Newsletter No.7

SERVICE IS A CULTURE

You may wonder from where I have surfaced once again. Well surfaced I have, from the abyss of work that put life in disarray in 2009. Thanks to the recession.

But I had resolved to surface come what may, in 2009 itself rather than making it a 2010 resolution. And here I am.

PRINCELY HOLIDAY

During our summer break we visited the state of Rajasthan in India. A place we always wanted to visit but never got the opportunity till recently. What impressed me most was the overwhelming hospitality experienced throughout our stay in the princely state. Something, that stems from the culture of the state.

Be it the hunting lodge in Udaipur, the heritage property in Ranakpur or a star category hotel in Jodhpur. Everyone greeted you with joined hands in ‘namaste’. A tradition the state has maintained till date showing regard for the guest. A gesture of warmth and welcome, sending positive vibes. A gesture, that sets the right mood in satisfaction.

All these properties could have adopted the universal greeting of ‘Good Morning, Welcome to our property’ but instead they had the traditional greeting with folded hands. You experience this right from the gates of the property, the doorman, reception, bell captain and at every possible encounter with the staff. It makes you feel good about the place. It makes you feel good about yourself as a customer or guest.

That is as far as our stay in various properties were concerned.

CULTURE INGRAINED

The ultimate experience in service and hospitality was in our friend’s farmhouse. Suresh and Lalitha went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. Their employees at the farm were so service oriented that it had a different flavor in comparison to the various properties we stayed in. They made all attempts to go the extra mile and make our stay a memorable one. They had all the required skills ingrained in their culture. They rendered service par excellence. They do not have any formal training in soft skills but could certainly teach a thing or two about how to delight guests.  

For instance they had packed sandwiches for our trip to Udaipur. Packed along was one of Rajasthan’s mouth watering pickle in a small container. When my wife asked for a spoon for the pickle, the staff opened the container and in it was a plastic spoon cut to size to fit the container. They were not trained to empathize. It is a way of life. In corporate jargon they were ‘proactive’.

Right through the course of our stay in the farmhouse, for that matter the entire trip, we did not hear the word ‘No’. Everyone had a ‘Yes’ in reply. It was always a ‘Yes’. It was always a ‘we will do our best’. And they went the extra mile to meet it or get close to it. Their attitude and approach itself gave a sense of satisfaction. It was so overwhelming that we had to think twice before asking, least we embarrass them with a tall order.

Rajasthan is a must visit if you really need to experience and understand service as a culture, service as a way of life.

COMPANY CULTURES

Coming to the world of business this got me wondering about company cultures and delighting their customers.

Studying various views on culture I felt …

Culture is born when a community or a group of individuals in an organization embrace actions and behaviours based on certain values and missions envisioned by their founders, in an attempt to delight their guests and customers. Such shared values and practices of all employees speak about ‘the way we do things here’ lending character to the organization and playing a vital role in determining the success of a business.

Do you have a culture in your organization? The answer is a definite ‘Yes’. Every organization like it or not develops its own set of values and ways of conducting business. Values envisioned by the founders and handed down over time. Beliefs shared by superiors and peers that build the character of an organization. Mannerisms and style of functioning that leave a mark on visitors. All these and much more unspoken values and inadvertent behaviors become a natural way of doing things.

Now the important question is ‘Does your culture delight your customers’. ‘Will they come back for more’?

Introspection will take it further with …..

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?        POINT TO PONDER

-         Are all employees aware of company’s vision.

-         Do they know their part in the picture.

-         Are values and beliefs practiced from the chairman to the charwoman.

-         Is it ingrained or superficial.

-         Is it consistent.

-         Does it meet customer requirements.

√       STEPS TO SATISFY

ü        MNC, family business or the shop round the corner – can all develop their culture.

ü        Study your customer vis-à-vis your business.

ü        Look back at your vision and mission

ü        Review the culture of your organization.

ü        Given every moment of contact with your customer, go overboard with your culture.

RESOLVE TO DELIGHT YOUR CUSTOMERS, FOR ONLY A DELIGHTED CUSTOMER CAN BEAT TODAY’S RECESSION.

TOGETHER WE CAN GIVE SERVICE A MEANING IN BUSINESS

WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR.