important.

And if you’re not a confident writer, don’t worry. Testimonial letters are really “Thank You” notes, and you certainly know how to thank yourself, don’t you? (If you don’t, practice!) Encourage your employees and colleagues to “write the letter” and you will definitely see your business grow.

T.I.P.S. 101** Consistency is the Key

2005-04-15T08:33:00.000-04:00

Consistency is the Key
By Gil C. Schmidt

There are times when you get tired of doing your best, of giving an A-1 effort, of striving for excellence when the world around you seems to glorify mediocrity. You feel like a lunatic for trying so hard and seemingly nobody notices or cares, like you’re trying to crack a huge brick wall with a wet noodle.

At times like these, remember one thing: Excellence is always rewarded. It may take time, but doing things with your best effort is the only true path to success.

Think of this when you provide service to that umpteenth customer that doesn’t even say “Thank you.” Or when you handle another difficult situation and the person acts like nothing special has happened. What is at work here is not some metaphysical intangible, but a very real law: the Law of Numbers. As you accumulate more and more experiences and do so with your best effort, you are acquiring knowledge and laying the absolute foundation for success.

Is it hard work? Of course it is. But what are the shortcuts and what do they lead to?

• You give someone a mediocre effort: That’s one experience less in your pursuit of the Law of Numbers, for you haven’t learned anything and you lose a potential voice in your favor.
• You cheat someone: Obviously a negative number (worse than a zero, it takes away from what you’ve already done) and a potential enemy where you could have made a friend.
• You do excellence at first, then slack off: The natural pattern as people lose patience with the process. If you’re lucky, you might be successful before the good will you’ve created wears off, but as time goes by, you will be wasting that good will and end up back at square one.
• You ignore excellence and just drift: Your only hope here is to win the lottery, marry a rich person or get elected to public office.

It is easy to lose sight of the Big Picture when engaging in everyday activities. I once read where a famous baseball player, a man who got more hits than all but 5 other players in the history of the sport, said “If you truly focus on every at bat, your career will take care of itself.”

So the next time you feel that weight of seeming indifference, remember that all you have to do is take care of just one thing: the task at hand. That’s all. Give that person in front of you your very best and, by doing so, you are doing exactly what you need to do to let the Law of Numbers work for you and have the Big Picture take care of itself.

Service Success TIP #3

2005-04-13T13:11:00.000-04:00

It's not what you say, it's how you say it. You can criticize,make suggestions, make a point or simply disagree with someone without making the other person feel inadequate or unvalidated by using a pleasant tone of voice and positive wording. If you're dealing with a difficult customer who insists that you do something you are not capable of doing, instead of becoming impatient and being rude, you could say something along the line of: " I understand how you feel. I would like to help you, maybe we could try this instead." People express more with tone of voice and facial expressions than they realize. Many times words aren't necessary. So think before you speak, and remember to smile.

;oDD

T.I.P.S. 101** Service Game

2005-04-11T15:08:00.000-04:00

Service Game
By Gil C. Schmidt

There are plenty of business metaphors out there, most notably “business is war.” The problem with that mindset is that, in war, second place is just awful. The whole metaphor makes business seem like a bloody battle, one where aggression and dominance are keys to victory.

But in terms of service, how do feelings of aggression and dominance help improve service? It’s obvious that they don’t: we hate pushy salespeople and snide waitresses. Because of this, “service metaphors” have focused on “good feelings” which are often in conflict with the “competitive” nature of business.

And it doesn’t help at all when the phrase “Nice guys finish last” is heard often.

Is there a way for “nice” to finish first? There has to be, for there are plenty of businesses that thrive on being nice and waxing their competition because they are nice. One of the easiest ways to do this is to literally focus on the idea of “service as a game.”

It doesn’t matter what business you are in, with a little imagination and a touch of discipline, you can create a simple game where the goal is excellent service. First of all, by “creating the game,” you are acknowledging the central role good service plays in your business success. Second, you are providing a flexible focus that says that service is important, but also enjoyable (nobody “works” at a game.) Third, you are establishing a system that can be shared with other employees so that the game becomes an additional shared experience.

