Is Tipping or Not Tipping a Tipping Point?

                                                                  

And no……………….. I am not talking about Malcolm Gladwell’s award winning book The Tipping Point that talks about the tipping point, being that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire, that has dramatically changed the way people worldwide think about business development and idea publishing.

I am talking about a different tipping point…………..

Last night we went out to dinner at Peppers Restaurant in Westlands Nairobi with a group of guests from China. One of my clients was hosting their publishing partners who had come visiting them as a major customer.  We were a group of eleven people in total.  After an excellent dinner which was an interesting combination of Indian, Chinese and African, that the guests were delighted with, my colleague Jane paid the bill using the assigned float that she had carried.

When the waiter returned her change and she was counting it to ensure it was correct given that she would need to account for the company resources against the receipts issued, the waiter said to her pointing at the billing wallet where bills and change are placed “Na hi mfuko yangu? Hauweki kitu ndani ya hii mfuko yangu?” “And this pouch of mine? Are you not putting anything in this pouch of mine?” And when Jane looked at him rather confused for she hadn’t quite understood what he was saying, he repeated in an angry voice “ Yaani, hautaweka kitu hapa! Umewacha mfuko yangu hivo bila!” “You mean you are not going to put anything in here, you have left my pouch empty!” and then stormed off in a huff.

Now here’s the million dollar question – is tipping mandatory? Is tipping or not tipping a tipping point?

The angry reaction of this waiter completely erased the good service and the delightful meal that we’d had. The rest of the conversation as we wound up was about how surly he was and whether staff at a restaurant have the right to demand a tip when it is not forthcoming, as well as the conditions under which tips should or shouldn’t be issued.

I am not too sure about the dos and don’ts of tipping  best practice and this incident has had me go online to check if this answer exists, with varying feedback as outlined here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/18/tipping-guide-around-the-world_n_5489427.html

And as with most other types of research – I couldn’t find any statistics for Africa L

However – what I am dead sure about is about service excellence. So let’s explore that……

What good customer service dictate?

It dictates that customers must be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect. And there’s no two ways about it. No matter what the situation, no matter how aggrieved one may feel, no matter if the customer is right or wrong, the non-negotiable of customer service is to maintain sanity and handle  customers with aplomb.

Was Jane handled with level headedness and composure? I leave you to answer that question, and to ponder over the next reaction you may have when your customer has done something you ‘deem’ as unacceptable. Over to you……………………………..

Acacia Premier - The Epitome of Safety, Comfort and Trust

                                                                   

We had the absolute pleasure of staying at the Acacia Premier – a new 4 star hotel in Kisumu City whose Hospitality is not only worth writing home about, but rivals establishments that have been in the industry for years. Their customer responsiveness was awesome. We had too many delightful experiences to narrate, but the one that blew me away was their response to (what was then) a presumed security breach.

On the morning of the second day of our stay, I needed to wear a particular set of earrings and after looking and looking and looking for the little bag that houses my earrings and necklace sets, I couldn’t find it. I therefore concluded that it was missing and at breakfast reported it as a missing item from my room.

What happened from the minute I uttered these words, remains for me a case study of the most efficient, competent and customer centered service recovery I have seen in a long time. I will surely use this occurrence as a training illustration going forwards in my training sessions.

Two different managers came to my breakfast table and demonstrated such seriousness about the missing item report, with continuous reassurance that something would be done about it immediately. The head of security, a tall well-built gentleman Mr. Rashid, in a very neat suit took down my details and documented my complaint with diligence. The reassurance that this was indeed an unusual occurrence that they were taking very seriously, and would get to the bottom of it, and do their best to recover the lost item was provided with quiet and resolute confidence.

During our lunch break ( we were conducting a training workshop) the calm and efficient Mr. Rashid graciously requested if he could take up a few minutes of my time to update me on the status of the investigation. I was also requested to accompany the team to my room to explain the circumstances of my missing jewellery bag. More notes were taken and all three team members apologized once again for the mishap and promised to personally handle the matter. I felt massively reassured. Mr. Rashid also produced system reports that documented the entry and exit times for my room and reassured me once again the they were doing all they could to resolve the matter.

As a customer I felt unquestionably cared for, important and of significance to the institution. The amount of time that was being taken to follow up my case and the constant updates on the progress was very impressive. I felt like part of the Acacia family and I could feel their great disappointment at having an incident of this nature happen to a guest.

