Comments on: Hospitality Advice on Service – Do You Have Guests or Customers?

By: Kristina Evey

Kristina Evey — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:42:46 +0000

You’re right, Tim. Every customer should be treated that way. That is one of my favorite posts also because it reinforces that treating people as if they are the Pope takes just a little bit of ingenuity and very little cost.

I’m glad you like the content and am looking forward to your next comments. Please be sure to let me know which topics you’d like to see covered. I truly enjoy the feedback, ideas, and suggestions.

By: Kristina Evey

Kristina Evey — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:39:38 +0000

Mary Ann,
I think that is a fantastic idea to have a “living room” setting in a medical office.

This is good practice on so many levels -
1- It puts them at ease before the visit and can prepare them to be more engaged with the physician or provider simply because they are feeling “at home.”
2 – You are taking an ordinary experience and making it memorable. Anytime you can add a positive aspect to a mundane situation, you distinguish yourself and your business in the eyes of the customer or guest. That is what people today are really looking for – What makes you different and why should they come back to you.

So, on top of them receiving good quality patient centered care, they are also left with a positive indelible memory and feeling.

By: Tim Sanchez

Tim Sanchez — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:49:29 +0000

This reminded me of one of my favorite blog posts from Seth Godin.

Instead of thinking of them as guests, why not go a few steps further and think of them as the most important guest you will ever interact with?

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/04/the-pope-is-com.html

Love the content here Kristina, I’ll definitely be visiting again.

By: Mary Ann Settembrino

Mary Ann Settembrino — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:15:08 +0000

In my medical office we have suceesfully implemented this strategy in the environment by having a living room and dining room with an herbal tea station as opposed to a traditional waiting room. Our clients feel much more like guests being invited to have tea in the living room instead of being instructed to sit in the waiting room.

By: Kristina Evey

Kristina Evey — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:07:07 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Clare. You used an interesting word – experience. That is what it is all about. We want to create an experience for our customers/guests that will make them want to go out of their way to do business with us. When customers enjoy the experience we provide when doing business with us, we can earn their loyalty for life simply because they like the way they feel when interacting with us.

By: Clare

Clare — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:50:54 +0000

What an interesting article and really holds true. The more I think of my experiences dining in restaurants and working in them (I managed a restaurant) I can really see how this works. I used to go to one place that was run by a family and whenever you arrived it felt like visiting a friend at their home. We consequently kept going back. Another company that does our corporate hospitality manages to make you feel like a guest and not a customer. I think this should be a key part of all training for people in many areas of hospitality and customer service. It is after all just a mind set that will have amazing knock on effects. Thanks

By: Kristina Evey

Kristina Evey — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:17:19 +0000

Frank, I appreciate you returning to comment.

I think that it adds so much more delight to the experience when we pay attention to the smallest details, even the words we use. It can add such a nuance. In your retail examples above, can you imagine Nordstrom referring to someone as a shopper?

The Ritz-Carlton does an excellent job at creating a unique experience with their wording in their credo – “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” That language creates both an expectation of who is serving and how they will serve the guests.

Thanks again for your comments. I truly appreciate it.

By: Frank M.

Frank M. — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:25:42 +0000

Your comparison of serving guests in your home and serving them in your restaurant is right on target. Servers should become accustom to using the same reference even among themselves. It could change their attitude from waiting on tables to serving guests.

It’s an interesting choice of words. In a restaurant customers are guests. At a drive-thru with little interaction, you are still a customer. In the hotel you can be a guest. At the dentist office, you are a patient but can be treated like a guest in the waiting room and a customer when paying the bill. At Nordstrom, you are a preferred customer and a quasi-guest, and sometimes treated with such extraordinary care you can feel special. In the funeral home, you are family and hopefully cared for like family. Yet with all these different handles, in each situation the business at hand has an opportunity to create a positive impression and a positively perceived experience for their buying consumer.