Here are some examples of “service games”:

• A beauty salon established a daily “good story” game. Each beautician would comment on a news item and “the winner” was the item or topic that garnered the most attention. Benefit: more clients and increased revenue-per-client.
• A restaurant played a “tipping game.” Every waiter and waitress scored points for every table that earned a 15% tip, with more points for higher-percentage tips. “High scorer” for the night won a small prize, paid for by the others. Benefit: Restaurant sales rose 35% while the average tip rose from 12% to 19%.
• A hardware store began a “One Trip Guarantee” game, where the store’s personnel made sure to ask questions about the client’s need to ensure he or she had everything they needed to do the job right. Return customers (for needed items) were counted as “strikes” and any person who “struck out” had to buy coffee for the rest of the group. The game added a “7-day rule,” that meant that after 7 days without a “strike,” an employee could “erase” a previous strike. Benefit: despite increased competition, the hardware store saw sales rise 44% and sharing the game with other stores in the company had similar results.

People often complain that work is dreary, stressful and lacks a true challenge. Change all that by creating a game that rewards good service, is easy to track and can become part of the daily routine. Notice also that the examples aren’t based on big rewards, but are strong on recognition: we love to play and we love the attention of being a winner. These are good things to count on for the success of your business.

Good News Directory

2005-04-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

In my quest to promote great service, I've decided to become a "good news" person and mention places I have been to that I like. Hopefully, you will feel inspired to share with me experiences, places or people who have made your day a little bit brighter. We can start our very own "Good News Directory" and promote great customer service. It will also work as an incentive for the places and people mentioned to keep doing what they're doing. Looking forward to hearing from you!

1- Starbuck's - Unfortunately there isn't one yet in Porta del Sol (hint,hint). Whenever I visit the Metro area I go to Starbuck's by myself or a group of friends, it's a great place to decompress, socialize or people watch. The coffee is great, there are table games to play, newspapers and magazines for reading, and nice music. All of these things make for a welcoming and relaxing environment. You can sit there all day and ponder the meaning of life and nobody will bother you. So, if anybody from Starbuck's is reading I have a three words for you....PORTA DEL SOL (specifically Mayaguez, Cabo Rojo, San German, Aguadilla).

You can write me at: diana@vamospa.com

:oDD

Instead of..... Try....

2005-04-06T14:55:00.000-04:00

Instead of saying : "I don't know".
Try: "I'll find out for you".

Instead of saying: "What do you want?".
Try: "How can I help you?" or "How may I be of service?".

:oDD

2005-03-30T17:31:00.000-04:00

Playa Sucia, Cabo Rojo

Photo by Iris T. Figueroa
guakabina@yahoo.com

Service Success TIP #2

2005-03-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

Love what you do and do what you love. Remember , it is passion that persuades. Selling anything (including yourself) is easier, if you believe and are passionate about what you are selling.

:oDD

2005-03-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

From what we get, we can make a living;
what we give, however, makes a life. ( Arthur Ashe)

Photo by Iris T. Figueroa

2005-03-17T10:26:00.000-04:00

Guanica, Puerto Rico

Photo by Iris T. Figueroa

Eres el Reflejo de tu Imagen

2005-03-16T19:25:00.000-04:00

Eres el reflejo de tu imagen…

Desde los tiempos de nuestros abuelos hemos escuchado que nuestro comportamiento y forma de ser se refleja en cómo actuamos. Podemos saber de los sentimientos, forma de pensar, educación y sensibilidad de una persona solamente con observar su comportamiento.

En los negocios sucede igual. La imagen que proyecta una empresa es el reflejo de su equipo de trabajo, de cada uno de sus componentes y en especial de sus empleados.
Hoy día tenemos muchas personas (empleados) con características diferentes que queremos reflejen “nuestra imagen” o cultura organizacional de empresa grandiosa, organizada, vanguardista y exitosa.