As a result of all this goodwill towards me, where naturally I would have felt angry about the loss, I was feeling just as bad as the crew about how one member of the team who had committed this act was letting down all the rest who have been successfully working to build the brand.

To cut the long story short, it turns out that I was mistaken. My little jewellery bag was discovered by my colleague in a batch of paper bags that we’d carried from my room that housed our training material and visual aids. On discovery of it, I was excited to call Mr. Rashid and inform him that I was indeed mistaken and very apologetic for having put them through an investigation process, and for having somewhat accused their establishment  of theft. Needless to say they were very gracious and accommodating and even comforted me that the incident provided them an opportunity to test their service recovery systems.

I must say I was unequivocally impressed and tremendously awed by the handling of my case. The test of a great institution is how it reacts when things go bad. And just as customers who’ve had service failure incidents successfully resolved, feel more loyal to a brand, I am now completely steadfast in my belief that if that is the way Acacia Premier handles customer incidents, then they have my hand, my heart and my loyalty.

I am completely confident in their customer centricity and I say to all of you out there – watch that space. Acacia Premier is transforming the hospitality industry in the region – one satisfied guest at a time.

Nil By Mouth - Same Brand Disparate and Desperate Service

We had such distinctly different experiences at Java Coffee House this past weekend that left us rather perplexed. The Java Coffee House brand has become quite a formidable brand in Kenya in the past few years. It leads the way in brand standardization and providing customers with a similar experience irrespective of the outlet one visits, in terms of menu items, ambience, service delivery, billing and presentation. Even with the current outlets popping up on the sidewalks and at Petrol stations, the Java experience is just the Java experience and that’s what keeps customers coming.

So much so is this that menu customizations are not part of the service protocol. I was advised recently that to get a customized vegetarian version of their famous Quesadilla or to tweak the inputs or presentation would call for the proposal to be sent to quality control for entry in to the menu to then be put out to all units for offer to ensure uniformity. So with this level of standardization and quality control, what has happened to the service offered by the people that form the brand? Is a brand the environment and physical tangible attributes or is the brand the people that work there?

On Friday afternoon we were at Java Hurlingham at the Shell Petrol station for a work meeting and a fabulous, attentive and very pleasant waitstaff called Wilkins took service to a different level when he offered to squat and fix our power cables into the sockets under the seats that we had trouble reaching. All this with a smile. We were blown away by his patience and acts of service. On Saturday night we went out to dinner at Java Junction and the waistaff Jane was what I can only call a ‘case study’ of how not to treat your customers including application of Nil By Mouth treatment to us after raising concern about the length of time our orders were taking. She took to plonking our meals on the table and pointing with her fingers to indicate where the items we requested for were.

What creates this disparity?

It is my observation that very often when brands expand, staff that have been in the system for some time, get posted to the new outlets to extend the brand culture there and new staff get absorbed in the original units. What then needs to be done to ensure the new staff get accultured to the brand’s way of doing things? We unanimously concluded that Jane must have been new at the job for her way was clearly not the ‘Java Way’. Team leaders and those who hold the brand strategy in custody need to be very sensitive about how the people that work for the brand represent the brand. The brand’s interface is largely through staff interactions and communication with customers is right up there on the Richter scale.

I challenge all brands out here, no matter the size or nature, to have a standardized code of conduct and response to different customer situations. A simulation drill needs to be prepared and practised ahead of time where every imaginable customer conflict situation is role played in advance and the respondents prepare in readiness to execute with patience and reassurance.  

Customer’s love order and predictability. They thrive in these environments. It takes only one out-of-order situation to have customers doubt a brand and the cost of re-acquisition of lost customers can bring the house down.

Let’s proceed to define our customer service standards then apply them uniformly across all customer touch points. 

Little Leaks Doth Big Ships Sink

                                                          

I was at the Safaricom Care Center at Nakumatt Mega yesterday afternoon to get my SIM card converted into a microSIM. After getting the service rendered, I needed to have the PIN changed to check if it had correctly latched on after insertion. There were four care agents on duty and I dutifully stood in the queue awaiting my turn.

