Angie Larson of ABC News 4 in Utah recently wrote about her customer service experience when taking a vacation to Las Vegas. Even in a town that relies on tourists for much of its income, she found the service there was significantly less than she expected.
I spent $10 on shuttle service from the airport to the hotel only to listen to the driver cuss at the "idiots" (his word, not mine) on the road and use insulting profanity to complain about life in general. I get it, times are tough. But it might be a wiser decision to vent frustrations to friends and family instead of someone you expect a tip from. And expect, instead of earn is the mind-set I witnessed. (I hope I don't sound too hypocritical because I am, after all venting to you. But I'm not naming names, just giving examples to make a point.)
Read her full account here. Does this surprise you? What have your customer service experiences been like on your recent vacations?
This article and its observations are a marvelous foundation on which to build a discussion about what's possible with Customer Service (or more accurately, the Customer Experience). For two opposite experience narratives, look at these excellent YouTube videos:
ReplyDeleteScott McKain -- Customer Service Lessons from "Taxi Terry" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNFYBB1j_Q
and Shep Hyken - Customer Service Cab Story at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG48U5iPESA
These two "cab driver" stories show what CAN be done — how it's possible to take a fairly simple, straightforward service and turn it into a remarkable Customer Experience — and reap the profits of the creativity and initiative.
I only wish we were all so creative and committed to excellence! //Richard