Nos preocupamos por lograr crear la imagen y desarrollarla. Podemos visualizar y casi palpar nuestro objetivo; pero de pronto notamos que hay una diferencia entre esa imagen ideal y la realidad. Hay un espacio entre “lo que debe ser” y “lo que logramos hacer.” ¿Dónde está el fallo?

Hay muchas variables que inciden en este proceso, pero la más crítica es la relacionada con el comportamiento y desempeño de nuestros empleados. Los empleados nos pueden llevar al éxito o al fracaso pues normalmente proyectan la imagen de ellos (cada uno), no la de la empresa.

En este sentido entonces es importante trabajar con el personal que ya tenemos optimizándolo, moldeándolo y guiándolo hacia nuestras metas mediante programas o planes de desarrollo. Estos programas pueden ser tan sencillos como un plan de “cross-training” interno o el desarrollo de un programa de “Expertos en su Especialidad.”

De todas formas, el proceso más costo-efectivo es tratar de que los empleados de nuevo ingreso tengan características similares a la de nuestra cultura organizacional actual.

Con procesos optimizados de reclutamiento y de desarrollo puedes lograr minimizar las pérdidas, hacer más costo-efectivo a tus empleados y, lo más importante, ¡que todos y cada uno de ellos sean y reflejen la imagen de su empresa!

Considera los beneficios que puede darte el lograr maximizar el potencial de desempeño de sus empleados... Que cada uno de ellos sean reconocidos por su comportamiento, servicio, calidad de desempeño, amabilidad y carisma, o sea, ¡que reflejen la imagen de su empresa!

Francisco Santana Montalvo
VASA Consulting Group
fsantana@vasapr.com
787-645-5840

Great Expectations, Met Expectations

2005-03-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tourism has proven to be extremely profitable in recent years, and is a continually growing industry. Service is the most important aspect of tourism’s long-term success.There’s a quote that states: "Service is the rent that you pay for room in this world". Therefore, one would think that the human race would be extremely giving, caring, and attentive towards one another's needs and comfort. I think it's safe to say, we didn't receive that memo in Puerto Rico.

I have spoken to many people whose insight, criticism and ideas I greatly appreciate. What I have come to enjoy the most is the sharing of their "service experiences". What exactly are service experiences? They’re none other than those word-of-mouth promotions, the “good news” we mentioned in our previous edition.

Unfortunately, most of these stories have been less than stellar. If “good news” has a positive impact in the long-term growth of your business, “bad news” will also have an impact, a very negative one possibly leading to financial loss. Many times it’s easier to focus on the bad things rather than the good things. So I’ll focus on one aspect of service that can negatively affect the productivity of your company, and see how it can be made into “good news”, thus ensuring a positive and more profitable outcome.

a) Price vs. Value (Quality): Am I getting my money's worth? Did I find what I was looking for? Were my expectations met? Did I enjoy myself? These are some of the questions people ask themselves when taking a vacation or while shopping. The personal service you receive isn’t all that matters. Merchandising, accommodations, presentation, location, and variety play a major part in the overall experience. This is why businesses should provide something extra. It can be something as simple as giving your guests a free copy of the newspaper every morning for the duration of their stay, including a free cup of coffee in their meal or maybe a discount to use next time they visit. Something special that makes your company different from the rest, assuring a return visit from your guest.

Tourism on the island is expensive. Spending hard-earned money and not having your expectations met can leave a sour taste in the mouth. When expectations are met and exceeded, sales and profits improve. When expectations are not met, sales and profits drop. If what you have to offer your customers is the same as everybody else, then you must guarantee that your customer service exceeds the guest’s expectations. Anything less and they will choose one of your competitors.

So you see, service isn't just about being nice to your guest and selling. There are many elements, some more obvious than others in providing excellent service. You may own a business or work in one, but you are also clients and guests, and there is always room for improvement. Next time you’re out and about, take note of the things that made your time enjoyable and worthwhile, and apply them to yourself and your business.

Great Service + Met Expectations = $$$ PROFITS $$$. Remember: "Knowledge without action is like snow on a hot stove," (taken from the book P.S. I Love You by H. Jackson Brown).