A light skinned lady dressed in regular clothes (white, flowered attire) came up to me in the queue and asked “What service are you waiting for?” I looked at her and wondered who she was. But because she didn’t look threatening in any way, and she spoke with some level of authority, I told her about my need for the SIM PIN change, and she then directed me to the cashier’s counter to get the service done.

Apparently the cashier who at the time had no customer to attend to, serves as a multi-service desk primarily receiving and processing payments, but  also providing relief services as needed.  I thought that was a really good system.  As I got served, the regular clothed lady passed near where I was and I asked her “Do you work here?” She looked surprised and said “Yes. Why do you ask?’  I let her know that I was surprised at her conversation with me for several reasons:

1.       I didn’t know who she was. She hadn’t introduced herself to me.

2.       She emerged from the main door and not from an office inside that would have indicated that she was part of the team.

3.       She wasn’t uniformed and so didn’t look like an official.

4.       She had no name tag.

She acknowledged all this as she proceeded into the back office.

The service was great and the people in the shop were very helpful. My interaction with everyone was pleasant and I am a diehard subscriber. I however feel that as service delivery is the key differentiator, and as a brand that has positioned itself for leadership – it is the small things that matter. It is not technological innovations that will change the game, it is the connection with customers on the ground.

And yes, she was indeed very helpful and I much appreciated her intervention. I would have been more impressed if she greeted me, introduced herself and then proceeded with the rest of the conversation. That would have taken say 15 more seconds of her time and would have made all the difference in the world wouldn’t it?

As we digest this, let’s ponder over how John Wooden so aptly says “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

What's Your Body Saying?

We sat down to a  business meeting at a  coffee house housed in Thika Road Mall this past Saturday to walk through a project briefing with a client. A waiter came and handed us menus and left. We got down to discussions and it was about an hour later when a different waitress came to our table and enquired whether we had been served.  After indicating that we had been there for an hour with no service she said ‘Sorry’ and proceeded to ask after our orders.

Being the customer service enthusiast that I am, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to let her know that although she had said ‘Sorry’ she in actual fact did not look sorry at all. Nothing in her body language, manner or tone of voice indicated that she was truly sorry. She had a business-as-usual demeanor. She seemed very surprised at my remark and went on to explain that she also did not understand why her colleague had not come back to ‘look after’ the tables he had been assigned, and went on to explain their system of assigning tables. Pretty much what she was doing was abdicating responsibility and ‘blaming’ her colleague. This really got my goat up, and we can spend an entire day talking about collective responsibility for service and the woes of an ‘It-wasn’t-me-that’s-not-my-job’ attitude, but let’s save that for another day. Today, we’re focusing on body language for customer service excellence.

So our dear waitress – let’s call her Njoki, wasn’t at all remorseful. Nothing about her way of being communicated remorse at the situation. And let’s face it, one hour without service in an upmarket coffee house, no…….. let me rephrase that – in any service facility no matter the rank, is downright bad service. So after Njoki’s response, I proceeded to demonstrate to her what I thought may have been an appropriate response as follows:-

• A shocked expression from her about our long wait for service
• An indication of how that is really serious and a service no-no
• A confirmation that, that indeed is not the norm and shouldn't happen
• A sincere apology for the mishap and a promise of immediate rectification
• An acknowledgement of our patience for having endured the long wait
• A promise to get our orders out in the shortest time possible

All of which should have been delivered with sincere conviction, including the appropriate body language and tone of voice.

I told Njoki that should she have done the above, I would have felt much much better and not felt like some inconsequential customer who wasn’t worth the establishment’s time of day. Njoki then proceeded to rub my shoulder and told me “Ok I’m sorry - please feel better”. I am not sure that I did.

The thing about body language is that it is difficult to fake. Our bodies speak of their own volition. Excitement, joy, sincerity, regret, nervousness, derision, impatience and many other feelings all manifest in different ways through gestures and stance. Many times, we do not even realize that our bodies have spoken unless the person being ‘spoken’ to points it out. We should therefore take two approaches to ensure body language for customer service excellence.

One is to be as sincere, open and genuine as possible in our interactions with customers. Our bodies will automatically convey the same. If we truly appreciate our customers and delight in their presence and feedback whether positive or negative, our bodies will speak our sincerity. The Second is to be conscious of different body language messages and make a deliberate effort to practice and adopt engaging and approachable body language as we interact with our customers.

