Eulogize your favorite deceased service experience

Posted: Oct 1, 07 9:11pm

The Digital Age has brought the Internet, Cell Phones and other tools that should have enhanced businesses ability to deliver extraordinary customer service experiences. Unfortunately, these potential enhancements were simply used as opportunities to leverage productivity. Rather than looking for ways to score more points on the offense (give more/charge more), the sole emphasis seems to be on the defense.

Or put more simply... how to do the same with less, or worse.

I thought that this might just be an American phenom but having just returned from London and Paris (part business and part an attempt at pleasure) I sadly must share the affliction has elevated to a Pandemic level.

In addition to experiencing the various and all too common domestic travel-tragedies; I was able to experience this erosion of service excellence in Europe. I can report that not only has the Euro trounced the US dollar in currency valuation but the Brits and Frogs have elevated their temper-trampling techniques plied against we all too-time-pressed, travel-tortured tourists at the same 140% level.

So, have you experienced some of these same observations? If I wrote everything that earned my ire, the post would exceed any readable limit but I thought it might be fun and maybe carathic to share each other's pet peaves as it relates to travel service non-excellence.

Here is one that I find mind-numbing in it's lack of prioritization and amazingly tone-deaf to any reasonable person's sense of customer service...

It happens in many different venues; banks, airports, hotels etc.

In short, we are all reasonable enough to know that there are many jobs that must take place behind the scenes in any business but here's what get's my goat...

Having traveled across the pond (11 hours+) then dragging my bags about the various trains necessary I arrive at my hotel at midnight (name will remain offline, but lets' just say the daughter of the family who owns the chain has had some high profile experiences with the Los Angeles justice system lately).

As a card carrying "Gold VIP" member, I was anxiously awaiting my FREE PERK (a bottle of water)...but first to check in.

At the counter were five employees; there was a gentleman ahead of me and that brought the employee/customer count to a 5/2 ratio.

I approached the first person who sat neatly beneath the "reception and check in" sign who took a moment to acknowledge me (as her head was buried in some screen of critical information, meaning her email). She looked up and directed me to step down to the other end of the counter which also curiously read "reception and check in". I passed two other equally busy folks before reaching my assigned post. There were two eager lads both wearing "trainee badges". The first was very quick to acknowledge me but because his English was a "work in progress" he signed to me that I would have to wait for the other trainee (I named him Tweedle Dee). Unfortunately, Tweedle was also actively engaged in some paperwork although there was no human customer immediately in his pressence.

After a bit, he looked up acknowledge me and quite out of character I actually had a hard copy of my reservation handy which I shared with him. Apparently this proactive measure on my part threw a real wrench in the whole ball game. Without so much as an "excuse me", he darted back into an office area with my reservation. Apparently, none of the other 3 employees manned at the front counter had the where-with-all to process a reservation.

Moments later (about 2 minutes) the Tweedle Trainee Two came back and began the check in process.

None of this probably strikes you as very remarkable, but my Pet Peave is the visible presence of seamingly more than adequate staff all engaged in activities that seem to trump what I would deem job one,...the customer at hand.

My Gold VIP status is the second highest level you can achieve, the Diamond Level essentially requires that you live in a Hilton (oops). I have over 100,000 points which means I have spent over 10K with the Hiltons over the last year.

I would expect that anyone approaching a "service counter" regardless of prior purchase levels have the minimum expectation that their presence warrant immediate attention.

Is that wrong?