By Diana Figueroa
diana@vamospa.com

Calidad y Cantidad

2005-03-14T13:03:00.000-04:00

Calidad y Cantidad: ¿qué usted prefiere?

Lo que es calidad para unos no necesariamente es para otros.
La cantidad se mide en términos cuantitativos, pero ¿cómo se mide la calidad? Veamos un ejemplo cercano a nuestras experiencias:

Muchas personas trabajan todo el año y ahorran para tomarse unas
merecidas vacaciones. Después de mucho esfuerzo quieren salir de la rutina y descansar, pero también quieren divertirse. Invierten en un viaje, una estadía y sus expectativas son muy altas. Lo menos que esperan y desean es que los atiendan mal, que le den un mal servicio o que el lugar no sea lo que esperaban. Tenemos que tener en cuenta las expectativas de las personas que nos visitan para así poder ayudarles mejor. Podemos tener tremendas facilidades en una hospedería, una planta física excelente, pero si no hay un buen servicio, de nada vale. También se puede dar el caso de que haya un buen servicio, pero los cuartos no tienen una buena higiene, no hay agua caliente en el baño o el aire no enfría.

La calidad y la cantidad tienen que ir de la mano para poder satisfacer
las expectativas del turista. Si el turista tiene una dificultad en su
viaje, la calidad del servicio se demostrará en el momento que podemos
resolver su problema y en las gestiones que hagamos para ofrecerle lo mejor. Desde el "Front Desk" hasta "Housekeeping," el turista espera que todo funcione a las mil maravillas. Esta persona quiere sentir que su inversión para tomarse unas vacaciones valió la pena. La inversión en un viaje es igual a otro tipo de inversión con la diferencia que lo que queremos obtener de ésta son buenos momentos y gratas experiencias que se recordarán por siempre. Pero cuidado porque las malas experiencias tampoco se olvidan.

Así que si usted tiene una hospedería y la misma no es muy visitada,
pregúntese qué están haciendo en otros lugares para ser exitosos y verá
que todo se resume en calidad: calidad en todo lo que se ofrezca.

Por Norma Pérez
tatua_00680@yahoo.com

2005-03-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

The manager administers, the leader innovates.
The manager maintains, the leader develops.
The manager relies on systems, the leader relies on people.
The manager counts on controls, the leader counts on trust.
The manager does things right, the leader does the right thing.

Fortune Magazine

Service Success Tip #1

2005-03-07T14:33:00.000-04:00

You are only as good as your word. Promise only that which you know you can deliver, and always deliver more than what you promise.

:oDD

2005-03-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

El Faro, Cabo Rojo

Picture by Diana Figueroa
diana@vamospa.com

Hospitality "To Do" List

2005-03-02T13:25:00.000-04:00

Do: Greet guests with enthusiasm and use a pleasant tone of voice

Do: Be attentive to your guests needs and interests

Do: Provide information about your community, things to do, places to visit, historical facts...

Do: Promote local activities and events

Do: Invite them to visit again

Do remember to SMILE, SMILE, SMILE!!

:oDD

2005-02-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

Noche Poética en Moca
sábado, 26 de febrero del 2005
7:00 pm
Carpa de artesanos ubicada justo detras del Museo del Mundillo

** Cualquier persona que haya escrito un poema, tendrá la oportunidad de recitarlo esa noche**

The Nice Tourist

2005-02-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

“You know me. I’m a nice tourist. I never complain, no matter what kind of service I get.”

“I’ll go in a restaurant and sit and sit while the waitress gossips with her boyfriend and never bothers to see if my hamburger is ready. Sometimes someone who came in after I did gets my hamburger, but I don’t say a word.”

“If the soup is cold or the cream for the coffee is sour, I’m nice about it.”

“If the service station attendant fails to check my oil or polish the windshield, I don’t even raise my eyebrows.”

“When I go into a store and get surly treatment and lack of sympathy with my browsing around. I don’t make a fuss.”