For after all as the experts indicate, when we speak, 55% impact of the communication is visual (your body language) 38% is your voice (tone, inflection, pitch and rate) and 7% is verbal (your words).  Important statistics to chew on as we strive to raise the service excellence bar.

Of Black and White Hospitality

Restaurant hopping is one of my favourite pass times, usually under the guise of looking for a nice quiet environment in which to write, meet up business partners and sit my with my colleague to plan and map the coming period’s activities. Nice excuses to try out new places right?  Well, the experience of sitting in a wide variety of eating places brings about an interesting phenomenon that although is fiercely denied in the hospitality industry, still exists – racism.

Interestingly is isn't racism practiced in the hard cold black and white, or coloured way, where discrimination occurs one entity against the other, but covert racism where the employees of an establishment completely fawn over customers over  a specific race, in this specific case Caucasian, providing a starkly different level of service above other customers.

Without much variation – this is how the scene plays out……..

• Enter Mzungu (Caucasian) customer(s).
• Staff run to the entrance/lobby/reception area to welcome customer(s).
• Wide wide smiling and over exuberant words of welcome from staff.
• Customer(s) is shown to the most vantage sitting space.
• Manager of facility comes out to add to the welcome chorus for the customer(s).
• Staff proceed to fawn over customer(s) attending to their every whim, expressed or otherwise.
• Manager hovers about never far from the customer(s) table.
• Customer(s) finish and are thanked profusely for coming.
•  Staff provide a chorus of goodbyes expressing enthusiastic appreciation for the visit.
• Staff escort customer(s) out performing acts akin to deep bows and curtsies.
• Staff return to ‘normal’ ignoring other customers and only attending to them when summoned.

Change the restaurant name, location, food specialty, star grading, cost or orientation – same script, different cast. Always.

So let’s speculate why this happens like clockwork without fail……..

Why is it that staff from all ranks in these eateries are reduced to fawning, adulatory and obsequious beings on the entry of Wazungus. Is it because…….

• We are still tangled in the web of colonial hangover where we believe we should submit?
• These types of customer(s) leave tips as a matter of practice?
• We believe they patronize restaurants often as against other races who do so on ‘occasion’?
• It is the in the establishment’s rule book to do so and observation otherwise is fatal?

Do you suppose these are valid postulations? Could there be any other reasons why this phenomenon happens? What are your thoughts? Please add to the list and spur a healthy discussion?

Whatever the case may be, it is possible that some of the perpetrators of these acts may not even be aware that their bodies speak and that they display such mannerisms. In service delivery – body language and non-verbal communication is a strong factor for success. 

This therefore goes out as an appeal for raised awareness and consciousness and to have the people in leadership have their teams adopt a brothers' keeper system, be aware of, point out and kill that behaviour.

The Power of Customer Feedback - A Case of Coptic Hospital.

In this country we have been so rightly accused of being very tolerant to mediocrity. And whilst we would like to stand up with placards and declare this untrue, a common hashtag that follows any mal-happening both verbal and written is #accept-and-move-on.

It is claimed that we are socialized this way - to not speak up and demand what is due to us, and to humbly accept that we cannot change the status quo. If this is so, and we claim to want to be the first world of Africa, how will we influence service delivery from service providers, if we the consumers do not rise up and demand our service rights?

Well – I was pleasantly surprised last week when the leadership at Coptic Hospital sent me evidence of their having mapped out the patient journey complete with visual guide to communicate with customers and guide their steps. This visual is placed in customer contact areas to have their patients know and understand what to expect.  I was blown away!

That they responded in the first place to my comment on social media was great. That they took the feedback positively and committed to do something about it and get back to me was even greater. That they delivered on their promise was startling. Startling in a very delightful way. So used are we to empty promises that when one honours their word – it absolutely thrills us.

And so yes – I am thrilled. That this Hospital has customer centricity right where it belongs – being steered from the top and that customer feedback governs their decision making. Hats off to the Coptic Team. I am duly impressed. You have converted me from a complaining customer into an ambassador.

I have many engagements that have me speak about Customer Service do’s and don’ts as well as engagements that have me input into many an organization’s customer service strategy. The response to customer feedback by Coptic has wormed and warmed its way high up the ladder of examples that I will elucidate.

Well Done Dr. Francis and Team! I acknowledge you all.