“When I register at a motel or hotel, I’m thoughtful of the other person. If I get a snooty manager who gets nestled because I want to look at my room before making up my mind, I’m polite as can be. I don’t believe rudeness in return is the answer. You might say I wasn’t raised that way.”

“ And it’s seldom I complain about the poor room service, the broken- down elevator, the leaking bathtub faucet or the television set that doesn’t work. I’ve found that people are always disagreeable to me when I do. Life’s to short for indulging in these unpleasant little scrimmages.”

“I never kick. I never nag. I never criticize. I wouldn’t dream of making a scene, as I’ve seen other people do in public places.”

“I’m a nice tourist! I’ll tell you what else I am: I’M THE TOURIST THAT NEVER COMES BACK!”

“That’s my revenge for getting pushed around. That’s why I take whatever they hand out…I know I’m not coming back. It’s true that this doesn’t relieve my feelings right off, but in the long run, it’s a far more deadly revenge.”

“In fact, a nice tourist like me, multiplied by others of my kind, can just about ruin your business. And there are lots of nice tourists in the world. When we get pushed far enough, we go down the street to another restaurant. We eat hamburgers in places that are smart enough to hire help who appreciate nice tourists. Together we do the rude people out of millions of dollars every year.”

“The one who laughs best, they say, is the one who laughs last. I laugh when I see places frantically spending their money just to get me back, when they could have held me in the first place, with a few kind words and a smile.”

Courtesy of the Canadian Tourist Association
and Michigan State University
www.msue.msu.com

Welcome to T.I.P.$.!

2005-02-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

Greetings! By Diana Figueroa

Tourism isn’t just a business, it is a way of life. With this in mind we have created T.I.P.$., which means Tourism Is Profitable $ervice. As a community, we are here to serve, educate, promote and provide the best part of ourselves and our culture to those who take the time to visit the island, especially our region. In order to ensure greater success, we must make sure that our service and hospitality are world class, because these are our calling cards.

“Hotels and Restaurants” are not the only things that tourism consists of; there is much more to this industry: from sights to see, beaches to relax in and places to hang out, as well as cultural activities and events to share with your whole family. It also includes all kinds of businesses, from shopping malls to the little old lady in Las Marías who makes alcapurrias in the kiosks I’ve come to call “The Puerto Rican Fast Food Stop”. All of these businesses—both products and services—contribute to the financial growth of our region.

However, most of the weight to make a good impression, and provide exceptional service, does fall on the shoulders of the Hotel and Restaurant portion of our regional economy. For this reason, T.I.P.$. is committed to providing useful ideas and information that will help increase your company’s productivity and profits.

Join us as we explore the benefits and advantages of world class service…by focusing on T.I.P.$.

2005-02-14T11:28:00.000-04:00

CREATING MAGICAL SERVICE by Norma Pérez

Do we really know what tourism is? We hear a lot of people in a lot of places talking about “tourism this, tourism that”… But what are we really talking about? In simple words: Tourism is service.

Now, what is service? When we help someone in need, that is service. When we help someone and do it in a friendly way, that is better service. When we go all out to give that person our best level of attention, that is excellent service.

Imagine the following situation: Mr. Schmidt misses his early flight. As a result, he also misses his connecting flight later that day. When he finally arrives at the hotel, he discovers he lost his wallet. The hotel receptionist verifies his reservation, but Mr. Schmidt is no longer found in the system (he doesn’t have a room because his late arrival automatically cancelled his reservation) and to make things worse, the receptionist has no idea what to do.

Tourism is service and service has three moments:

The Moment of Misery

The Moment of Truth

The Moment of Magic

When we have a tourist in a situation like Mr. Schmidt’s, we have the opportunity to analyze what excellent service is:

The Moment of Misery: Mr. Schmidt missed his flights and no longer has a reservation at the hotel.

The Moment of Truth: The receptionist books a room for him and helps him deal with the need to cancel credit cards, bank cards, etc.

But for Mr. Schmidt, the most important moment will be the Moment of Magic, that extra unexpected attention that will put a positive spin on his bad day. The receptionist books a him a better room (one was available) than what Mr. Schmidt had originally reserved and she has a small fruit basket placed in it. She offers him a free cocktail in the hotel restaurant and even gives him a discount good for his next stay at the hotel.

What do you think will happen? Mr. Schmidt goes home raving to his family, friends and colleagues about the excellent service he received and urges all of them to stay at that same hotel when they travel.

Good News People

2005-02-14T11:23:00.000-04:00

CREATE GOOD NEWS PEOPLE by Diana Figueroa

Now that we have the internal and foreign tourists visiting Puerto Rico or our region, how do we make sure their stay is enjoyable and worthwhile? *Service *and *Hospitality.* After all, what’s the use of having people come visit us, if they leave with a negative impression of their stay here? Because tourists spend much of their visit enjoying the climate, shopping, sightseeing and interacting with many businesses, it is important for everyone to get involved in giving great service.

Word of mouth is the best promotion your business and region can receive. Every person that you provide service for will speak to an average of ten people. Those ten people will pass along the information to ten more people and so on. Before you know it hundreds of people will have formed an opinion of your business based solely on the experience of somebody they probably don’t even know. The more “good news people” you can create, the higher your chances for long term growth.

The following are a few guidelines for you and your employees that will be helpful in giving a good impression, thus ensuring that the word of mouth promotion you receive benefits your company’s productivity:

Greet every guest with a smile, and make eye contact: By appearing to be cheerful (even if you’re not feeling it) you make yourself more approachable to the customer, and eye contact is an acknowledgement that you are aware of their presence.

Refer to your client using their name (if you know it): If you don’t know their name, use Sir, Miss, or Ma’am when speaking to them. Everybody likes to feel needed and appreciated. I know, you can’t possibly memorize the names of every customer you’ve ever had, but there are always those frequent clients or visitors that stand out for one reason or another. Learn their names and let them know that their continued support is important for your company. Remember, they are the people who keep coming back to invest time and money. They will become your “good news people”.

Provide Options: Be attentive to the needs of your customers and provide options that will make their stay more pleasant. Whether it be a more comfortable room, a place to visit or shop at, something to purchase or a meal to eat, taking interest in your client is a way of ensuring a follow up visit (and the tips aren’t bad either).

The better the service you provide, the more “good news people” you create. Providing good service benefits not only the company, but the employee that offers it. The best product to sell is yourself, be sure to get a full price!

Great Idea for a Small Hotel

2005-02-14T06:03:00.000-04:00

A Time to Share by Norma Pérez

Rebecca owns an 11-room bed & breakfast in northwest Florida, the panhandle rough edge of a state with world-renowned attractions far to the south. In 2003, Rebecca’s little hotel registered 91% occupancy…all year. On average, she had 10 of her 11 rooms filled every day of the week. In a region with several competitors (including chain hotels), no major theme parks, no unique natural wonders, no large cities and boasting a room rate in the $90-110 range, how does she do it?

Tea.

Every afternoon, from 4:00 to 5:15, Rebecca dons elegant dresses and serves tea in her hotel’s “parlor,” a comfortable room with several armchairs, two settees (“I never use the word ‘sofa’”) and four polished mahogany tables. A large silver tea setting gleams brightly in the sunny room, casting reflections on a small array of biscuits, crackers, cookies and finger sandwiches. Every guest is invited to drink tea, enjoy the finger food and talk to Rebecca and each other. No TV, no radio, no music, just marvelous tea and conversation.

The entire experience costs the guests nothing, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything as they comeback to share it again and again. “I now know when certain people are coming to my hotel,” says Rebecca, “Because we’ve talked so much, they’re like family. And when they come back, they bring one or two more people. Next year, I may add some rooms!” However, thinking about the warmth and sharing she and her guests enjoy, she adds “But then, I’d have to stop serving tea because of the noise and dust.” She shakes her head. “My guests are happy with what I have now. And that makes me happy, too.”

La Promoción Más Efectiva

2005-02-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

CREA PERSONAS DE BUENAS NOTICIAS por Diana Figueroa

Ahora que tenemos a nuestros turistas internos y extranjeros visitando a Puerto Rico o nuestra región, ¿cómo aseguramos que su estadía sea la más placentera y provechosa? Con nuestro servicio y hospitalidad. ¿De qué nos sirve que vengan a visitarnos si la impresión con la cual regresan a su lugar de origen es negativa? La gran parte del tiempo que el turista pasa aqui disfruta del sol, de excursiones y visitando distintos negocios y comercios. Por esta razón, es importante que todo el mundo tome parte en dar un excelente servicio, no importa cuan pequeña pueda ser tu empresa.

La mejor promoción que tu negocio o región puede disfrutar es la palabra hablada de persona en persona, o sea, una recomendación directa. Cada persona a que le brindes servicio hablará con un promedio de diez personas. Esas diez hablarán con diez más y asi sucesivamente. Llegará el momento que cientos de personas han formado una opinion de un lugar basándose en la experiencia de alguien que tal vez ni conocen. Por tal razón, mientras más “personas con buenas noticias” puedas crear, más alto el crecimiento a largo plazo de tu negocio y región.

A continuación, algunas técnicas útiles para compartir con empleados y compañeros. Las mismas ayudarán a brindar un mejor servicio, creando una mejor imagen de su compañia y promoviendo mayor productividad en su empresa:

Recibe a cada huésped/cliente con una sonrisa.Haz contacto visual: Aunque no te estés sintiendo animado, siempre debes de sonreir. Esto te hace más accesible a la persona a la cual atiendes. También es bueno hacer contacto visual, ya que de esta manera reconoces la presencia de tu cliente.

Utiliza el nombre de tu cliente(si lo sabes) cuando te dirijes hacia él o ella: Si no lo sabes, utilice “caballero”, “Sra.”, “Sr.”, “Srta.” o “joven”. A todos nos gusta sentirnos apreciados. Sé que es imposible recordar los nombres de todos los clientes que atendemos, pero siempre hay un grupo de personas que sobresalen y pasan a formar parte de nuestro diario vivir. Estos clientes frecuentes son los que más aportan al éxito de nuestra compañia. Además de invertir su tiempo y dinero en nosotros, dan su apoyo hablando positivamente de las experiencias vividas mientras nos visitan.

Provee opciones: Bríndale opciones a tus huéspedes/clientes que hagan su visita más placentera y memorable. Ya sea ofreciéndole una habitación más cómoda, algún lugar que ver o visitar, una comida distinta o artículo para llevar de recuerdo. Mostrar interés y tener detalles con tu cliente es una manera asegurada de una segunda visita (y las propinas no vienen mal tampoco).

Mientras mejor sea el servicio que se brinde, más “personas con buenas noticias” crearás. Al ofrecer un servicio superior no sólo se beneficiará la compañia, el empleado tambien se beneficiará. El mejor producto que puedes vender eres TU...¡asegura conseguir el mejor precio!

El Momento de Magia

2005-02-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

CREANDO SERVICIO MAGICO por Norma Pérez

¿Sabemos realmente lo que es el turismo? Escuchamos por todas partes que la gente habla de turismo aquí, turismo allá… ¿Pero de qué se trata esto? Pues en palabras sencillas: Turismo es servir.

Ahora, ¿qué es servicio? Cuando ayudamos a alguien que lo necesita, eso es servicio. Cuando lo ayudamos tratándolos bien, eso es un mejor servicio. Cuando nos excedemos en atenciones eso es un servicio excelente.

Imagine la siguiente situación: El Sr. Schmidt perdió el vuelo en el cual debía salir temprano. Eso trajo como consecuencia que también perdiera su vuelo de conección. Cuando por fin llegó al hotel reservado, descubrió que se le había perdido la cartera. La recepcionista del hotel le verifica su reservación, pero el Sr. Schmidt no aparece en el sistema (porque el atraso del vuelo cambió su hora de llegada) y para colmo la recepcionista no sabe qué hacer.

El turismo es servir, y el servicio tiene tres momentos:

1-El Momento de Miseria

2-El Momento de Verdad

3-El Momento de Magia

Cuando tenemos a un turista como el Sr. Schmidt, tenemos la oportunidad de analizar lo que es un servicio excelente.

Su Momento de Miseria: perdió sus vuelos y ya no tiene reservación de hotel.

Su Momento de la Verdad: se hace la gestión para su reservación de hotel y se le ayuda a lidiar con la situación de su cartera perdida (tarjetas de crédito, tarjetas bancarias, etc.)

Pero para el Sr. Schmidt lo más importante será el Momento de Magia, que será aquella atención especial que aliviará el mal sabor de su mala experiencia. La recepcionista del hotel le consigue una habitación mejor que la que él pidió (había una disponible) y le envía una pequeña canasta de frutas cortesía del hotel. Le obsequia con un coctel de bienvenida en el restaurante del hotel, luego de que descanse de su viaje. Más le ofreció una habitación con descuento para su próxima visita.

¿Qué creen que va a suceder? El Sr. Schmidt regresó a su hogar hablándole a sus familiares, colegas y conocidos de lo bien que fue atendido e invitó a que fueran a esa hospederia cuando viajaran la próxima vez.

Todos los turistas que recibimos merecen un momento de magia y más que nada un servicio de excelencia. No debemos conformarnos con atenderlos bien, sino que debemos ir más allá de un buen servicio y hacer que ese turista se sienta como en su casa.

Actividades febrero

2005-02-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

Festival de Chiringas y Tiguero en Lajas
a celebrarse del 18 al 20 de febrero

Exposición de Productos y Servicios Relacionados a la Industria del Turismo
jueves, 24 de febrero del 2005
9:30 am hasta 1:00 pm
Instituto de Banca y Comercio de Moca (frente al Westernbank)

2005-02-11T10:11:00.000-04:00

Noches de Lelolai
Jueves 9-10 pm en el Mayaguez Resort and Casino

Festival del Acabe del Café

2005-02-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

Plaza Pública Maricao
viernes 18, sábado 19 y domingo 20 de febrero

Dramatizaciones, Artesanos, Payasos, Música, Concursos y mucho más.

viernes 18:

9:30 pm- Victoria Sanabria
11:00 pm- Victor Manuel Reyes
12:00 am- Plena Libre

sábado 19:

8:00 pm- Andres Jimenez
10:00 pm- Mariano Cotto
11:00 pm- Caobana

domingo 20:

7:30- Cantares de Mi Tierra
9:00 pm- Familia Sanabria y Niños Trovadores
11:00pm- Roy Brown
12:00 am- Plenealo

** Se prohibe el uso de neveras portatiles en la actividad **

:oDD

Taller: Como se Muestra la Cultura en el Turismo

2005-02-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

jueves, 17 de febrero de 2005
Instituto de Banca y Comercio de Mayagüez
9 am a 11:30 am
Entrada General $15.00
Profesores y estudiantes debidamente identificados entran gratis

Marketing Essentials

2005-02-09T11:13:00.000-04:00

Marketing Tips for T.I.P.$. by Area Zoom Marketing

Marketing is everything you do to communicate what your company is, from greeting clients to advertising around the world.

The most effective marketing is personal and well within your control: the quality of your premises, your level of service and the way you treat your clients.

The most useful marketing is that which positions you as unique and singular. Find that quality—or those qualities—that no else has or offers. If you can’t find anything, you can create them. The only limit is your imagination.

Marketing is a constant process and depends on feedback from many people. Remember to ask for that feedback, listen to it, weigh it objectively and use what you think is valuable.

Marketing is an investment made to sustain and expand the image and reputation of your company. Everything you do that affects your company’s image and reputation is a marketing investment and should be treated that way to achieve the maximum benefit.

Marketing expresses the passion you feel for your business and the service you offer. If you don’t feel great passion for this, find someone who does to coordinate and supervise marketing. Enthusiasm is contagious and produces amazing results.

Don't let Marketing fall into the "Unused" category of your business matrix. It's the best tool you have for showing the world your very best.